There's plenty of research showing that kids who learn to run, tumble, jump, lift, and carry will do better later in life. They'll have more confidence. They'll be more likely to get and keep a good job; they'll be more likely to finish University; they'll be more likely to leave an abusive relationship. Plus, they'll live longer, more interesting lives, and pass the habits on to their kids.
Correct exercise - the fun, natural kind - starts a cycle that lasts for generations. Creating a habit can be tough, but here's the good news: very few kids who start Catalyst Kids ever stop. The groups are growing because, while we're gaining new kids all the time, the veterans are sticking around. THEY LOVE IT.
This year, we're adding a daytime group in August. Twice per week, Teens (12-16) will do CrossFit with age-appropriate loads, in a fun, skill-centred environment. They'll learn a lot; they'll cheer and scream and sweat. The real benefit may not occur to them right away, but later - maybe, even, decades from now - they'll be thanking you.
Phil Mickelson is one of the greatest golfers of all time. But his collapse in the 2006 Masters Tournament is legendary:
Mickelson started his career 0-for-46 in majors, then changed his
approach. He dialed back the aggression and started making much better
course management decisions. And it paid off: He entered the 2006 U.S.
Open at Winged Foot going for his fourth career major and third in a
row.
And he almost got it. But then he reverted to his previous form. His
driver deserted him all day (he even hit into a trash can on No. 17),
yet he kept hitting it; and his decision-making deserted him on the
final hole.
Mickelson had a 1-stroke lead as he stood on the 18th tee. Despite
hitting only two fairways all day, he pulled the driver again. And
again, he missed - only this time badly, his drive hitting the roof of
a hospitality tent and bounding into the spectator area.
Mickelson had a decent lie, but a bad idea. Rather than advancing the
ball a short distance but getting it back in the fairway - where he
might make par the hard way, or, at worse, bogey to get into a playoff
in which he'd be the heavy favorite - Mickelson attempted a huge slice
under and around tree branches. It didn't work. The ball hit a branch
and stopped 25 yards in front of him.
He hit another big slice, but this one plugged in a back bunker, and
not even Mickelson's short-game magic could save him from there. He
double-bogeyed and finished one shot out of a playoff.
"I am such an idiot," he succintly said afterward.
“We don’t rise to the level of our expectations – we fall to the level of our training”
-Archilochus, Greek Soldier
What we're talking about here is internalizing a skill until it can happen subconsciously, without conscious thought. Is it coincidence that the "Canadian Sport For Life" website lists a minimum of 10,000 hours of practice before mastery can be reached?
Malcolm Gladwell sure doesn't think so. In his essay, "Outliers," he talks extensively about "prodigies" who simply had more practice than their peers. Mozart was composing symphonies as a child, yes. But his best work started to emerge in his early 20s - still young, but by that point, he likely had 10,000 hours of practice under his belt. Gretzky was the same. Tiger Woods, at age three, below:
Was he already hitting a ball straighter than some adults? Yes. Was this his first time holding a club? Nope.
The process of internalizing motor patterns takes repetitive practice. And skills must be practiced as close to perfectly as possible, not just wobbled through. Practice makes permanent. To become masterful, a child has to stop practicing a new skill when his form degrades, and resume when they can successfully coordinate the movement again.
In the graph at the to the right, we can see that virtuous performance in any sport or motor skill must start from a base of repetitive practice, and then be refined by comparison, competition, and challenge. Practice IS necessary, but so is competition, to evolve a skill. And each skill has to start out at the same level, but several can be learned concurrently; some will even help the development of others.
You simply can't 'skip' a level. Mastery must be achieved at the most very basic set of skills before they can be complemented with greater, better skills. For instance, if a child isn't taught how to fall and get back up on skates, they'll never progress to learning to stop properly. Likewise, if an adult isn't first taught how to squat properly, they'll never progress to a clean..... they'll probably defer to the Smith machine and blame their 'bad knees' on squats in general.
Add stress into the equation - good 'ol Lizard Brain!
- and the athlete will start to backslide, dropping levels until they
reach the level at which they've developed the most unconscious skill.
That's not a discouragement; rather, it shows that it's NEVER too late to learn brand-new skills. It's also a terrific illustration of the domain mastery trap: once someone is really, really good at a skill, it's tough to make them consider another. They'd have to restart at the bottom, after all. A comfort zone is just another name for quicksand.
Starting a child with a broad base of skills, including running, jumping, tumbling, skipping, calisthenics, ball sports, and weightlifting, ensures that they're starting from a higher level when they learn a sport later in life. Think Whit's grace in the clean and jerk is just something she's born with? That's years of gruelling dance rehearsal, plus two years of hard work and coaching. Think Ty's just one of those 'gifted' kids who are great at everything? Well, he DID everything. He established a solid motor base as a kid, refined it enough to play baseball at a University level, and is now developing parallel skills - but the broad base was there.
Development of the 'broad base' can happen at any age. To become more athletic - fitter, leaner, and able to do more of the good stuff - are you better to do CrossFit, or sit your way through a machine circuit?
This morning, I had one of my favourite clients tell me this little story:
Last night, his twin sons disappeared downstairs on their own. They're five years old, and after twenty minutes, he decided he'd better take a look. Peering around a corner, he saw one boy with a five-pound dumbbell on one shoulder, doing squats. The other was doing pushups. Now, this guy is a dad who believes in doing stuff with his kids; each of them (his older daughter, too!) have been to the Park with him, and participated. What's more, mama just finished OnRamp. Do you think these guys are learning from watching? Better believe it.
Yesterday, we posted a little essay about appropriate exercise choices for kids as they grow.
It's absolutely critical to start young. Studies done in small schools (like ours) show that, while all school teams are full, it's nearly always the same kids playing each sport. This is especially true for girls. Statistically, if you have 10 girls on a basketball team, and 10 girls on a volleyball team, and 10 girls on a school soccer team...9 are the same kids. 5 years later, as High School Seniors? Almost 100% played elementary school sports. If they don't start early, they don't start.
While no one would call our Park gym a "family fitness centre," we're the only ones around who allow small kids to come with their parents. Why? Well, we believe that immersion leads to participation. And participation leads to effort. Got a 2-year-old? As Allyson once put it to me, "the big tire is the best playpen money can buy." Even if they're not paying attention, focused on colouring the giant tire with sidewalk chalk or hiding their little cars inside, they're there. They notice. They know.
There have been attempts, of course, to include kids in exercise before. The problem is that the well-meaning administrators attempt to apply an adult solution to a child problem. Kids aren't miniature adults. Nerf-coloured exercise bikes with video games won't hold their attention long; they have better video games at home. And is teaching a kid that self-distraction is the best way to endure the painful, horrible, boring practice of exercise the right message anyway? I think we can do better.
The real best way? Make up a challenge (read: game.) You participate, too. Make it tough. If the challenge is truly difficult, you don't need to offer a reward at the end. Finishing is the reward.
I think every parent would nod their heads at this one:the best way to get a kid to start exercising? Don't. Get them to start playing.
Go to CrossFit Kids and try some stuff. Take them to activities. Race them. It's your responsibility to leave your child with the habits that will one day save their lives.
My kids do burpees. Am I a dad who pushes his kids, relentlessly, up some ladder of sport? Nope. It's a trick to get them into the tub(3 burpees! 10 squats! Run upstairs! 3-2-1...go!) Did Walter Gretzky force Wayne outside, night after night, to skate for his dinner? Nah, he just flooded the rink. Did Lance Armstrong's mom poke him awake at 5am to go to a cyclodrome? No, she just made sure he always had a bike to get around. It really doesn't take much.
Provide opportunity and encouragement, then jump in with them. Insert finish line. Everybody wins!
This is Jackie Chan. Maybe you've heard of him (if you haven't, scroll to the bottom of this post.)
Watching Jackie last week on a typical "Entertainment!"-type show, I was surprised to hear the interviewer ask him the key to turning kids into martial arts superstars. No doubt the answer would surprise a lot of parents: Chan didn't emphasize discipline or practice or even a martial art. His answer?
Badminton.
In The Dancing Wu Li Masters (Gary Zukav, 1979,) contributor and Tai Chi teacher Al Huang describes speaking at a conference and providing a very visual example of technique vs. brute strength. Huang, a ping pong player of small stature (around 135lbs,) asked a 300lbs attendee to jump into his arms. After much back-and-forth and assurance, Huang caught the man - more than twice his bodyweight - and held him up in front of the audience.
Is amazing balance and coordination, then, a racial trademark? Is it the domain of a culture rooted in the martial arts; is it borne of the necessities of combat against larger opponents? Or is it the fruit of a different cultural value system, in which 'sport' and 'art' are not parallel lines, but part of the same continuum?
As Westerners, we've taken the approach of prioritization of time: a child leans toward doing artistic things, OR sporting things. This is largely a function of our industrial-model system of education: sit here. Listen. Repeat what you're told. Now choose: do you want to go left, or right? You can be a red circle, or a blue square. If you like blue, you're a square. If you like circles, you're red. Simple.
The more prevalent philosophy in Eastern (and most European cultures) is one of variety. Consider the USSR's system for preparing athletes throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s: teach children a huge variety of sport while young, including wrestling, gymnastics, and weightlifting. Develop skills in all disciplines until physical maturity is reached. At that point, begin specialization, but always continue to include "off" sports as part of the annual training plan. Their weightlifters played soccer; their throwers wrestled. And played badminton, ping pong, and did tumbling exercises.
The reason: different systems develop at different rates. For instance, most of your neuromuscular development happens at a young age; this is why kids who do gymnastics or dance before age twelve typically have better balance and coordination when they're older. A child's kick reflex develops very young; their aerobic capacity develops later; and their hormonal systems develop later still.
This week, we'll look closely at planning a young athlete's training - and practice, and play - to provide the best experience in terms of progression, growth, skill acquisition, and fun.
Want a sneak peak ahead? Want the long version? Click Below:
"Hey, how are you guys going to get into the new high school to do CrossFit?"
Me: "Uh...... we're......not?"
"My son is going there next year. How do I get this kid some real physical teaching, coaching, and challenge? Drive him to CASS?" The parent was grinning, but I knew what he meant. Ray's doing amazing things in Desbarats with CrossFit, physical education, and just general enthusiasm. Kids are learning about kinesiology and motivation and challenge by choice. On any given Friday, Ray has more kids show up to do CrossFit than for any regular phys'ed class all week.
The Ontario curriculum 'recommends' 20 minutes of exercise daily per child. Recommends. 20 minutes.
Next week, we'll be posting a series of essays on youth, the role of exercise in normal childhood development, and exercise as part of brain function in students. But here's a taste, in advance:
Hunters Vs. Farmers, by Seth Godin. His blog is mostly about business, but this post was his lead-in to the 'industrial model' of our education system (think: labour factories.) You may not agree with everything, but it's a good place to start the discussion.
For consideration after reading: what happens with the food stores are full, and the hunter still wants to hunt? What happens when The Hunt is done for its own sake?
This Christmas, give your kid something you can't fit in a stocking: speed. Give them more prowess at sports; give them an athletic boost. Give them a two-step head start.
This year, if you're under 19, you have an amazing opportunity to improve POWER and SPEED while your opponents (and maybe, parents) are getting fat. One hour per day for five days, you'll train your heart out with Mike Watson at the Park. You'll jump, you'll throw, you'll push and pull and carry. You'll emerge from the five-day cocoon as a more powerful athlete in every way.
You'll learn:
Proper running technique (POSE posture and stride method)
Introduction to weightlifting (using appropriate loads for each age group,)
We've just finished our first six-week session of Catalyst Teens. It's been more than we bargained for. We though, "we'll take these kids in, show them how to move better, give them a couple of tough workouts, and then do it again after Christmas, maybe."
Instead, we got a full group, plus a waiting list. We got effort and intensity to match the Adult group (and sometimes, more noise than the older CrossFitters...) We got inspired. Kids would arrive every week, usually early, always ready to throw themselves into the den of any Wolf we could dream up. Some did better a certain workouts. Some are better squatters than others. But every.single.one. hit it hard. NONE caved. NONE gave up. And neither can we.
We're expanding our offering: Teens can now choose between Tuesday and Wednesday night groups. The group will still run at 7pm at the Park. More details, including our philosophy, below:
Interest in Youth Fitness has never been higher, and it's never been such a touchy subject..
On
one hand, there are still opponents to the concept of kids "lifting
weights." On the other hand, kids of all ages are jumping, running,
tumbling, falling... all activities requiring them to bear their own
weight - plus inertia and gravity - at high speed. Do the math: a
12-year-old jumping off a 3-foot snowbank absorbs more than double
their bodyweight at impact. If you're a 135lbs 12-year-old, that's the
same as back squatting 297lbs safely!
While
repetitive high-impact exercise can cause joint dominance issue, these
are very different than acute stress injuries. The best way to avoid
these kinds of problems? Build a well-balanced, strong, flexible kid.Wayne
Gretzky didn't skate in the summer; he was a baseball pitcher. Most
high-level athletes started out doing several sports at once. We
routinely ask high-level athletes which sports they participated in as
kids; the answers are usually gymnastics (tumbling,) martial arts, or
dance.
The
best way to produce a good athlete: give them lots of variety at a
young age. The best way to keep a person fit for life? Introduce them
to fun exercise at a young age involving a wide variety. These form the
backbone of our Catalyst Kids program.
Kids
who know how to exercise properly from a young age are far less likely
to suffer any athletic injury when they're older. They're less likely
to do dumb stuff in a school weight room, or spend all their time
obsessing about their "six-pack" when they're in a gym. Got a daughter?
Start thinking about ways to avoid an eating disorder. They're becoming
more popular, not less. Isn't it better to promote a lifestyle where
fitness is based on achievement instead of aesthetic? We think so. Teen (Age 12-15) CrossFit Group - Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 7pm Starts October 27!
Wednesday nights, starting September 16, we'll be running a new program for youth aged 12-15.
Teens will learn to lift weights, sprint, run, do basic gymnastics movements, and put them all together in a variety of fun ways.
Interest in Youth Fitness has never been higher, and it's never been such a touchy subject.
On one hand, there are still opponents to the concept of kids "lifting weights." On the other hand, kids of all ages are jumping, running, tumbling, falling... all activities requiring them to bear their own weight - plus inertia and gravity - at high speed. Do the math: a 12-year-old jumping off a 3-foot snowbank absorbs more than double their bodyweight at impact. If you're a 135lbs 12-year-old, that's the same as back squatting 297lbs safely!
While repetitive high-impact exercise can cause joint dominance issue, these are very different than acute stress injuries. The best way to avoid these kinds of problems? Build a well-balanced, strong, flexible kid.
Wayne Gretzky didn't skate in the summer; he was a baseball pitcher. Most high-level athletes started out doing several sports at once. We routinely ask high-level athletes which sports they participated in as kids; the answers are usually gymnastics (tumbling,) martial arts, or dance.
The best way to produce a good athlete: give them lots of variety at a young age. The best way to keep a person fit for life? Introduce them to fun exercise at a young age involving a wide variety. These form the backbone of our Catalyst Kids program.
Kids who know how to exercise properly from a young age are far less likely to suffer any athletic injury when they're older. They're less likely to do dumb stuff in a school weight room, or spend all their time obsessing about their "six-pack" when they're in a gym. Got a daughter? Start thinking about ways to avoid an eating disorder. They're becoming more popular, not less. Isn't it better to promote a lifestyle where fitness is based on achievement instead of aesthetic? We think so.
Teen (Age 12-15) CrossFit Group - Wednesdays at 7:00pm
Scene: Sault Ste. Marie Gymnastics Club. Early July 2009. 25 kids, aged 4 to 10, are crouched at one end of the big blue floor, carefully keeping themselves tucked behind the white starting line.
At that moment, the room is dead silent. All eyes are on 'Coach' - a lone figure in the middle of the floor. Tension builds. Little muscles coil like springs. Kids twitch, but stay behind that magical white line.
"3, 2, 1...GO!" yells 'Coach'. The room explodes. Kids sprint across the floor, and drop to their bellies. They spring upward as high as possible, then quickly return to the floor. "Yay, burpees!" they chant over and over, every time they do a burpee, as per the coach's instruction. The fastest flip over into a crab walk, and hustle back to the starting line. The smaller kids gut out the burpees and try not to stumble on their way back to the start.
40 seconds later, it's over. Kids are panting. Little girls compare sweat on their brows. Little boys argue over who finished first. All are ready for more. They quickly go silent, waiting for the next challenge.
Across the room, a small band of teachers, off for the summer and trying to get an extra teaching credit, are taking a five-day course in basic Gymnastics. They go still while they watch the kids, so rambunctious in school, calm, poised and ready here. Listening to 'Coach' while he explains the next challenge: squats, followed by a hard-labour wade in the foam pit, hands on heads. Anticipating.
After 45 minutes, a teacher comes over. "How did you DO that?" he asks me. Kids are scattered all over the floor, tired but glowing with achievement. I'm smiling too. It's just as much fun to be 'Coach.'
There's good research supporting the notion of keeping your kids active, not just healthy. For one, they'll always be better at sports if they learn basic skills as young kids. That will help in a large way later on: in social settings, for health reasons. But it will also help much later: Kids who play actively before they're age six suffer less depression as an adult. Girls who are active in sports at a young age are more likely to leave a man who abuses them. Boys who learn to interact in a competitive way through sports, gym, or martial arts are far less likely to be arrested when they're over 18.
Some skills, too, are better learned while young: if your sense of balance isn't developed by age 12, forget it.
Our philosophy: teach a wide variety of activities. Mix and match running, jumping, tumbling, gymnastics, plyometrics, climbing, and calisthenics. Combine exercises in a game-like format to keep them fun. Balance things out to keep them injury-free and better at ALL sports. Challenge kids and watch them excel!
We put our 45-minute Catalyst Kids sessions together in a fun, play-centred way. Yes, they're exercising. Yes, it's challenging stuff. But we play it like a game. Though big kids and little kids do the same basic workout, it's always scaled to ability level, just like the adults. We keep groups small (6 or less) and we do them in a private environment (our Queen Street location.) We hire only the absolute best Coaches. We keep it safe and fun. We let the kids become excited about exercise.
Registration for our first Fall session (10 weeks, from September 12 until November 14) opens September 1. Registration fee: $99 per child (plus gst.)
Catalyst Kids is fun, inclusive exercise, focusing on basic bodyweight exercise, and delivered in a game-style format.
Our goal: teach kids that movement is FUN. We'd like to introduce your kids to playful exercise that they enjoy and will seek out later in life. We'd like to give them skills that will help them in sport, in fitness, and in play down the road. And we'd really like it if they learned to love exercise for its own sake.
Catalyst Kids is a 45-minute group activity built around challenges. We use obstacle courses, our climbing wall, lots of mat activities, medicine balls, pvc pipe, gymnastics rings, tumbling mats, and jumping boxes!
It's a challenging workout, but kids see it as a game. Workouts are built around games like tag, obstacle courses, and other 'playground-style' favourites with our own bit of flavour. Remember Capture The Flag, King of the Mountain, Red Rover...? Like that, but with cheerleaders. I know what you're thinking: how can I sign up WITH my kid? Yeah, me too.
Our focus is inclusion and fun. Things can become competitive, but never to the exclusion of any kid.
Our coach: Lisa Proctor. Elementary school teacher, gymnastics coach, holder of a BSc in Kinesiology, and all-around fun-lovin' gal. Our facility: Catalyst on Queen St.
Roll out the mats, dust up the climbing wall, and chalk up: it's time to exercise like only a kid can!
5-week Group - $60 (plus gst.)
9am - Ages 8-12
10am - Ages 4-7
TO REGISTER: 253-0011. We're only taking 5 kids per group. Get yours on the list!
