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Archive for “Myth” Tag

Youth Fitness Industry: How to Send The Wrong Message

Posted on: August 17th, 2009 by IYCA 28 Comments

 

 

Youth Fitness Industry

If you haven’t already, the recent Time Magazine cover story about
the Myth of Exercise is a must read for you.

 

You can access the article here –

 

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

 

Here’s the one sentence that caught my attention most:

 

"I have exercised like this — obsessively, a bit grimly — for years,
but recently I began to wonder: Why am I doing this? Except for a two-year
period at the end of an unhappy relationship — a period when I self-medicated
with lots of Italian desserts — I have never been overweight"

 

Overweight.

 

Because, of course, in our aesthetic culture, getting "skinny" is the only
reason one would have to engage in physical activity.

 

If you haven’t yet, please read this article.

 

Then, click on the link below, head over to my blog, and tell me
what you think.

 

To me, this is mismanaged information to the highest degree.

 

And I’m dying to know what you think.

 

Leave your comments below…

 

Tired of the same misinformation floating around about exercise and
the youth fitness industry?

 

Time to take a stand.

 

Click on the link below to find out how…

 

http://www.iyca.org/fitspecialist1.html

 

The Myth of Youth Sports Specialization

Posted on: June 17th, 2009 by IYCA No Comments

 

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Youth Sports Specialization

The IYCA Blog has been jumping of late with some great training-based conversation.

 

I wanted you to read an exchange I had with a reader named Keith.

 

It was in reference to my article on Early youth sports Specialization a few days ago.

 

Keith offered some great insight and thought. Here’s what he had to say –

 

"So, playing devil’s advocate once again, why is it that the world’s greatest swimmers have typically been identified when they were preteen, often then,setting world records and competing in world class events as mere teenagers, especially the ladies.

 

How many world and Olympic champion gymnasts and divers average 14 years of age. I wonder if plasticity really means that a child athlete can adapt to, cope with, respond to, recover from, progress with, focus on and develop with, all of the things in one particular sport, and become superior in that sport, without participating in other sports. Doing so like the 5 year old Italian child learns English perfectly by being immersed in that one thing.

 

I know I’m talking about world class athletes but they had to come from somewhere and mostly they were young athletes with a gift through which they were unilaterally developed within their one sport.

 

While I myself have participated in many sports and have coached many sports and I believe in multilateral exposure especially as a means of talent identification, I still need convincing that the multilateral approach is necessary or preferable to develop high level athletes in a given sport.

 

Still liked the article Brian. It keeps the wheels oiled in this old noggin. Keep them coming!"

 

Here was my response –

 

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