by Guest » Mon May 19, 2025 8:32 am
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2012 dad here and not sure what kind of reply I will get. Any summer guidance from any dads out there with kids on the smaller side / not hitting puberty anytime soon? Strong player but competing against kids 40-50lbs heavier.
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Okay here is the skinny on this subject-
- First off you need to determine the biological age of your son in order to make a proper training plan for him
- There are 5 stages to puberty (Taner Stages) figure out which one your athlete is in and then figure out his estimated full adult stature. Don't cheat on this and use the internet for the formula
- If he is less then 93% of full adult height, do tons of plyometrics and sprinting in the off season. Can play a sport that provides this, which is more fun
- There is also a window here to work on more stick handling, edges and shot. And anything that requires athletic coordination
- If he is greater than 94 % you can start to implement resistance training as the athlete will have enough testosterone flowing.
If you athlete is less than 90% of full adult stature and can compete with the BIG boys already, he is VERY gifted and it is important that you find him the right program!
- Firstly, almost all coaches and parents are not very familiar with growth and development and quite frankly really don't care. They just want to WIN now and most programs will limit your small players meaningful minutes in favour of a more mature player they feel will help them WIN. Given that you have an exceptional talented athlete, this will only lead to him losing his confidence (do to coach not believing in him) and most likely your son will lose his interest in the game if he is not having any success on the ice with the program.
` Secondly, athletes that grow early also grow faster and are done puberty quickly. In fact there are many kids in the 2001 group that are completely done growing and are now putting on muscle. Athletes that grow later, usually grow longer and the gap in biological age can be 3 or 4 years with their peers. My point is it is a very LONG term thought process you will need to have, as there will be many years your athlete will need to catch up.
- The difficult part will be keeping your athlete keen and training with purpose EVERY rep. This is hard to do, when no coaches or peers see any potential in your athlete do to their size. Find. a way to keep him hungry and keep the belieif his day will come!
- Stats say athletes that mature later go much further......but in hockey the biggest issue is having them stick it out, this is not easy and most quit!
[/quote]
2012 dad here and not sure what kind of reply I will get. Any summer guidance from any dads out there with kids on the smaller side / not hitting puberty anytime soon? Strong player but competing against kids 40-50lbs heavier.
[/quote]
Okay here is the skinny on this subject-
- First off you need to determine the biological age of your son in order to make a proper training plan for him
- There are 5 stages to puberty (Taner Stages) figure out which one your athlete is in and then figure out his estimated full adult stature. Don't cheat on this and use the internet for the formula
- If he is less then 93% of full adult height, do tons of plyometrics and sprinting in the off season. Can play a sport that provides this, which is more fun
- There is also a window here to work on more stick handling, edges and shot. And anything that requires athletic coordination
- If he is greater than 94 % you can start to implement resistance training as the athlete will have enough testosterone flowing.
If you athlete is less than 90% of full adult stature and can compete with the BIG boys already, he is VERY gifted and it is important that you find him the right program!
- Firstly, almost all coaches and parents are not very familiar with growth and development and quite frankly really don't care. They just want to WIN now and most programs will limit your small players meaningful minutes in favour of a more mature player they feel will help them WIN. Given that you have an exceptional talented athlete, this will only lead to him losing his confidence (do to coach not believing in him) and most likely your son will lose his interest in the game if he is not having any success on the ice with the program.
` Secondly, athletes that grow early also grow faster and are done puberty quickly. In fact there are many kids in the 2001 group that are completely done growing and are now putting on muscle. Athletes that grow later, usually grow longer and the gap in biological age can be 3 or 4 years with their peers. My point is it is a very LONG term thought process you will need to have, as there will be many years your athlete will need to catch up.
- The difficult part will be keeping your athlete keen and training with purpose EVERY rep. This is hard to do, when no coaches or peers see any potential in your athlete do to their size. Find. a way to keep him hungry and keep the belieif his day will come!
- Stats say athletes that mature later go much further......but in hockey the biggest issue is having them stick it out, this is not easy and most quit!