There is currently a trend in youth sports toward early specialization, club sports and competitions. While, we want to encourage young people to be physically active and participation in team sports can be great for building confidence, teamwork and discipline, it can also have negative consequences if they do not feel they fit in. When coaches push winning at all costs and play the better athletes (for that age group) all the time, neglect skill development of all the players and play as many games as possible, young athletes can feel burnt out, frustrated if they do not feel they are progressing, and worst of all, they may feel that sports are not fun and quit.
Growing up I was huge into sports and winning. I always wanted to win and would get upset when we lost. I understand what it is like to want to excel and win as often as possible, but from a coaching perspective, this may be missing the boat on athletic development.
Youth sports should be fun for the kids. They should be learning skills of the sport, making friends and learning how to cooperate to reach a larger goal. From the sports medicine perspective, early specialization in one sport can lead to greater incidence of injury.
Youth athletes should be encouraged to play as many sports as possible, learn as many skills as possible and have fun in the process. For those athletes that want to win and get frustrated by losing, a club sport may be the right choice, but do not forget to encourage playing other sports and make sure that they are still developing skills.
This article is a great read on how youth sports are following an adult culture that is not in the best interest of youngsters. Evaluate the needs of the individual based on their goals, and not the adults around them and make choices with their best interests in mind.
https://stevenashyb.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/the-enemy-of-excellence-in-youth-sports/
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