As another school year, as well as the youth sports calendar, comes to a close I can't help but think what direction are youth athletics headed.  There are 14-year old soccer players training, practicing and playing games year-round, 9-year old hockey players, who have been on the ice since they were 4, choosing to focus only on hockey and have given up any notion of playing soccer or baseball, and 7th grade basketball players playing anywhere from 60 to 80 games over a 8-9 month period.  Is this "committing" to one sport year-round, choosing to play a single sport at such an early age or playing so many games benefiting our young athletes or will it hurt them in the long term?  Should "burnout" be a real concern?  What about injuries due to overuse of their bodies?  And also, who really is choosing to focus on one sport, the player or is it more often than not the parent?  Let me know what you think.    

It's been going on now for a month or so, and I will continue, for maybe another 3-4 weeks, to receive at least two emails from parents daily asking what basketball camp should they send their son or daughter to this summer.  I politely respond that the small colleges, the MIAC schools in particular, generally offer quality one week camps.  I also include in my return email information regarding the MDB Summer Program and how we differ from a typical basketball "camp."  I used to laugh at the fact that these parents were contacting MDB to get advise on which basketball camp to attend but now I take advantage of the opportunity to educate yet another parent about MDB and our philosophy.  I can't say it enough, the summer months are for training, improving, developing and building one's basketball, athletic and mental skills, not necessarily attending camps where a majority of the day is spent playing 1-on-1, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5.  At MDB, our focus is on helping each athlete improve and develop his/her skills and self-confidence through repitition, continuous feedback and positive reinforcement.  So, if you really want your son or daughter to improve this summer then please send me an email asking what does MDB have to offer and how can MDB help my young athlete get to the next level.  I'll be excited to answer your email.