How Many Days a Week Should My Kid Train? A Guide by Age 8–18

Apr 13

If you are a parent of a young athlete, you have probably wondered, “Are we doing enough, or are we doing way too much?” Between school teams, club teams, private training, weekend tournaments, and “just playing outside,” it is easy for a 13 year old to end up with a schedule that looks like a professional athlete.

As a performance coach working with youth athletes all over NYC, I see both extremes. Some kids barely move outside of games, and some kids are in something seven days a week, all year. The truth is that there is a smart middle ground, and there is a simple rule of thumb that can keep your athlete progressing without breaking them down.

This guide walks you through that rule, age by age, and shows you how to plug speed and strength training in safely.

The golden rule: hours per week ≈ age

A widely used guideline in youth sports is simple:

A young athlete should not spend more hours per week in organized sports than their age in years.

That means:

An 8-year-old: about 8 total hours per week
A 12-year-old: about 12 total hours per week
A 16-year-old: about 16 total hours per week

“Organized sports” includes:

Practices
Games
Private lessons
Strength and speed training
Mandatory team conditioning sessions

It does not include free play such as pickup games at the park, riding a bike, or playing outside with friends. This is not a strict law. It is a guardrail that reminds us kids are still growing. Their bones, joints, and nervous systems need time to adapt.

Why more is not always better for kids

In youth sports, “more” often gets confused with “better.” However, more practices and more sessions can lead to:

Less recovery time for muscles, joints, and tendons
Higher risk of overuse injuries such as stress fractures, tendinitis, and growth plate issues
Mental burnout, especially when every day feels high stakes
School and sleep getting squeezed into whatever time is left

At Brooklyn Speed & Power, the goal is not to see how tired we can make your kid. The goal is to see how well they can move when it counts. That only happens if they are fresh enough to learn and adapt.

Ages 8–10: Build love for movement, not a training resume

For 8 to 10 yearolds, the top priorities are:

Falling in love with movement and sport
Developing basic coordination, balance, and speed
Learning how to move well, not just how to work hard

A reasonable week for a 9 or 10 year old might look like:

2 to 3 practices or games in their main sport
1 short, well coached speed or athleticism session
Plenty of unstructured play such as parks, playgrounds, bikes, and recess

If your 9 year old is already on two travel teams plus private training four days a week, that is probably too much. At this age, one high quality 45 to 60 minute athletic development session per week can make a big difference without adding unnecessary wear and tear.

Ages 11–13: Growth spurts, coordination, and smart strength work

Middle school is when many kids start hitting growth spurts. Overnight, they can look taller and suddenly a bit more clumsy. Bones are growing fast, and the rest of the body is trying to keep up.

At this stage, a healthy week might look like:

2 to 3 team practices
1 to 2 games
1 to 2 speed or strength sessions focused on mechanics, landing, deceleration, and basic strength
At least 1 full day off from organized activity

This is the age where more overuse injuries and stress reactions start to appear if the volume gets out of control. If your 12 year old is already at their “age in hours” with school and club alone, any extra work must be short, focused, and built around quality, not just more conditioning.

Ages 14–16: Push performance and protect health

High school athletes often want to “separate” themselves from the pack. Smart training can make a huge impact at this age, but only if it is planned instead of simply added on top.

A high performing and healthy week for a 15 or 16 year old might look like:

In season:

3 to 4 team practices
1 to 2 games
1 to 2 shorter speed or strength sessions that complement team work instead of repeating it

Off-season:

3 structured strength and speed sessions
2 to 3 sport skill or open run days
1 to 2 full rest days

Athletes at this age should learn to listen for early signs of overload such as constant soreness, dropping performance, and poor sleep. The plan should adjust before they are in a full blown injury.

Ages 17–18: Preparing for the next level

Older high school athletes with college goals often train at a higher volume, but the main principle stays the same. Quality, planning, and recovery beat random “grind.”

A realistic structure might be:

4 to 5 structured training days that blend team practice, strength, and speed
1 to 2 lighter days for mobility, shooting, or technical skill work
At least 1 real day off each week

At this age, personalized programming matters. Position, sport, injury history, and college goals all shape what the right amount of training looks like.

How to count total load

When we talk about “how many days” or “how many hours,” we are not only counting workouts you pay for. Everything counts:

PE class at school
School team practices and games
Club or travel team practices and games
Private lessons for skills, speed, or strength
Team conditioning days
Open gym, open runs, and extra pick up sessions

Before you add anything new, take a minute to map out the week. If your 13 year old is already at 12 to 14 hours of organized activity, the answer usually is not “add more.” The answer is “shift some of that time into higher quality work.”

Signs your athlete needs to do less

Regardless of age, here are clear signs that your athlete is doing too much:

Performance is getting worse even though they are working harder
They are constantly sore or dealing with nagging injuries
They are getting sick more often than usual
They have trouble sleeping or drag through the school day
A kid who used to love their sport now dreads practice or seems checked out

When you see this pattern, the answer usually is not a new supplement, a new trainer, or another team. The answer is pulling back, protecting recovery, and rebuilding a smarter week.

How Brooklyn Speed & Power fits into a healthy training week

At Brooklyn Speed & Power, we do not just ask, “When can you train?” We ask:

“What does your week already look like?”
“Where are you in your season?”
“How is your body feeling right now?”

Then we design our sessions to be one piece of the puzzle, not the entire puzzle:

In season: short, high-quality speed and power work that supports game performance without leaving athletes exhausted
Off-season: structured strength and speed blocks that build the athletic foundation they will rely on all year
Always: communication with families so we can adjust when school, tournaments, or life start to pile up

Your athlete does not need the busiest schedule in Brooklyn. They need the right mix of smart training, real recovery, and coaches who are paying attention.

Byron Ward