by admin | May 12, 2014 | Uncategorized
Childhood is a unique time. Children are growing and learning at a fast pace. Children are different than adults, and the structure of the youth sports environment should reflect this. These articles from The Educated Sports Parent relate to how to accommodate the uniqueness of children in youth sports. Is My Child Ready for Sports? Should My Child Specialize? Is My Child the Next Michael Jordan? ...
by admin | May 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
Do Sports Teach Cooperation or Competition? Sports are by nature competitive, but recently, the over-competitive nature youth sports seem to have taken on has led to cause for concern. The issue has caused debate over competition vs. cooperation. In this debate there appear to be three sides: those that believe competition is inherently bad; those that view competition as a normal, acceptable part of American society; and those that are somewhere in between. The Case Against Sports Competition Author Alfie Kohn is one who is very outspoken against competition, going so far as to say competition is inherently bad. He points out that in a competition, only one wins while the rest fail. In “The Case Against Competition,” (1) Kohn argues that competition leads children to define themselves by the outcome, tying their self- esteem up with their ability to beat others. He further argues that competition is less productive than cooperation and that research has shown competitive children to be less empathetic and less generous than others. Competition causes anxiety, interferes with learning, and causes children to view others as obstacles to their success (1). Competition restricts participation and emphasizes winning. A “win-at- all-costs” mentality can lead to a devaluation of honesty and fair play (2). Furthermore, according to professor Daniel Frankl, competition only benefits the few skilled participants. In most sporting events, it is the skilled minority who will have the most contact with the ball and the most game experience even if all participants have the same amount of playing time (3). Cooperation, on the other hand, helps build self-esteem, helps kids learn to communicate, builds...
by admin | May 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
Should Every Kid Get a Trophy? There appear to be two philosophies when it comes to awards and trophies: those who want to hand out participation trophies for every little accomplishment, and those who think a pat on the back is just about right. So which side is right? This question is an important one. The way in which you decide to hand out awards can have an impact on a child’s motivation to participate in sports. Awards can either enhance intrinsic motivation or cause an athlete to rely on extrinsic motivation. Cox defines intrinsic motivation as “motivation that comes from within” while extrinsic motivation is “motivation that comes from an external as opposed to an internal source”(1), such as playing on the soccer team because you want the trophy presented at the end of the season. Trophies and medals are extrinsic rewards that can either enhance the intrinsic motivation a child feels to participate in sports, or they can become the sole reason that the athletes participate in sports, changing the child’s focus from intrinsic to extrinsic factors. Extrinsic rewards can serve two functions: to provide evidence of ability or to control (2). Once the athlete feels controlled by the trophy, or by getting paid to play as in the case of professional athletes, intrinsic motivation decreases (1). On the other hand, rewards that provide information can increase intrinsic motivation (2). Helping an athlete develop intrinsic motivation can lead to them developing self- determination and help them develop personal control and a sense of choice in what they do. It will also help them to maintain the feeling...
by admin | May 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
It’s been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It turns out that the same can be said for winning (although saying “winning is in the eye of the beholder” doesn’t sound quite as poetic). Traditionally when most of us think of winning, we probably focus on the final score of the contest. Generally, the winners are considered to be only the ones who are on top when the final whistle blows. However, this is not the only possible definition of winning. Winning can also be defined by the quality of the performance of each individual athlete. The problem with taking the traditional perspective on winning in youth sports is that it is extremely limited, and it can serve to undermine a great performance by someone on the “losing” team. However, if we choose to go with the view that winning is in the eye of the beholder, we open the door to allowing everyone to become a winner, not just one group of people. Here’s an example. Let’s say your child played the best soccer game of her short little life, scoring her very first goal, but her team still lost. If all you focus on is the final score, her brilliant performance means nothing, and she might possibly go away feeling disappointed. However, if you choose to refocus your perspective, and consider effort and how she performed compared to past performances, winning can be something else totally. I don’t deny that at collegiate and professional levels of sport the final outcome should be important. However, youth sports should be all about fun, learning, and...
by admin | May 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
In youth sports adults fill many roles. They are league administrators, coaches, officials, cheerleaders, supporters, chauffeurs, and spectators. To those roles they bring their adult view of the world. When the adult view of what is the most important aspect of youth sports conflicts with what children think, the experience can sour and be less than beneficial for the children. It is important that adults involved in youth sports take time to consider what the kids want and really try to make youth sports about the kids rather than about the adult ego. Maybe then we will see the dropout rate decline and see more and more youth turned on to physical activity. Adults Want . . . When adults are in charge as in organized youth sports, the result is different than when kids are in charge. Adults want rules and regulations; standardized competition; strict compliance to the rules; formal positions; scores to be kept; control over schedule; control over who plays (1). Basically, in organized sport adults control every aspect of competition, except of course how the kids play, and they would probably control that too if they could. The adult perspective brings with it an emphasis on the product, winning, as opposed to the process, learning and developing skills. Some adults even feel their moral worth depends upon the outcome of their child’s performance (1), while still others exploit their children in order to gratify their own needs (2). Taken together, all of these factors can add up to a whole lot of stress and anxiety heaped on youngsters who say they just want to have...
by admin | May 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
Youth strength training has been a somewhat controversial issue. Previously, it was widely thought that the immature bodies of pre-adolescents and adolescents would put them more at risk for growth plate injuries. In addition, because of the results of certain scientific studies and the fact that the necessary hormones, known as androgens, that allow for muscle hypertrophy (growth) are not yet circulating in high enough levels before puberty, it was believed that strength training prior to puberty would not really produce strength gains (1-3). However, recent research on the safety and effectiveness of youth strength training is calming this controversy. Possibly driven by the increasing competitive nature of youth sports where many are looking for an edge to get ahead, or maybe driven by the desire to imitate what players at the college and professional level are doing, more adolescents are involved in strength training and more recent research has been conducted on adolescent strength training. It now appears that when done under proper supervision, youth strength training can be safe and can improve the strength of a child as young as six (2) in the muscle groups being trained (1-6). As it turns out, earlier studies that showed no increase in strength from training most likely involved training at an intensity too low for any significant strength gains to be seen (2). Now, experts are even beginning to identify benefits associated with strength training in youth. Benefits of Strength Training Before we discuss the benefits youth can obtain from strength training, it is important to point out that strength training is not the same as power lifting or...
