The Surge

“Practice makes perfect” is a phrase ingrained in most athletes early in their career. Athletes are taught that the more they train, the better they will become. This, however, is not always true — the body needs time to rest and recover in order to stay strong. Pushing the body past its limits can be incredibly dangerous because excessive practice increases the risk of injury, adds unnecessary stress and can even stall progression both physically and mentally.

Overuse injuries are incredibly common in high-impact sports. According to the National Institutes of Health, overuse injuries are caused by excessive stress and insufficient recovery. These cause chronic pain and can often lead to long-term issues. For example, in baseball, many players suffer from “Little League elbow,” or medial epicondylitis, due to the repetitive strain caused by throwing the ball. One way to prevent overuse injuries is to cross-train and strengthen the muscles needed to protect the ones used most in a particular sport. 

Practice is necessary for success; athletes cannot improve in their sport if they are not practicing regularly. However, recovery is equally as essential for progress. Professional and collegiate training facilities have recently put more of an emphasis on recovery by giving athletes access to things like cold plunges, microneedling and massages. Cold plunges reduce muscle soreness and inflammation making athletes more prepared to train again. Microneedling and dry needling help accelerate recovery by increasing blood flow to targeted muscles. Sports massages help with soreness and injury recovery. These are just a few examples of methods which assist in overall athletic performance just as much as practice. 

Balance is the key to success when it comes to training at a high level in sports. Practice is essential for improvement, but so is rest. Constant physical strain can not only affect your body, but also sleep and mental health. High-intensity exercise increases cortisol levels, making it harder to fall or stay asleep. Additionally, extended hours of practice can take time away from other activities and responsibilities, causing anxiety around unavoidable commitments such as school and work. 

On average, high school athletes spend eight to 15 hours a week at practice when their sport is in season. It is recommended for adolescents to not exceed 12 hours a week, but some sports have upwards of 20 practice hours. While the ramifications of this can vary from person to person, this much high-intensity activity can be very harmful to high school athletes. 

The likelihood of high school athletes continuing their sport in college is about 8% according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), meaning that the majority of student athletes continue to participate because they love their sport. Enjoying what they do is a very important part of high school athletics, and excessive practice has been known to cause burnout. Too much pressure from coaches, parents or peers can take the fun out of the sport. If an athlete feels too much pressure to succeed they will start competing for the approval of others instead of their own self-worth.

Bottom Line: While practice is a crucial part of sports, finding a balance between training, recovery and enjoyment is essential to high school athletes maintaining a healthy relationship with their sport.