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At National Scouting Report, we have learned that college coaches today are much less concerned about the long-term impact of injuries to high school student-athletes than ever before.
Modern surgery and rehab techniques have proved that athletes can recover from serious injuries and get back into top form within a reasonable time frame.
It wasn’t so long ago when damaged knees, as an example, were considered career-ending. (We easily could have chosen shoulders, elbows or other joints.) Any number of superior athletes saw their college and professional athletic careers cut short as a result of injuries followed by what turned out to be experimental procedures.
Not anymore.
For instance, as first chronicled in 2005 by the American Journal of Sports Medicine, microsurgery, or microfracture, is an “effective first-line treatment to return young athletes with small cartilage lesions of the knee back to high-impact athletics.” That pronouncement was only a decade ago. Further advancements have developed since then.
Yet, getting the techniques accepted and taught to doctors nationwide did not occur overnight. While orthopedic surgeons were hungry for methods whose outcomes were longer lasting than previously utilized, there remained the issue of getting doctors fully acclimated and certified. It was a big, time-consuming change, but, as a result, today’s athletes enjoy relatively quick recovery times. Moreover, most doctors and many athletes have discovered that repaired parts are actually stronger than prior to their injuries.
The advent of plyometric training has had a huge impact on injuries. Another AJSM study has shown that athletes engaging in plyometric training suffer three times fewer injuries than those who don’t.
“The purpose of plyometrics is to improve the athletes capacity to apply more force more rapidly,” Sports Fitness Advisor says. “Logically then, the greater the athletes ability to generate maximal force or strength to begin with, the more of it can be converted into sport-specific power.”
Instructed by knowledgeable trainers, plyometrics can help athletes avoid major injuries. However, with any exercise, there are risks when it comes to workouts which put abnormal pressure on the muscles and joints. Still, the benefits outweigh the downsides to following antiquated training methods.
That’s why every college program puts its athletes through rigorous, and varied, off-season training programs. In short, more training produces fewer injuries. Medical training staffs are better educated and have become indispensable to every college athletic department.
Many high school programs are doing the same. It is not yet as prevalent in club and travel sports due to the limited practice time available. High school coaches have more training time, especially in the off season, than club and travel teams, which must focus more on skill development than injury prevention. But, as with every other type of advancement, the current path will change directions as more coaches learn about the benefits and details of plyometrics.
National Scouting Report is dedicated to finding scholarship opportunities for athletes who possess the talent, desire, and motivation to compete at the collegiate level. We’ve helped connect thousands of athletes with their perfect college.