Preconditioning principles for preventing sports injuries in adolescents and children.

Preseason preconditioning can be accomplished well over a 4-week period with a mandatory period of rest as we have discussed. Athletic participation must be guided by a gradual increase of skills performance in the child assessed after a responsible preconditioning program applying physiologic parameters as outlined. Clearly, designing a preconditioning program is a dynamic process when accounting for all the variables in training discussed so far. Despite the physiologic demands of sport and training, we still need to acknowledge the psychologic maturity and welfare of the child so as to ensure that the sport environment is a wholesome and emotionally rewarding experience.