There is an interesting discussion on the Chalk Bucket forum regarding the pros and cons of snack breaks for gymnasts training.
This is a sore point for me as a coach. I weighed in:
It makes “sense” to allow young growing children healthy snack breaks during long sport training sessions.
Yet in the real world I find snack breaks to be problematic.
Group dynamics are strained. Girls, especially, tend to form cliques during break which can be discouraging for the kids not in the clique.
Kids sometimes have trouble getting back “into” training after break.
And, ultimately, many gymnasts train 4hrs+ with only water. Most kids do not need a snack break no matter how much the parent insists they do.
My philosophy is to minimize or do away with snack breaks altogether unless there is some individual medical reason why a child MUST eat.
You can join Chalk Bucket (free) to add to the conversation. Or leave a comment on this post.
source – flickr
As I’m oft to say, “The best thing about exercise is that it’s time spent not eating.”
Kids have too many opportunities for food day-to-day. It’s not surprising they make bad choices.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 