Let’s Go Retro: The Benefits of “Free Play”
“Free play.” I haven’t heard that term since my days at summer camp. However, it is a term we should to add back into our vernacular, and this especially rings true for young athletes.
Several studies have recently shown that young athletes who engage in “free play” are less likely to suffer a sports-related injury. In today’s day and age, many teens now focus their efforts on one single sport and play it year-round. However, research demonstrates that these single-sport athletes are less likely to engage in “free play” or recreational sports. Research continues to demonstrate that participating in a variety of sports – competitive and/or recreational – can help prevent sports-related injuries. This may be due to building up resistance in muscles that aren’t regularly engaged by playing just one particular sport.
How can you or your child incorporate “free play” into the daily routine?
- Warm up for your sport de jour by working other muscle groups or engaging in other “sports.” For instance, take to the tennis court and hit a few balls before swim practice.
- Partake in a recreational game or activity to spice things up. Shoot hoops with friends or take a cardio-kickboxing class.
- Team up with a friend and share your athletic interests. If you have a friend that’s an avid runner and you are an expert softball player, teach each other a thing or two. Head for the running trails one morning and the next day visit the batting cage.
- If you have athlete friends who play a different sport than you, reach out and give what they do a shot.
Hi there. I discovered your web site by way of Google while looking for a comparable subject, your site came up. It looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
Awesome write-up. I am a regular visitor of your website and appreciate you taking the time to maintain the nice site. I will be a frequent visitor for a really long time.
There’s certainly a lot to learn about this issue. I really like all of the points you’ve made.
Hiya, I am really glad I have found this information. Today bloggers publish just about gossip and net stuff and this is actually annoying. A good website with interesting content, that is what I need. Thanks for making this site, and I’ll be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email?
Hiya, I’m really glad I’ve found this information. Today bloggers publish just about gossip and net stuff and this is really frustrating. A good site with interesting content, that is what I need. Thanks for making this site, and I will be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email?
Hiya, I am really glad I’ve found this info. Today bloggers publish only about gossip and net stuff and this is actually irritating. A good blog with interesting content, that is what I need. Thanks for making this web site, and I will be visiting again. Do you do newsletters by email?
Hey there. I discovered your site by way of Google while looking for a related subject, your site got here up. It seems to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
Hello there. I found your site by means of Google at the same time as searching for a related subject, your web site came up. It seems to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
Hi there. I discovered your web site by means of Google whilst looking for a comparable matter, your site got here up. It looks great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
Hi there. I discovered your web site by means of Google even as looking for a comparable subject, your site got here up. It seems good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
Hello there. I found your web site via Google at the same time as searching for a similar topic, your web site came up. It looks good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
Hey there. I found your blog via Google while looking for a similar matter, your website got here up. It appears to be great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
I’m excited to discover this page. I wanted to thank you for ones time just for this fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every little bit of it and i also have you book marked to see new information on your site.
Hey there. I discovered your website by way of Google while looking for a comparable topic, your website got here up. It looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.
Hello there. I found your blog by means of Google even as searching for a comparable matter, your web site got here up. It seems to be good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
Hey there. I discovered your blog by way of Google while searching for a comparable subject, your web site got here up. It seems good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
Hello there. I found your web site by way of Google while looking for a related subject, your website came up. It appears to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to come back then.
Hey there. I discovered your blog via Google at the same time as looking for a similar topic, your website came up. It looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks to visit then.