Why Young Athletes Need Rest Days: The Science Behind Recovery

bhsportscoach
Apr 20
3 min read

Young athletes need rest days. This may come as a surprise—especially if your child seems to have endless energy and enthusiasm for their sport. When a young athlete is training hard, it’s easy to assume that more training equals better results.

In reality, this “more is better” mindset is one of the most common mistakes parents make in youth sports. Whether your child is 7 or 18, recovery is just as important as practice. Without adequate rest, young athletes risk hindering their physical development, performance gains, and mental focus - while significantly increasing their risk of injury and burnout.

What Is a Rest Day?

A rest day doesn’t mean being lazy or unmotivated. It’s a planned break from intense activity that allows the body and brain to recover, repair, and grow stronger. Here are two types of rest days:

Full Rest Days

These include no structured training. Activities are low-key and relaxed, such as going for a walk.

Active Recovery Days

These involve light movement that helps maintain mobility and circulation without adding stress—such as swimming and stretching .

Why Rest Is Essential for Young Athletes

Rest Builds Stronger Muscles

Training creates small amounts of stress and tiny tears in muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Rest allows the body to repairs this damage, allowing tissues to rebuild stronger and more resilient.
No rest minimises the potential growth.

Rest Helps Prevent Injury

Overuse injuries—such as Sever’s disease (heel pain), Osgood-Schlatter disease (knee pain), and Little League Elbow (elbow pain)—as discussed in our previous blog, are common among young athletes.
Rest days give the body time to recover between practices and competitions.
Ignoring rest increases injury risk.

Rest Supports Mental Health and Motivation

Youth sports are physically and emotionally demanding. Without breaks, stress builds up and motivation can drop. Rest days are vital young athletes time to mentally reset, helping them stay engaged and enjoy their sport (Venter, 2012)
For some children, taking time out is exactly what they need to reconnect with their enjoyment of the game. You may have noticed that many professional athletes do the same—often referred to as a “sabbatical”—built on the same idea and reasons behind it.

Rest Improves Sleep Quality

Good sleep supports growth, promotes memory, and restores energy levels, and emotional regulation. Well-rested children perform better both in school and in sport (Rasch et al, 2013)
Low quality or insufficient sleep can negatively impact overall performance and may even increase the risk of injury (Owens et al., 2005).

How Many Rest Days Does Your Child Need?

Although these are not strict guidelines, I would recommended that children have:

At least 1 full rest day and 1 active recovery day per week, especially during busy competition periods.
9–10 hours of quality sleep each night (Coel et al, 2022)

If your child seems consistently sore, fatigued, or irritable, it may be time to scale back, prioritise recovery and increase the number of rest days.

Signs Your Child May Need More Rest

Watch out for these common red flags:

Constant tiredness
Increased irritability
Declining performance
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Ongoing muscle or joint pain
Loss of motivation or enjoyment
Reduced focus at school

Parents Set the Tone

It’s easy to fall into the belief that more training leads to faster improvement. In reality, smart training—which includes proper rest—is what supports long-term success and reduces the risk of injury

By encouraging rest days, explaining the benefits and building it into your child’s routine, you’re not only protecting their health and supporting their development but also helping them enjoy sports for years to come.

How BHSports can help

At BHSports camps, children are allowed to rest whenever they need it throughout the day. We take designated breaks during the morning, afternoon and lunch to allow the children to refuel, hydrate and have down time with their friends. Participation is never forced. If a child is managing an injury, we will provide recovery tips by offering appropriate, low-impact exercises they can complete during the day.

If your child currently has an injury and you’d like advice or ideas to help support their recovery, please don’t hesitate to contact us at bhsportscoach@gmail.com —we’re always happy to help.

Reference

Coel, R, A., Pujalte, G, GA., Applewhite, A, I., Zanslow, T,. Cooper, G., Ton, A, N., Benajmin, H, J (2022). Sleep and the Young Athlete. Access online here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10293556/#bibr69-19417381221108732
Owens JA, Fernando S, Mc Guinn M (2005). Sleep disturbance and injury risk in young children. Behav Sleep Med. Access online here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10293556/#bibr69-19417381221108732
Rasch B, Born J. Physiol Rev (2013) About sleep's role in memory. Access online here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10503965/#REF1
Venter R.E (2012). Role of sleep in performance and recovery of athletes: A review article. S. Afr. J. Res. Sport Phys. Educ. Recreat. . Access online here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8072992/#B1-nutrients-13-01330