ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - It appears many young athletes are returning to the game this spring and summer after many programs were canceled or cut back last year at the height of the pandemic.
Families may be looking for ways to get their kids back into a training regimine.
Renowned orthopedic surgeon for elite athletes, Dr. Rick Lehman has written a new guidebook for parents of youth athletes, How to R.A.I.S.E. an Athlete
Dr. Lehman is Medical Director at the US Center for Sports Medicine and worked closely with Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee as well as serving as physician for several NHL teams including the St. Louis Blues.
He says to be life long competitors, athletes have to be totally committed. Along with that, "As a parent, you have to leave your kids alone. If your child is a great athlete, someone is going to find them."
Lehman says training and discipline has to be age appropriate.
"You have to treat someone who's 10 to 12 completely differently than someone who's 17 being prepared to go to college and play a college sport," Lehman explains, "The other thing is the injuries are different. So kids with open growth plates have different injuries than kids with closed growth plates. How much you can push your kids is different. There's a complete mental component to it. If you push your 10-year-old to do 500 push ups a night, obviously you're going nowhere."
In his new book, Lehman offers a look at the various ages and stages of youth athletes.
One reality check he gives families -- injuries are inevitable.
"And as a doctor, I would say be prepared in advance," Lehman says. "Set your medical team up. Know who you're going to go to. If there's an emergency know what you're going to do."
Lehman says all athletes need downtime, and COVID may have provided an opportunity for some young athletes to heal. He tells KMOX he's not a fan of kids playing the same sport – and especially the same position – all year round because of the wear and tear and physical imbalance that can cause.
Lehman says one disturbing trend in the last decade has been a steady increase in substance abuse among teenage athletes, especially performance enhancing drugs.
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