Overtraining i ungdomsidræt: Forældre, lad børn være børn

This is an article to parents of young athletes about how bad overtraining is for children.

Sports are supposed to be fun, not to be the best. Children aren’t top athletes! They want to

have fun and make new friends. Give your child a pair of cleats and a soccer ball and they’ll

be entertained for hours.

For most children, stepping their foot on to the field for the first time is a dream come true.

Getting your first Nike cleats, shin guards with Christiano Ronaldo or Messi on them, making

the team, picking the number you want to have on your back, right below your last name,

practicing, competing against other teams, making friends along the way, etc. is something a

child should try, it is really the best time of your life. Falling in love with a sport is easy, but

you must have interest in the sport to fall in love with it.

There are many arguments for and against children competing in sports. Some of the

arguments for, are that the children make new friends and lasting friendships, not only on

their team, but also at competitions where they meet many other children from different

teams, they become more self-disciplined, get better communication skills, learn to respect