Editorial

Hip hip ... not hooray

The first story this month is by Patrick Carton, a consultant orthopedic surgeon and specialist in surgery of the hip and groin at Whitfield Clinic, Waterford, Ireland. The story is on one of the potential outcomes of inappropriate age and stage training loads - hip injuries. I don't know what the statistics are in NZ for hip surgery in young sportspeople but the Irish example reminds us of one of the possible long-term risks of mismanaging a young sportsperson's training intensity and volume, and the symptoms once they present. In an earlier  article in the Irish Independent, Mr Carton had commented that 'you could train for one hour, three or four times a week and do no harm. But many are training four times a week at full intensity where they are doing lots of grueling running, twisting and turning and lots of weights'. I recently spoke to the medical director of a team sport who told me the frequency and severity of injuries he was seeing in school age players exceeded those in professional players. In his opinion, training load was a significant contributor to this. Of course, the impact of inappropriate training practices, competition schedules, and selection (deselection) policies (see the 'Hawke's Bay Netball' story this issue) manifests in many ways, any of which can mean young people ceasing to enjoy sport and dropping out, sometimes also dropping out of physical activity altogether. What can be done? Whether you are a coach, a sport administrator, a teacher, a parent, a referee, or a team manager for the Under 10s, if you have any questions about the training loads young sportspeople are being subjected to in the contexts you are involved in, then seek advice as to whether those loads are appropriate. There are excellent developmental coaches, sport scientists and sports doctors who understand the risks of overloading, and more positively, how to prepare young participants for a lifetime of sport. Or contact Sport NZ at talent@sportnz.org.nz. For a short video on the role parents can play in kids sport, see  'A message for sporting parents.'Nga mihiBrett Reid, Community Coaching Consultant'By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.' -  Confucius  What's in this issue?  Hip injuries in young sportspeople; a message for youth coaches; Hawke's Bay netball change age-group selection approach; games-based learning; national sport organisations need to change; Toni Minichiello on the state of UK coaching; CARDS in rugby coaching; LA Lakers coach speaks; three rules to spark learning; more from Coach K; the ladder of inference.  Comment - Irish sport's career-ending hip injury crisis needs attention urgentlyLike most club and inter-county players, former Clare hurler Darach Honan gave everything to succeed at the highest level. [Irish Independent]  A message for sporting parents  (short video)Sport NZ is running a series of video messages on its Facebook page from Australian coaching and parenting expert Wayne Goldsmith. The first explains the important role parents play (and don't play) in the development and enjoyment of their kids' sport. It's a message that coaches may wish to share with the parents of their team or participants.  Hawke's Bay Netball to discontinue rep teams for year 7 and 8Hawke's Bay Netball has decided to discontinue representative teams for year 7 and 8 players. The year 7 rep teams will be phased out in 2018, with year 8 rep teams to follow suit in 2019. The changes are part of a national drive that has been welcomed by Sport NZ and aligns with Sport NZ's Talent Plan. At ages around 10 and 11, it's needle in a haystack stuff when it comes to picking 'talent', and it's a reality that kids who feel the pressure of making rep teams (or the failure of not) are more likely to turn away from sport. Sport NZ supports Hawke's Bay Netball's approach as it believes this initiative will keep more young people involved in netball for longer.  Shaping the game - games-based learningGame-based learning has enormous benefits in terms of decision-making and skill acquisition. PE Teacher, blogger and regular PDP contributor, Sporticus shares his fantastic article on the advantages of manipulating games and the environment and how coaches can adjust conditions in order to help young players improve their skills. [Playerdevelopmentproject]  National Sporting Organisations: Time to ChangeNational Sporting Organisations all over the world can see the dramatic shifts and changes in the sports industry. [New Sport]  State of the (coaching) nationThe absence of clear direction from Governing Bodies, the paucity of support they provide and their fundamental misunderstanding of what good coaching looks like have caused Toni Minichiello to take it upon his shoulders and try to save Athletics coaching in the UK. Before it's too late. [Chasing Mavericks]  Understanding the Success of CARDS Coaching in RugbyMuch has been written in recent months about the CARDS coaching strategy being used in age group rugby in England. [sam@sportsprinciples.com]  Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach Luke Walton: Coaching, Leadership, Relationships(podcast)[Findingmastery]  Three rules to spark learning  (video)[TEDTalk]  Coach K's Golden Edge  (video)[YouTube]  The Ladder of Inference: How to Avoid Jumping to ConclusionsHave you ever been accused of "putting 2 and 2 together and making 5," meaning that the other person thinks you have jumped to the wrong conclusion? [MindTools.com]