At a recent T-ball game, I was talking with another father who mentioned that his son had never played before. As we watched our children falling over trying to scoop up a ground ball, we laughed about how they were still figuring everything out. There was something refreshing about seeing kids learn a game without worrying about how well they were playing.
That moment stayed with me. I’ve spent years as an athletic trainer in collegiate and professional sports, helping athletes stay healthy, handle the demands of competition and perform at their best. Today, I’m a clinical associate professor of kinesiology and chief health and performance adviser for an NCAA Division I athletics program. Given my work, you might expect me to take an active role in developing my own children’s athletic abilities, especially in a youth sports culture where early specialization and greater commitment are often seen as advantages.
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