How Coaches Can Minimise Overuse Injuries in Young Athletes

Sep 10

9 min read

Approximate reading time: 8–9 minutes

Young athletes improve by repeating movements. They need opportunities to practise, receive feedback and gradually expose their bodies to greater challenges.

However, improvement does not come from completing as many repetitions as possible.

Training creates physical stress. With appropriate recovery, the body adapts to that stress and becomes more capable. When the amount, intensity or frequency of training repeatedly exceeds an athlete’s ability to recover, pain and injury risk can increase.

This is particularly important for children and adolescents because they are not simply smaller adults. Their bones, muscles, tendons, coordination and body proportions are changing as they grow.

Coaches cannot prevent every injury. Sport always involves some risk, and injuries can occur even in well-designed programs. Coaches can, however, make evidence-informed decisions that reduce avoidable risks and create an environment in which athletes report problems early.

What is an overuse injury?

An acute injury usually results from a recognisable event, such as a fall, collision or awkward landing.

An overuse injury develops more gradually. Repeated loading causes small amounts of tissue stress, and the body does not receive enough time or support to recover and adapt before the load is repeated.

The athlete may not remember one particular moment when the injury occurred. Instead, discomfort may begin as a mild ache and gradually become more frequent or intense.

Overuse problems can affect bones, muscles, tendons, joints and growth-related structures. Symptoms may initially appear only after training, then begin during activity and eventually affect everyday movement.

Common warning signs include:

Pain that returns during the same movement.
Pain that becomes more frequent or intense.
Localised tenderness or swelling.
Reduced strength or range of motion.
A change in technique to avoid discomfort.
Pain that continues after training.
Pain that affects sleep or everyday activities.
A decline in performance without a clear explanation.
An athlete repeatedly rubbing, shaking or protecting one area.

Overuse injuries should not be dismissed because the athlete can still participate. Being able to “push through” does not mean continuing is appropriate.

Training load: more than hours per week

Training load describes the total physical and psychological demand placed on an athlete.

It includes more than the number of hours spent training. Coaches should also consider:

The intensity of the activity.
The number of repetitions.
The forces involved.
The complexity of the skills.
The amount of impact or weight-bearing.
The athlete’s current technique.
Competitions, rehearsals and performances.
Training completed in other sports.
School sport and other physical activity.
Sleep, recovery, illness and emotional stress.

Two one-hour sessions can create very different loads. An hour of low-intensity skill development is not the same as an hour containing repeated landings, maximum-effort tumbling or extended weight-bearing through the upper limbs.

Load also accumulates across settings. A coach may see an athlete twice per week without realising that the athlete also attends school sport, another club, private lessons and weekend competitions.

Good load management requires communication between athletes, families and, where possible, the different adults responsible for their training.

Avoid sudden changes

The body needs time to adapt to new demands. A sudden increase in training volume, intensity or skill difficulty can expose an athlete to more stress than they are prepared to tolerate.

Load can increase unexpectedly when:

A competition or performance approaches.
Additional rehearsals are scheduled.
An athlete joins a second program.
Training resumes after illness or a holiday.
A new skill is repeated many times.
The coach introduces harder surfaces or equipment.
An athlete moves into a higher-level group.
A growth spurt temporarily changes their capacity.
An athlete returns after injury.

There is no universal percentage by which every young athlete can safely increase their training. The popular “10 per cent rule” may sound simple, but children, sports and training demands are too varied for one number to guarantee safety.

A better approach is to increase one major demand at a time, observe how the athlete responds and adjust when necessary.

For example, if an athlete is learning a more difficult jumping skill, it may not be the right week to also increase the number of repetitions and reduce rest between attempts.

Count meaningful repetitions

Coaches often count successful skills but overlook the total number of attempts.

From the body’s perspective, an unsuccessful attempt still creates load. A missed landing, incomplete skill or assisted repetition may be just as demanding—and sometimes more demanding—than a successful one.

This is particularly relevant in sports involving repeated:

Jumps and landings.
Throws or swings.
Kicks.
Running or sprinting.
Upper-limb weight-bearing.
Backbends or repeated spinal extension.
High-force take-offs.
Partner work.
Skill attempts performed under fatigue.

Coaches should consider both the number and quality of repetitions.

Once technique begins to deteriorate consistently, extra attempts may stop being productive. The athlete may begin practising compensation patterns rather than the intended movement.

Quality practice is usually more valuable than completing a large number of tired repetitions.

Growth and maturation matter

Research published in 2024 examining growth, maturation and injury in elite youth athletes found that periods of growth and maturation can contribute to injury risk and injury burden.

During a growth spurt, bones may grow faster than muscles and tendons adapt. Changes in limb length and body proportions can temporarily affect flexibility, balance, coordination and movement timing.

An athlete who previously performed a skill comfortably may suddenly appear tighter, less coordinated or less consistent. This does not necessarily indicate poor effort.

Coaches should be alert to:

A recent increase in height.
New tightness or loss of range.
Temporary changes in coordination.
Pain near a growing bone or joint.
A noticeable change in landing or running mechanics.
Fatigue during activities the athlete previously tolerated.
Difficulty controlling familiar skills.

Training may need to be modified during periods of rapid growth. This could involve reducing high-impact repetitions, returning to basic technique, increasing recovery or temporarily changing the skill variation.

The goal is not to stop young people from training whenever they grow. It is to recognise that their physical capacity may change and that the program should respond accordingly.

Build capacity through strength and conditioning

One of the best ways to prepare an athlete for sporting demands is to progressively build the physical qualities those demands require.

Age-appropriate resistance training can support strength, movement control and physical confidence when it is supervised by appropriately qualified professionals and matched to the athlete’s development.

For young athletes, strength training does not need to mean lifting very heavy weights. Depending on the athlete and activity, it may include:

Controlled body-weight exercises.
Landing and deceleration drills.
Pulling and pushing patterns.
Trunk-strength exercises.
Calf and lower-limb strengthening.
Wrist, forearm and shoulder conditioning.
Balance and coordination activities.
Gradually progressed resistance exercises.

Strength training should support skill training, not simply add more fatigue.

The exercises chosen should reflect the athlete’s needs and the demands of their activity. An athlete who repeatedly lands needs the capacity to absorb and control force. An athlete who supports their body weight through their hands needs appropriate wrist, elbow and shoulder preparation.

Teach technique progressively

Technique affects how load is distributed through the body.

Poor technique does not guarantee an injury, and ideal technique can look slightly different between athletes. However, repeated loss of control may place unnecessary stress on particular tissues.

Coaches can reduce avoidable risk by:

Teaching foundation skills before advanced variations.
Breaking complex movements into progressions.
Using appropriate equipment.
Giving one useful correction at a time.
Allowing enough recovery between demanding attempts.
Regressing a skill when technique deteriorates.
Avoiding advanced skills outside their qualifications.
Stopping when they are unsure how to teach or spot safely.

Progression should be based on demonstrated readiness—not simply the athlete’s age, enthusiasm or competition deadline.

An athlete may want to attempt an advanced skill before they have the strength, coordination or consistency required. A coach’s role is to manage that enthusiasm safely.

Warm up for the demands ahead

A warm-up should prepare the athlete for the specific movements and forces they will experience.

An effective warm-up generally progresses from broad movement to more specific preparation. It may include:

Gradual whole-body activity.
Dynamic mobility.
Muscle activation.
Balance and coordination.
Landing or deceleration preparation.
Low-intensity versions of the planned skills.
Progressive increases in speed or force.

A warm-up cannot cancel out excessive training load, but it can help the athlete transition into demanding activity.

If the main session involves impact, hanging, throwing, sprinting or weight-bearing through the arms, those areas should be prepared progressively rather than exposed to maximum load immediately.

Recovery is part of training

Adaptation occurs during recovery—not only during practice.

Young athletes need enough time between demanding sessions for tissues to recover. They also need adequate sleep, hydration and nutrition to support growth and training.

The Australian Government recommends 9–11 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night for children aged 5–13 and 8–10 hours for young people aged 14–17.

Coaches are not responsible for controlling every part of an athlete’s lifestyle, but they can reinforce healthy messages and avoid creating a culture that glorifies exhaustion.

Comments such as “No days off” or “Pain is weakness” may discourage athletes from communicating important symptoms.

A healthier message is:

“Hard work matters, and so does recovery. Both are part of becoming a stronger athlete.”

Avoid using pain as a measure of effort

Young athletes should be taught the difference between effort, muscle fatigue, stretching discomfort and pain.

They may not always have the language to describe what they feel. Coaches can ask simple questions:

“Where do you feel it?”
“Is it sharp, aching, burning or tingling?”
“Did it begin suddenly or gradually?”
“Does it change when you stop?”
“Have you felt it in previous sessions?”
“Is it affecting anything outside training?”

Coaches should gather enough information to respond safely, but they should not diagnose the injury.

If pain is persistent, worsening, localised or affecting normal movement, the athlete should stop the aggravating activity and be referred to an appropriately qualified health professional.

Sudden severe pain, obvious deformity, significant swelling, loss of movement, head or neck symptoms, breathing difficulty or an inability to bear weight requires prompt attention according to the organisation’s emergency and injury procedures.

Create a culture of early reporting

Athletes sometimes hide pain because they are worried about missing a competition, disappointing their team or being told they are not tough enough.

Coaches can make early reporting more likely by responding calmly and taking concerns seriously.

Helpful responses include:

“Thank you for telling me.”
“Let’s stop that movement and see what we can safely change.”
“You will not be in trouble for reporting pain.”
“We need to tell your parent or guardian and the parent or guardian and the lead coach.”
“It is better to respond early than wait for it to become worse.”

Coaches should avoid:

“You’re fine.”
“Push through it.”
“Everyone is sore.”
“We need you for the competition.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“Try it one more time and see.”

Early reporting does not always mean the athlete must stop all activity. It creates an opportunity to modify training, seek assessment and prevent a small problem from becoming more difficult to manage.

Watch the whole athlete

Physical load is only part of the picture.

A young athlete may be less able to tolerate training when they are sleeping poorly, recovering from illness, under academic pressure or experiencing emotional stress.

Coaches do not need to become psychologists or doctors. They should simply recognise when an athlete’s usual behaviour or capacity has changed.

Signs may include:

Unusual fatigue.
Irritability or tearfulness.
Reduced concentration.
Loss of enjoyment.
Persistent soreness.
Declining performance.
Repeated minor injuries.
Anxiety about training.
Frequent illness.
Difficulty completing normal sessions.

One sign on one day may mean very little. A developing pattern deserves attention and communication with the athlete, family and relevant senior staff.

Avoid early specialisation pressure

Focusing intensely on one sport from a very young age may increase repetitive loading and reduce movement variety.

Some artistic and technical sports traditionally introduce specialised skills early. Even within these activities, coaches can still provide variety by changing movement patterns, training intensities, apparatus, drills and physical-preparation activities.

Young athletes benefit from developing broad movement skills rather than repeating only the actions that appear in competition.

Variety cannot remove all injury risk, but it can distribute physical demands and contribute to more rounded athletic development.

Use a simple coach monitoring system

In community sport, sophisticated technology is not always available or necessary.

Coaches can monitor basic information such as:

Attendance.
Session content.
High-impact or high-load repetitions.
New skills introduced.
Reports of pain or unusual fatigue.
Recent illness or return from a break.
Competitions and additional sessions.
Modifications made.

A simple athlete check-in can also be useful:

“How ready do you feel to train today, from 1 to 5?”

A low score does not automatically mean the athlete cannot participate. It prompts the coach to ask an appropriate follow-up question and observe more closely.

Patterns over time are often more useful than one isolated answer.

The goal is sustainable development

Overuse injuries are not caused by one single mistake. They usually develop through a combination of repeated load, insufficient recovery and individual factors.

Coaches can minimise avoidable risks by progressing training gradually, monitoring total load, maintaining movement quality, responding to growth-related changes and creating a culture in which pain can be reported without fear.

The goal is not to remove challenge from youth sport.

Children need suitable physical challenges to develop strength, skill and confidence. The coach’s responsibility is to make those challenges progressive, purposeful and appropriate for the athlete in front of them.

A successful youth program should not only help athletes perform well this week. It should support their ability to remain healthy, active and enthusiastic about sport over time.

About Neophyte Performance

At Neophyte Performance, skills are introduced through structured progressions and adapted to each athlete’s current readiness.

Our coaches monitor technique, fatigue and training quality, and athletes are encouraged to communicate pain or concerns early. We believe that recovery, foundational strength and appropriate progressions are essential parts of athlete development.

Parents and guardians should inform the coaching team about injuries, illness, medical advice or significant changes to an athlete’s training elsewhere so that appropriate modifications can be considered.