Children's sport

AT WHAT AGE (IF ANY) SHOULD COMPETITON BE INTRODUCED IN CHILDREN'S SPORT
AND WHY?
INTRODUCTION
The extensive involvement of youngster in structured sport programs has generated considerable speculation
and controversy regarding the psychological consequences of early sport participation. Thousands of young
athletes engaged in sport at a different level of challenge, in the United States, it has been estimated that 20
million children between the ages of 6 and 18 years currently participate in some form of organized sport
program in non−school setting (Martens, 1986).
Various educational, medical, and recreational leaders have discouraged sport involvement for children
because of beliefs that competitive youth sport was too stressful and resulted in unfavourable short− and
long−term emotional and psychological outcomes (Brower, 1978; Smilkstein, 1980).
IMPORTANT FACTS THAT INFLUENCE IN CHILDREN'S SPORT
SOCIETY: Sport is a major phenomenon in modern society and it has a repercussion in all society's aspects,
which happened because of the importance of the mass media in the socialization of the sport. But that does
not mean that sport is perfect, it has many questions and problems that have to be solved like doping, injuries,
violence, etc
In the children's sport there are some factors that may be detrimental if these are not well utilized, these
factors are: competition, stress, participation, motivation, and adaptation of the sports to children.
The influence of adults in the youth sport is pervasive and easily recognized. Adults attend competition,
organize events, and may coach as a consequence of their child's interest and participation; it is very normal
that the Mass Media, Family and Schools confuse the important elements in the early ages and they can
provoke psychological and physiological problems in the children, that happen for the following reasons:
1. Family is the first socialization agent, as the parents are the model of the children and their influences are
very important, they are primarily responsible for providing children with initial opportunities to play sport in
order to help them maintain their sport involvement, and potentially, for affecting children's withdrawal from
sport (Greendorfer, 1992); but sometimes the problem is when these parents may want him to do the things
they always wanted to, but were unable to do. Now those opportunities are available and they don't want their
children to miss out. To carry out parents' hopes and expectations there are tremendous burden even for the
most gifted and ambitious children; this expectation may be a problem for the child, as he can feel worried or
stressed when trying to succeed the results that the parents want. Then the sport is turned from a game into a
torture.
CONSECUENCIES
Negatives
• Children could feel stressed because they can not satisfy their parents' hopes.
• Children do not enjoy when they are playing and they miss motivation and interest in the sport.
• Children want to please their parents, so they strive so much that they could have injuries and that
would stop their development.
• Children could get bored by the amount of competitions.
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Positives
• Parents can make their children start and love the practise of sport
• Parents can help their children when becoming stressful.
• Parents can control the aggression in the competition and avoid the use of violence.
• Schools, most of schools require physical education classes, but it becomes a problem in the schools that
have historically reinforced sport participation just for the prestige of the school. That means that the
participation of all the members of the team is not important and most of the times only the best players
play; this is foiled for the rest of the players and a loss of motivation in the sport, as they may feel
discriminated. We should not forget the untrained teachers, they do not have the basic skills for what the
youths athletes can improve and they do not miss the interest in the sport. Another important factor are
friends and mates, who sometimes influence strongly in the practise of the sport, or vice versa.
CONSECUENCIES
Negatives
• Discrimination of the children : only the best players play.
• The coaching are very competitive, there is a loss of the funny side.
• The most important thing is the result and the prestige of the school, not the development of the
children, or at least it is secondary.
• Violence will probable appear.
Positives
• Preoccupation for the development of the children in all aspects psychological and physiological.
• Utilize the sport like a way of socialization of the children.
• Utilize the competitive element to improve their skills and their character.
• Mass Media is also the most important factor in sport socialization. Children are bombarded with sports
through several forms of media including television, newspapers, and magazines, even the parents are very
influenced by the Mass Media. The children watch a competitive model, where the results are more
important than the participation; where there is a specialization of the players; where the athletes compete
to improve the records and sometimes they use violence and frauds like doping; besides, children are
watching constantly how the sport's stars become very glamorous and famous. All this has a great influence
in the children (parents and coaches too), who want to imitate their idols. They confuse the actual game
with the professional sport whose characteristics are: specialization, quantification, records, results in short
time in fact, when children do not succeed to imitate their idols, they get frustrated and stressed because
their hopes are out of reach and they see how they cannot be able to follow the steps of their stars.
CONSECUENCIES
Negatives
• The Mass Media gives us an image of the sport being very competitive and aggressive and that has an
important influence in the society.
• Children watch how their idols make traps or use aggressions and violence only to win.
• In the Mass Media all is exaggerated and that influences on the children.
Positives
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• The Mass Media has succeeded that sport is a social phenomenon.
What are we looking for with the sport in the children? When we are asking that question we have to think
in their motor control, environment and their psychology.
Between 6−12 years old children are improving their basic skills and capacities. Between these ages it is very
good to start the specialization skills in any sport, but we cannot forget that they are developing and therefore
we cannot risk their health only for our interest. Besides, we have to watch over our children so that they do
not run health risks, as they tend to compete at their maximum level, forgetting that it is only a game.
The fundamental stage is well structured and it is fun! The emphasis is on the overall development of the
athlete's physical capacities, and fundamental movement skills, and the ABC's of athleticism − Agility,
Balance, Coordination and Speed. Participation in as many sports as possible is encouraged. Speed, power and
endurance are developed using FUN games. Correct running, jumping and throwing techniques are taught,
using the ABC's of athletics.
CONCLUSION
As a conclusion I would like to say that sport can be very important in the development of the children and
youth athletes, but we have to be aware of what sport is and not to think about it only as a competition, where
the most important thing is the result and not the development. Specially we have to watch over to the earliest
athletes where the main objective is the development in a fun environment. At these ages, a bad experience
could create a trauma in the child making him/her not wanting to practise sport again.
Competition should start between the ages of 8 and 12, but it shouldn't be the main target, as it could
strengthen the character of the young athletes.
Fun is the most important thing when developing a child in his/her early ages.
DEFINITIONS
Stress: Competitive stress in the negative emotional reaction of a child feels when his/her self−steem is
threatened. This personal threat occurs when the young athlete perceives an imbalance between the
performance demands of the competition and his/her own ability to successfully meet those demands, under
conditions where the consequences of such a failure are thought to be important (Marteens, 1977)
Aggression: aggression involves the intention to hurt or emerge superior to others; it does not necessarily
involve physical injury (violence), and may or may not be regarded as being underpinned by different kinds of
motives. Parents consider aggressions to be the attempt to control, act upon, and master ourselves and our
environment, including the people within it Parents see aggression as having two major forms, the first being
non−destructive aggression manifested as assertive, nonhostile, self−protective, goal−achieving and mastery
behaviours the second form is, he says hostile, destructiveness, which we see in angry, nasty, hurtful
behaviours: hate, rage, bullying, torturing, vengefulness
Overview of Long−term Athlete Development
FUNdamental Training to Train Training to Compete Training to Win
Chronological / Biological
Age
Biological Age
Male & Female: 6 −10
Chronological I Biological Chronological Age
Age
Male: 18+ Female: 17 +
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• FUN and
participation
• General, overall
development
• Athleticism:
ABC's of running,
jumping and
throwing
• ABC's of
movement
Agility, Balance,
Co−ordination
and Speed
• Speed, power and
endurance through
FUN and games
• Proper running,
jumping and
throwing
technique
• Medicine ball.
Swiss ball and
own body
exercises for
strength
• Introduction to
simple rules and
ethics of sport
Talent Identification
NO periodization, but
well structured
programs
• Sport
participation 5
−6 times per
week
Male: 10− 14 Female:
10− 13
Male: 14− 18 Female:
13− 17
• Maintenance (or
possible
improvement) of
physical capacities
• Shoulder, elbow,
core, spine and
ankle stability
• Further
development of
technical, tactical
and playing skills
• Modelling all
possible aspects of
training and
performance
• Frequent
prophylactic
breaks
• All aspects of
training
• Individualized
• Develop further
"ancillary
capacities" (there
is no ceiling limit)
• Emphasis on
general physical
• Sport and
conditioning
individual specific
• Shoulder, elbow,
physical
core, spine and
conditioning
ankle stability
• Shoulder, elbow,
• FUNdamental
core, spine and
technical skills
ankle stability
progressively
• Sport−specific
more specific
technical and
skills towards the
playing skills
end of the stage
under competitive
• FUNdamentals of
conditions
tactical
• Advanced tactical
preparation
preparation
• Participation in
• Individualization
complementary
of technical
sports; (similar
−tactical skins
energy system and
• Advanced mental
movement pattern
preparation
requirements)
• Sport and
• Individualization
individual specific
of fitness and
"ancillary
technical training
capacities"
High Performance
• Introduction to
mental preparation Specialization
Triple or multiple
• FUNdamentals of
Periodization
ancillary
Double or Multiple
capacities
Periodization
• Sport−specific
technical, tactical
Recruitment
• Sport−specific
and fitness
technical, tactical
training 9−12
Single Periodization
and fitness
times per week
training 6 −9
• Sport −specific
times per week
training 4 times
per week, with
participation in
other sports
BIBLYOGRAPHY
• Eldon E. snyder/ Elmer A spreitzer. Social aspects of sport
• David L. Gallahue. Developmental physical education for today's children
• Albinson and Andrew. Child in sport and physical activity
• Coakley, J (1986). Mr Weiss and Gould (EDS). Sport for children and youths. Champaign Illinois:
Human kinetics
• Moral psychology in the context of sport. Light Bredemier, BJ and Light shields, DL (1993),
Handbook of research on sport psychology.
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