Youth Athlete Burnout

Jennifer Morris, M.D., MBA

ABPN, ABPM-add, ABOM, ISSP

Youth organized sports participation has many positive elements, including exercise, improvements in  physical health, and emotional, social and academic benefits.  In fact, one fascinating and widely quoted statistic reflects that 95% of Fortune 500 CEOS were athletes (1) Unfortunately, the majority of young athletes give up on organized sports before entering high school (2)

Athlete burnout, or overtraining syndrome, is a condition that can lead to fatigue and decreased performance despite continuing or even increasing training. Additionally, burnout in youth athletes can result in kids stopping their sports because they are tired of it, and don't want to play anymore..."they're sick of it and it's no longer fun. " Factors that contribute to overtraining and burnout in youth athletes include perfectionism, higher levels of stress and anxiety, fear of failure, and a uni-dimensional sports identity, as well as extremely high training loads with early sports specialization and associated feelings of disempowerment or unrealistic expectations. (3)

Today's youth athletes have more opportunities than ever before, with AAU, ISF, club, travel ball, immersive academies, and year round leagues. Unfortunately, these opportunities leave little downtime, and a sense of pressure to always be performing. Additionally, these opportunities come with a price-tag as parents foot the bill and forfeit family time. Year-round teams leave little time to develop friendships and outside interests. 

Early sports specialization can also lead to or contribute to burnout. There is a pressure to specialize early, and a message that if you are not playing a designated sport year-around, you are losing ground on the guys who are, and they will take your spot in upper division ball. (4)

However, the data suggests otherwise. There is a higher risk for early specialization leading to increased injury risk and a lower chance of getting college scholarships or reaching the professional level, versus athletes who specialize later. Most professional athletes played multiple sports all the way through high school. This offers the developing athlete the opportunity to learn multiple different movements and to make additional neural connections. The emphasis is on playing multiple sports as they are growing, and to have FUN while doing so. (4)

Additionally, children are not little adults; their bodies are different. They are growing; they have open growth plates and their bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments that are still growing. This makes young athletes more susceptible to injury.  Lifting heavy weights early (before middle or even high school) can create a physiologic strain that the developing pre-adolescent and young-adolescent body are not prepared to handle. Programs designed for college and pro athletes are not the healthiest option for school-aged athletes. (4) Resistance training and high rep low weight training are safer for the still-growing athlete, especially pre-adolescence. Creating injuries for these young athletes will lead to burnout, not to mention the potential for painful syndromes that may last a lifetime. 

Signs and symptoms of burnout include inconsistent or routinely below normal performance, decreased ability to perform sports-related tasks, lack of motivation to practice or play in games, lack of enjoyment, being uncooperative or disagreeable with coached and teammates, feeling that they are hurting the team, fatigue, depression, anger, irritability or mood swings, concentration difficulties, sleep challenges, not feeling hungry or eating enough, and lack of communication/shutting down. Additionally, getting sick more frequently, slower recovery from injuries, and frequent complaints of nonspecific muscle or joint pain may occur (5). 

Parents can prevent burnout by reminding (and REMEMBERING) that sports are intended to be fun; not to be a means to an end or a representation of the value of the child (or, vicariously, the parent.) Ensure the sport is one that the child is interested in, rather than solely a fulfillment of a family legacy. I'm a long distance running former volleyball player. My kids prefer baseball, basketball, tennis and cheer...I'm following their lead. 

Empower athletes; create structures to allow input and collaboration on decisions related to participation; keep sports fun, decrease stress and reduce the sense that the athlete is  "trapped." Avoid having family life or the child's social life evolve entirely around sport. Help your child navigate any internal characteristics, like perfectionism and fixed mindset. Celebrate individual efforts and midway accomplishments rather than solely linking skill improvement with a new expectation or a comparison with peers (never good enough.)

Above all, REST. Take summer and winter holiday vacations for one to two  weeks from sports; taking mini-breaks between seasons to allows the body time to rest and repair; this reduces the risk of burnout. Mix another sport or two in for fun rather than for competitiveness, so your child can just enjoy themselves (5.)

You are your child's best advocate...keep pitch counts (pitch smart guidelines), understand concussion protocols and age-appropriate conditioning, know who your children are interacting with, and maintain open dialogue with your athlete to ensure the safety of these interactions. (6.7)

Parents/guardians (and coaches) clearly want what is best for their youth athletes. We are surrounded by mixed messages of what is best for them. Our young athletes trust us to help them navigate youth sports in a healthy way; we must educate ourselves and answer that calling. 

1. https://www.coachup.com/nation/articles/95-of-fortune-500-ceos-were-athletes

2. Wyckoff, Alyson Sulaski. Professionalization of youth sports can lead to burnout: Why athletes need time off. AAP News; Jan 22, 2024. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/27833/Professionalization-of-youth-sports-can-lead-to?autologincheck=redirected. accessed 7/7/24. 

3. Xanthopoulos MS, Benton T, Lewis J, et al. Mental health in the youth athlete. Current Psychiatry Reports 2020;22:63.

4. Kenworthy, Pete. How Parents Can Help Their Young Athletes Avoid Burnout, Overuse Injuries. The Science of Health; Sept 23, 2019.  https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2019/09/how-parents-can-help-their-young-athletes-avoid-burnout-overuse-injuries. Accessed 7/7/24. 

5. Geiger, David, MD. Youth Sports; 2024. Warning signs for Youth Sports Burnout. https://drdavidgeiger.com/signs-child-yuth-sports-burnout-kids/. accessed 7/7/24. 

6. US Center for Safe Sport-Parent and Guardian's Handbook for Safer Sport. https://uscenterforsafesport.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Parent-Toolkit_HighSchool.pdf. Accessed 7/7/24. 

7. Witstein, Jocelyn Ross, MD. A  Guide to Safety for Young Athletes. Orthoinfo; June 2022. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/a-guide-to-safety-for-young-athletes. Accessed 7/7/24.