by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Modifications to All Programs Equipment – Change the size of the equipment used depending on the age group. In tee ball this could mean using a large ball and a large bat to help kids make contact with the ball more frequently. Use softer equipment. Using softer equipment takes away some of the fear of getting hit by the ball. Most equipment manufacturers make this type of equipment. Field size – Use a smaller field for smaller participants. Goal size – Use larger goals or no goalies so all can score. Team size – Play games with fewer participants on the field so that each person will get a maximum number of touches on the ball. Roster size – Limit your roster size to only a couple subs. This will help everyone get lots of playing time. Cuts – Do not allow anyone to be cut from your team if you are below the high school level (1). Age divisions – To minimize the relative age effect, use a narrow age gap, such as 6 months or 9 months, rather than 1 year or 2 years (2). Developmental level – Instead of organizing teams by birth date, another suggestion might be to organize teams by maturity level (2). Select teams – This should be the youngest age that participates on a select or an elite team (1). Specialization – Participate in multiple sports. Only think about specialization once you reach age 15 or 16, not before (1). Playoffs – Eliminate playoffs up through 5th grade, and in 6th-8th include all teams in the playoffs (1). Practice – Use fun...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
It is no secret that our society views professional athletes as royalty, treating them as modern-day deities. The media shows glamorous images of the lifestyles of professional athletes, enticing images, luring, daring others to attempt to find this holy grail of athletics for themselves. This deification of professional athletes, among other things, has had major consequences for youth sports. Parents see the potential financial advantages that having an athletic child can bring in the form of college scholarships and professional salaries. Parents have pushed for, and gotten, more competitive teams, more all star teams, more travel teams, all for younger and younger children, many of whom have barely learned to tie their shoes. These same kids are specializing in one sport as soon as they can walk in hopes of scholarships or fame or fortune. What no one seems to have stopped to consider is if what we are doing is really going to benefit our children in the long run. According to the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS), “49% of children do not have the basic skills necessary when they enter organized sport” (1). Combine that with the fact that young children are being put into sports situations that they are usually not emotionally, psychologically or cognitively ready for, in addition to not being physically ready, and it is no wonder that the drop out rate from sports is around 70% by age 13 (1). Whether due to burnout, injury, lack of interest, or the structure of the system, the fact is that a huge majority of children are choosing to leave sports behind as they hit...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Safety Articles from the Educated Sports Parent Preventing Head Injuries in Soccer Safety Info on Other Sites Football Players Need Several Days to Recover from a Concussion Concussions Exact Toll on Football Players Long After They Retire Head Injuries and Brain Damage in Football (Soccer) Brain Injury in...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
It is probably not hard to identify the “superstars” of any youth team. You all know them – maybe it’s even your child – and you all know what most of their parents are thinking, “My child is the next Michael Jordan (or Mia Hamm, or whoever).” Before you get too far along in this thinking, I hate to be the one to inform you that even though you are positive your child is the best 3-yr. old free throw shooter this side of the Mississippi – so what if he’s got all the trophies to back it up – it means very little about what his chances are of making it into the NBA. In reality, all early superstardom usually means is that your child has matured faster than his friends. Look at the real Michael Jordan. Was he considered the best player on his team when he was 5? Probably not. He couldn’t even make his high school basketball team! Performance success is due to a variety of characteristics including abilities, attitudes, body type, cultural background, emotional makeup, fitness level, learning style, maturational level, motivational level, previous social experience, prior movement experience (1) and personality (2). Each of these factors are extremely important, with ability being one of the most important, but because there is such a wide variety of factors influencing performance, it is virtually impossible to make an early prediction about a child’s future success in sports. That’s not to say that the early superstars don’t ever go on to be successful athletes at a later stage, such as high school. It just doesn’t happen...
by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Popular culture seems to be pushing the notion that in order to succeed at sports, kids need to be put into sports before they are even out of diapers, and then as soon as they get out of diapers they have to know what sport they want to commit themselves to for the rest of their lives so that they can practice enough to make sure they get some sort of athletic scholarship and do well enough to reach the professional ranks. I would like to remind you that 98% or less of athletes will never be elite athletes (1, 2) and be the first one to tell you that popular culture has got it wrong. There is a time and a place for sports specialization, but it has no place in childhood. I would like present information for you to help you figure out just when, and if, your child should specialize in a single sport. First of all, you should know that the position of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (3) on specialization is the following, “Children involved in sports should be encouraged to participate in a variety of different activities and develop a wide range of skills” (p. 154). They also found that, “Those who participate in a variety of sports and specialize only after reaching the age of puberty tend to be more consistent performers, have fewer injuries, and adhere to sports play longer than those who specialize early” (p. 156). There are a number of very good reasons to explain why the AAP recommends children participate in a variety of sports as opposed...
