Stan Van Gundy recently tweeted about how injuries and games missed are way up despite NBA load management and teams having bigger medical and performance staffs. Basketball Strong co-host and former Lakers S&C coach Tim DiFrancesco (@tdathletesedge) replied that SVG is right, but 80s and 90s players didn’t grow up playing year-round AAU and spending off court time on their phones or with skills trainers, which affects durability. Veteran strength coach Mike Boyle responded: “Too many games too early. The mileage on these guys is way up by the time they get to the professional level. Plus more strength coaches doesn’t necessarily mean more players lifting.” Over a 40-year career, Mike has coached everyone from high school to college to pro athletes, including the World Series-winning Boston Red Sox. So if anyone’s qualified to identify root issues in youth sports that bear bad fruit in the big leagues and then propose practical solutions, it’s him.   In this episode, Mike reveals: ·       Why early youth sports specialization doesn’t work ·       What a more well-rounded and responsible approach to developing young athletes looks like ·       How 2 strength sessions per week/100 per year increase the durability of young athletes & NBA players alike ·       Why pro players are often like a broken bottle held together by the label & what teams and coaches can do about it ·       How going back to basics with jumping/landing, sprinting, lifting, and throwing creates a solid foundation for athletic development and reduces preventable injuries Dive deeper into Mike’s expertise on strengthcoach.com and bodybyboyle.com, follow him at @mboyle1959 on Twitter and @michael_boyle1959 on Instagram, and listen to him and Anthony Renna on the Strength Coach Podcast.