[This is a letter to myself as a younger and/or more inexperienced coach as much as it is anyone else.]

Dear Coaches, Teachers, Educators, and Parents – 

STOP using exercise as a form of punishment. There are two reasons why this is done, but neither of them are any good. 

Reason #1 – As a consequence for undesired behaviors 

I’m going to go ahead and call this what it really is: a misguided attempt to punish kids into following your rules. 

Kids arrive late? Push-ups. 

Kids keep talking? Planks and sit-ups.

Kids can’t do something correctly? Shuttle runs.

We can be better. Let’s take time and have the difficult conversations to help elicit the behavior you are looking to cultivate. 

Yes, this might require talking to their parents too…

Yes, these conversations take time to have…

Yes, these changes will take time to stick…

Make the investment. They are worth it. 

(Note: I’m not saying your rules don’t matter or that they shouldn’t be followed.)

And in the off chance that’s not why you are using it as punishment, then you are doing it for another reason:

Reason #2: Poor Planning

Didn’t do our due diligence to plan out your session appropriately? By all means – give ‘em some random selection of exercises to do at a volume that is ineffective at best and irresponsible and dangerous at worst! 

Finished up class before time was up? Burpees!

Short on space because someone else is using it? Let’s head outside and do a few hundred jumping jacks and push-ups.

Here’s the alternative – spend time on lesson planning. Reverse engineer every session. Plan for contingencies, like having extra time or running out of time. 

Plan for having to change space. 

Plan for a lack of equipment. 

Just plan.

———————

Want to know what we’re really doing, no matter the reason chosen to use exercise as punishment? Helping to make the connection for these young kids that fitness is a form of punishment. No, we’re not “forging discipline” or “making them tougher.” 

We’re fostering resentment. 

Not a big deal you say? Not counting people that are “in” the fitness industry, how many people do you know who actually want to exercise and take care of their health? I mean actually look forward to it as a positive experience? I can tell you – nearly zero. The vast majority of our population sees fitness as something that they “have” to do. It is said with dread, derision, and a poor attitude. 

“I have to workout since I ate this cookie.”

“I have to workout because my doctor told me.”

“I have to workout so I can gain confidence.”

And this isn’t even taking into account another small, but important, issue that I have with this whole topic – we are dosing the exercise selection and volume all wrong. Hundreds of crunches, plyometrics, and push-ups for children that are coming to practice or play their chosen sport/art form? Come on. 

“But it’s another way we condition them.” Nope, wrong again. That’s just a fundamental lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of how the body works. It’s the equivalent of me having the local ball players come in and, when they do something I don’t like, telling them to hop up and give me 80 pitches…because “conditioning.” 

And yes, in my 21-year career as a coach, I have made this mistake. I’ve punished people with burpees when they showed up late. I added random body-weight activities when I couldn’t think of anything more productive to do, because I failed to plan ahead. It is only after I’ve realized my shortcoming that I was able to make better decisions.

So what should we do? Plan ahead, care more, and be better – period.