July 2010 -- Question: At what age should kids start working with a professional trainer in a supervised fitness training program that would include circuit training, light weights and stretching exercises?
Answer: Given the era in which we live, with heightened levels of obesity, diabetes and inactivity, I have to say that your question is a breath of fresh air. I am all for the phrase, "the more active, the better," when it comes to anyone, but especially children. However, your question goes far beyond the issue of getting kids more active. It goes to the heart of training issues for children, preteens and adolescents.
In considering my response, I felt compelled to request opinions from several experts, both in tennis and outside of tennis, but especially in the general field of fitness training. So, what about supervised fitness training for young people?
I have always believed that children would benefit from exercise programs that involved heart-lung conditioning as well as resistance training. Please note that I intentionally did not use the words 'weight training' because those words can elicit various responses from people. Resistance can come in many forms other than just using weights or machines. One's body weight, medicine balls (light in this case), rubber tubing and dynabands are forms of training that can provide tremendous benefits. But, let's examine what our panel of experts had to say. I posed the question exactly as you worded it above, and asked that they respond with their best thinking. The panel consisted of Ron Keable, certified personal trainer and co-founder of K-Star Fitness in Lake in the Hills, Ill.; Paul Roetert, Ph.D., USPTA Master Professional and CEO of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance; Todd Ellenbecker, USPTA Master Professional, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and chair of the USTA Sport Science Committee; Jennifer Lea, certified personal trainer with ACSM and NSCA, at the Human Performance Institute; and Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., USPTA and head of USTA Coaching Education/Sport Science.
Each expert felt that one needs to be careful making decisions about fitness training using chronological age as the only indicator of whether a child is ready. Children of similar ages can have very different physical, emotional, and mental capacities that will play a role in determining their individual readiness. Each expert also emphasized that supervision is the key word in your question. Children should never be left to themselves in a fitness training regimen (please note that I am discussing actual fitness training here and not just the concept of play or activity). To that end, Mark Kovacs noted, "Young kids can and should start supervised training that develops physical components as young as possible. The earlier the kids learn correct movement patterns the greater development can be achieved as they age. However, this should be performed in a fun games-based environment that focuses on movements that develop agility, balance and coordination. The major limiting factor in young kids (less than 10 years of age) is each kid's ability to understand instructions and perform the activities with proper technique."
Jennifer Lea felt that, "Children and adolescents can exercise at any age though there needs to be special consideration when it comes to strength training. They need to have proper instruction and supervision. In most cases, adult guidelines apply for strength training but with children it is important to decrease the intensity. The recommendations, from the American College of Sports Medicine in 2009, are for children to engage in eight to 15 repetitions for each exercise and to perform to the point of moderate fatigue with good mechanical form. Circuit training is a great form of exercise for children and adolescents because it is short, fun and interesting. It also can help because it can mimic specific sport exercises."
Paul Roetert responded that, "Typically, I would recommend that players can start with a fitness training program as soon as they can follow directions properly. This may be a better indicator than actual age. In addition, most programs for prepubescent athletes can be very successful utilizing the player's own body weight. Following puberty, players can start with light weights, always focusing on proper technique. The same goes for flexibility training. Technique is very important. As the player gets stronger, the weight, sets and repetitions can increase."
Todd Ellenbecker replied, "Our experience with elite-level tennis players and working with young athletes from other sports is that meaningful resistive exercise can take place as young as 7 to 8 years of age in many children. This, of course, must be done under the supervision of a qualified person, someone with a background in both exercise science and also in growth and development. Placing the young athlete on a program using mainly body weight and balance type exercise such as squats and lunges and single-limb stance variations can provide an element of strength training and also train the athlete in much needed balance and proprioception. With supervision these exercises can provide meaningful training stimuli to tennis players, preparing them for the sport-specific demands of the split step, and many other on-court movement transitions developing players must master with optimum levels of lower body strength and balance. Additionally, our research has shown strength imbalances in the shoulders of developing players as young as 7 to 8 years of age. The use of light elastic bands to work on the rotator cuff and scapular musculature in young players is a recommended activity for both tennis players and young baseball players to normalize and balance the shoulder muscles secondary to the overuse incurred with high level performance in those types of sports. Finally, simple and basic core exercises such as the plank, sit-ups and bridging can provide training for the muscles of the core."
Ron Keable began by asking,
"At what age are the children mentally ready? Do they possess the cognitive maturity? Meaning, do they have the sensorimotor development skills? This development typically occurs between the ages of birth to 2 years. Do they have the preoperatory skills to where they can mentally act upon objects? This typically occurs between the ages of 2 to 7 years. Do they have the ability to sort objects according to size, shape, or any other characteristic? Do they have the ability to recognize logical relationships among elements in a serial order, and perform 'transitive inferences'? Do they have the ability to name and identify sets of objects according to appearance, size or other characteristics, including the idea that one set of objects can include another? These developments typically occur between the ages of 7 to 11 years. If a parent were to ask me today, "What is the best age to start training my child?" I would tell them this: From my personal experience and observation, the ideal age to begin a supervised training regimen starts from age 7 and up. There are always exceptions. At this age most children possess the basic mental and physical requirements necessary to begin their training with a greater chance of success and personal satisfaction.
Keable continued by asking,
"At what age does your child have the ability to focus and pay attention? Every child is different. As parents and coaches we should know our kids. Honestly ask yourself the above question prior to embarking on a training regimen. My daughter was diagnosed with having ADHD when she was 2 years old. She did not have the ability to stay focused or pay attention for any length of time until she was around 7 years old. At that time we got her involved in a group supervised training regimen. Every child is unique and different. Please note that there can be tremendous advantages with the individual, supervised training of your child with this condition. When considering a training regimen, try to match the program to your child's current ability. Make sure the training program incorporates future room for challenge and growth.
In summary, there was one unique assertion from most members of this expert panel. No matter what the plan for the child, fun has to be involved. If it's not fun, nothing will be sustainable. Isn't that true about life as well?
