Childhood Sports: Conclusion

In conclusion of the topic of Childhood Sports, I would like to briefly discuss each topic that was covered.

In my first post on this topic, I discussed my experience and background with this subject.  I was able to experience this dilemma of the focus of childhood sports in my days as a kid playing sports.  I played football, basketball, baseball and soccer.  All of these sports that I played focused on learning and other aspects essential for a career in sports.  They went along with what I am arguing very well.  It was a very fun time in my life because we weren’t always worrying about winning, we just more focused on having fun.

The next topic I covered in the argument was the fact that winning is hurting kids and their future.  Changing the Game Project wrote an article on this and discussed how coaches who focus on winning above all else are setting the kids up to fail as they grow up.  I think it’s important to learn first and compete later.

Following was the topic of the role of parents.  Parents need to be encouraging for their kids and nothing else.  They can attempt to teach their kids about sports but that is ultimately up to the coach.  Parents need to be the support for the kids and to encourage them when they have bad days.  Also like coaches, parents should not focus on performance or winning but only on if their kids are learning or not.  It is up to the parent to pick a coach for their child.  It is a great responsibility that could have an impact on the child’s future.

Coming next is the benefits of childhood sports.  This topic must be pretty obvious because all sports have the benefit of exercise.  What may not be immediately apparent is what that exercise does for kids.  Physical activity helps not only the body but also the mind.  So when kids play sports, they are strengthening their body and also their ability to think.

Coaching is obviously a huge part of youth sports.  Kids rely heavily on a coach for instruction and training.  Ultimately the coach is like another parent to the kids.  They spend a lot of time together and the role is somewhat the same.  The coaches must teach the children and make sure they stay disciplined and follow instruction.  It is very easy for a coach to be unqualified in this position.  They must be good with kids and have the desire for the kids to learn.  They must not have prideful intentions to be the best team in the league; that is not what this level of sports is about.

The last post focused on children involved in sports.  A study from Changing the Game Project outlined that kids mainly play to have fun; they also quit because focus on winning ruins that fun.

As childhood sports progresses in the future, we as the next adult generation must preserve the role of teaching kids.  Future coaches of Little Leagues need to be prepared and have a right mind for what they are doing.  Nobody who is unqualified should ever pursue this career of coaching.  It is an important step in a child’s life.

Childhood Sports: Children

In this post, I will be quickly discussing the main reasons kids play sports and even why they quit.

Changing the Game Project states that kids play sports because: “It’s fun, they like learning, they like being with their friends, [and] they enjoy the excitement of competition” (“Why Kids Play”).  Now, the last part of that statement somewhat goes against what I am arguing but I will get to that after mention the reason why kids quit.

Also coming from Changing the Game Project, the article states kids quit because of, “Criticism and yelling, boredom, emphasis on winning, [and] lack of playing time” (“Why Kids Play”).

So back to the statement which goes against my argument.  Kids enjoy competition but not emphasis on winning.  I believe that if a coach has an emphasis on competition, he or she will also emphasize winning.  However, neither competition nor winning should ever become the focus of the coach. The type of competition that kids enjoy is simply that of trying to beat the other team and have fun doing it.  However, when that comes the main focus, it no longer becomes fun.  Coaches should strive to teach kids and leave competition up to them.  If they want to be competitive than they will, but it should never become the focus of the coaches.

An article titled “What Kids Say About Playing Youth Sports” from Boys Town states: “Coaches and parents should pay attention to these reasons, using them as the foundation for youth sports experiences. ‘Having fun’ is at the top of the list and should be the focus of any athletic environment” (Kush, Sterba).

Sources:

“Why Kids Play | Changing the Game Project.” Changing the Game Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

Kush, Kevin, and Michael Sterba. “What Kids Say About Playing Youth Sports.” Boys Town. Boys Town Press, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

Childhood Sports: Coaching Problems

In little league sports, It is ultimately up to the coach to teach the kids.  Coaches must teach the kids everything involved with the sport including sportsmanship, rules, respect, proper techniques among other things.  Without proper leadership from a coach, the team won’t get far.  Youth sports is arguably the first step in becoming a great athlete.  Thus making coaches in youth sports an important part of the kid’s careers.

Changing the Game Project has a good article on a current problem that many little leagues face with their coaches.  Often times they are insufficient to be leading a team, even a team of young kids.  The article states, “Far too often, untrained or insufficiently trained coaches are entrusted with the well being of our young athletes. Sadly, the result of poor coaching often go beyond having to forfeit a game” (“Do We Have a Coaching Problem?”).

Having a bad coach as a kid can have a big impact on the future of the children involved.  For example, I remember one of my middle school football coaches yelled at his players a good bit. Whenever we made a bad play you could hear him yelling across the field. This threw me off somewhat because coaches are supposed to teach kids, not be a downer on them.  I remember always being scared whenever something bad happened.  This should not be the influence coaches have on kids or anyone for that matter.

It is important that coaches be a good roll model to the younger and older kids alike.  They should teach them respect and sportsmanship above all else.  The game should come second.  If a coach values winning more than the influence he has on his players, I think he is doing it wrong and it really says something about his character.  Parents should not want a coach who values competition over teaching their kids the right way to play sports.

Chuck Klosterman was kind of the “bad” coach I am I referring to.  In his chapter from Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, he describes how he coached his baseball team in his later high school years.  In the chapter “George Will vs. Nick Hornby”, he talks about his coaching style and how many parents didn’t agree with it.  He made his kids do physical conditioning which I don’t necessarily disagree with, but that combined with everything else made him the coach that I don’t think parents should associate with.  Klosterman even says he is not an adequate coach: “During the summer in 1988, I worked as a totally unqualified Little League baseball coach” (130).  I think Little League board members need to be more picky on their coach selections.  They need to pick good, solid people because they will have a big influence on the kid’s lives.

Sources:

“Do We Have a Coaching Problem? | Changing the Game Project.” Changing the Game Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2015.

Klosterman, Chuck. “George Will vs. Nick Hornby.” Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto. New York: Scribner, 2003. 130. Print.

Childhood Sports: Benefits

Before I dive into this topic, here is a good video I found which discusses in depth the benefits of youth sports.

 

So now you’ve heard it from a child involved in sports at the age of 9.  The benefits are obvious.  Especially with as involved as this girl is.  Childhood sports helps kids socially, physically and mentally.

Whether you’ve ever played a sport or not, I’m sure you can remember the “cliques” in high school.  The friend groups of football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse players.  They could be seen at the lunch table together, sitting together in class and also hanging out outside of school.  These friendships were developed through growing up playing sports together.

There is not doubt that playing sports during childhood will help kids develop physical lifestyles.  With all the practices and games involved with sports, there is not a lot of time to be lazy.  In sports, kids are active during games, practices and any extra training.  They get plenty of exercise and they learn the proper ways of training.

Being physical is not only good for the muscles and bones, it is also good for the mind.  Exercising helps with sleep and also thinking. Brain HQ has has a great article on this.  This article discusses the types of exercise that best help the mind.  It also says that any exercise that helps your heart will help your mind.  Sports involve lots of cardiovascular exercise which helps the entire body, especially the heart.  It is great to get kids involved with these things at an early age.

Sources:

Benefits of Childhood Sports Programs with Kami. Dir. TheTigerFitness. 2015.

Childhood Sports: New role for parents

It is obvious if one attends a youth sports game that some parents are way too involved.  They yell at refs and coaches when something bad happens. They push their kids to perform better and better.  This is not good at such an early age.  Kids need to focus on being successful at sports and being active but not to the point that some parents strive for their kids to be.  If the child is not having fun anymore then the parent has gone too far.  Childhood sports should be more for learning, not being the next Adrian Peterson or Tom Brady.

Some roles that parents should take in their kids early sports career is one of support.  Parents should support their kids and encourage them no matter what.  When they miss the winning touchdown catch in their pee-wee football game, parents should be on the sideline to give them a hug and tell them it will be okay.  They should not yell at them asking why they didn’t catch the ball.

Changing the Game Project has some pretty good points when it comes to the role of parents.  They say that parents should educate themselves on the program their kid is in, the sports their kids play, athletic development, and child psychology.  Parents should also stop worrying about winning and find better ways to measure success.  Let kids compete with different children in different programs.  Make sure their kids are being coached in a way that encourages growth and development into a better athlete (John O’Sullivan).

Sources:

O’Sullivan, John. “The Enemy of Excellence in Youth Sports.” Changing the Game Project. N.p., 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

 

Childhood Sports: Focus on winning is actually hurting kids

This post will dig into the topic a little more than the last one.  Since I stated which side of the argument I agree with in the last post, (sports for younger kids should focus on being more fun and establishing good characteristics and a love for the sport) all the posts from here until the end will be geared towards that argument.

I think establishing good practices early in kids lives is important.  As they grow and mature they already know how they should act when life throws curveballs because they learned when they were young.  Sports teach people a lot.  It teaches that handwork pays off, winning is not everything, don’t be a sore loser, and also it teaches discipline.  It is important that kids learn these things as early as possible.  It will help them mature.  Also sports at an early age encourages an active lifestyle.  The Aspen Institute quotes Perkins: “Adolescents who play sports are eight times as likely to be active at age 24 as adolescents who do not play sports” (“Facts: Sports Activity and Children”).  Parents who encourage their kids to play sports are helping them when they grow up because they will already be accustomed to being active.  While this does not directly relate to the argument, I think it is still important because childhood sports is on the decline in the U.S.

Now that it is obvious that starting children young with sports is important, I will shift more to the discussion on the focus of youth sports. When I was a kid, at least in the leagues I played in, the majority of the focus was put on sportsmanship and being a good athlete.  Changing the Game Project states: “But players who play to win is one thing, and has nothing to do with coaches who only coach to win, and organizations who create environments focused on winning and not development. Their approach actually robs kids of their athletic education, and sets them up for failure later in life” (John O’Sullivan).  It is important to teach kids the right way the first time.  If proper education is not given to begin with, it could actually hinder their chances as they grow up.

 

Sources:

“Facts: Sports Activity and Children.” Facts: Sports Activity and Children. Aspen Institute, 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

O’Sullivan, John. “The Enemy of Excellence in Youth Sports.” Changing the Game Project. N.p., 2015. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Childhood Sports: What should they be teaching kids?

Image courtesy of NBC News.

When I was a kid, sports were a major part of my life. My dad coached my baseball team when I was about four. My cousin and brother also played on the team. It was a big part of our life. We were always practicing in the backyard and getting ready for the games. As I grew up, I became involved more with football. I played in a local flag football league because my mom was worried about me getting tackled. Good ol’ moms. As I reached high school, I began to get involved more with running, cycling and weight lifting. But, my junior year, I joined spring training for the Varsity football team. However, I did not play during the actual season because I got a concussion that summer which put me out for a couple months.

Throughout my various phases of sports, I can distinctly remember how different each phase was. My early baseball years had a much different focus than playing on the Varsity football team in high school. During baseball games, we were taught sportsmanship, respect, and how to be a good athlete. The main focus however was on respecting the opponent and being a good sport even during a loss. My first day of training for football, I realized how much emphasis there was on competition and being the best athlete you could be. That’s not to say that respect and sportsmanship were out of the equation, but not as much emphasis was put on these aspects.  My purpose in these blog posts will be to explore what early youth sports mostly focus on and if that focus is good for the young kids of our generation.  Childhood sports programs are meant to develop future athletes who are respectful and who are also competitive. Because of this, sports for younger kids should be more focused on fun and learning instead of competition; as the kids grow up however, competition should slowly become a bigger focus.