Flexibility and Injury Prevention for Growing Athletes
Growth spurts change a young athlete's body faster than their coordination can keep up — here's exactly how to manage it.
During growth spurts, bones often lengthen faster than the surrounding muscles and tendons can stretch to match — a temporary mismatch that increases both stiffness and injury risk if training load isn't adjusted accordingly.
Regular flexibility work through this period — dynamic stretching before training, static stretching after — helps muscles keep pace with skeletal growth and reduces strain on joints during high-intensity movement.
Coaches should also expect and plan for a temporary dip in coordination during rapid growth phases. This isn't regression in skill — it's a normal, temporary adjustment period that resolves as the body catches up to itself.
We adjust training load noticeably during confirmed growth spurts — slightly reduced volume, more mobility work, and closer attention to any complaints of joint discomfort, which are common and usually resolve with proper management rather than rest alone.
Parents can help by watching for rapid shoe-size changes or sudden height jumps, which are useful early signals that a growth spurt is underway and training should be adjusted proactively rather than reactively.
We also coordinate closely with parents during confirmed growth phases, since changes at home — new clumsiness, complaints of growing pains, sudden appetite increases — are often the earliest signals before they become visible in training itself. Sharing this information with coaches lets training load adjust proactively rather than reactively, catching a potential overuse issue before it becomes a genuine injury requiring extended time off. This collaborative approach between parents and coaches during growth spurts is, in our experience, one of the most effective and least expensive injury-prevention tools available — it costs nothing beyond a quick conversation, yet consistently catches issues that would otherwise only surface once a player is already in pain. A short conversation at the right moment often prevents weeks of lost training time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my child suddenly become clumsier on court after a growth spurt?
This is a well-documented, temporary effect of rapid bone growth outpacing muscle and coordination adaptation. It typically resolves within a few months as the body recalibrates.
Written in partnership with Rivavya Create and Trade LLP.