Your teen just walked through the door after a two-hour practice. They're limping slightly, groaning dramatically, and heading straight for the couch where they will remain in a horizontal position for the rest of the evening.
You mention stretching. They look at you like you suggested filing their taxes.
Teen athletes are notoriously bad at recovery. They'll push through a brutal practice, complain about how sore they are for 48 hours, and then do absolutely nothing about it. The foam roller you bought last year is collecting dust under their bed next to a shin guard and an empty Gatorade bottle.
The trick isn't convincing them recovery matters. It's giving them tools that feel good enough that they'll actually pick them up. Here are 10 that pass the teen test.
The Muscle Relief Tier
1. A vibrating foam roller.
A standard foam roller works, but most teens use it once and decide it's boring. A vibrating foam roller changes the game because it actually feels like it's doing something. The vibration makes tight muscles release faster, and more importantly, it gives them a reason to use it longer than 30 seconds. Calves, quads, IT band, back. Five minutes in front of the TV and their legs feel noticeably different the next morning.
2. A massage gun.
This is the one they'll actually ask for. A percussion massage gun lets them target specific sore spots without needing a second person or a yoga mat. The appeal for teens is that it's satisfying, it's fast, and it looks cool. That last part matters more than we'd like to admit. A few minutes on their shoulders and quads after a hard session goes a long way toward reducing next-day soreness.
3. A lacrosse ball.
The cheapest and most underrated recovery tool in existence. A lacrosse ball gets into spots a foam roller can't reach: the bottom of the feet, the hip flexors, the space between the shoulder blades. Toss it in their sports bag and it's always there. They can roll it under their foot while doing homework or press it into a tight spot while sitting on the floor. Zero learning curve, maximum payoff.
4. A set of resistance bands.
Not technically a recovery tool, but light resistance bands are perfect for active recovery and pre-practice warm-ups that prevent the soreness from happening in the first place. A few banded stretches for the hips, ankles, and shoulders keep everything mobile without the intensity of a full workout. Most physical therapists recommend these for a reason.
The Temperature Therapy Tier
5. An ice pack that wraps.
Bags of frozen peas work, but they don't stay put and they're annoying to hold. A wraparound ice pack with a strap that velcros onto a knee, ankle, or shoulder means your teen can ice and scroll at the same time. That's the real unlock. If recovery can happen while they're doing something else, it will actually happen.
6. A cold plunge bucket or ice bath setup.
This doesn't need to be fancy. A large bucket or tub filled with cold water and ice is enough for a foot and lower leg soak after a hot practice. Full ice baths are trending with teen athletes thanks to social media, and while the science is still evolving on full immersion, cold water on tired legs consistently helps with inflammation and soreness. Start small. Feet and calves for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Reusable hot/cold gel packs.
Some soreness responds better to heat than cold, especially tight backs and stiff necks. A reusable gel pack that can go in the microwave or the freezer gives your teen both options without a trip to the drugstore every time something hurts. Keep a couple in the freezer and they'll grab them on their own.
The Sleep and Wind-Down Tier
8. A magnesium supplement.
Magnesium helps with muscle relaxation, cramps, and sleep quality. A flavored magnesium powder mixed into water before bed has become a staple for a lot of teen athletes, and most of them actually like the taste. It's a low-effort addition to their nighttime routine that helps their muscles recover while they sleep. Check with your pediatrician first, but most will give it a thumbs up for active teens.
9. A good eye mask for sleep.
Recovery happens during sleep, and most teens are sleeping in rooms full of light from chargers, phones, hallway cracks, and early sunrises. A contoured sleep mask blocks all of it and signals the brain that it's time to shut down. This is especially useful during tournament weekends in hotel rooms where the blackout curtains never fully close.
10. A stretching strap.
Most teens skip stretching because they don't know what to do and holding a stretch for 30 seconds feels like an eternity. A stretching strap with loops makes it easier and more comfortable to hit hamstrings, quads, shoulders, and hip flexors without needing a partner or any flexibility they don't have yet. The loops do the work, and having something physical in their hands makes the routine feel less awkward.
The Real Recovery Talk
Tools help. But the biggest thing your teen needs to hear is that recovery isn't optional and it isn't soft. The athletes they watch on TV and follow on social media invest serious time into their bodies between performances. Recovery is part of training, not something that happens instead of it.
Start with one or two items from this list. Put them somewhere visible, not in a closet. Let your teen figure out which ones they gravitate toward and build from there. The best recovery tool is the one they'll actually use. Everything else is just sitting under the bed next to that shin guard.
Ian Goldberg is the CEO of Signature Media and the Editor of the largest and fastest growing sports parenting newsletter. He's been recognized as an industry expert by the National Alliance for Youth Sports, the US Olympic Committee's Truesport, and the Aspen Institute's Project Play. Ian is also a suburban NJ sports dad of two teenage daughters and has over 2,000 hours of volunteer time coaching them (which he calls the most fun form of R&D for his newsletter content). Ian and his team provide players, coaches, parents and program directors with the articles and content they need to have a great sports season. Ian has spent most of his career in digital product development and marketing and got his start at the White House where he worked for the economic advisors to two US Presidents.
