More Than Just A Game

More Than Just a Game

 

KS is a PCA (Positive Coaching Alliance) Development Zone where everything that happens today is to achieve the goal of developing better athletes, better people. At Kidsports, sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.

As a youth sport provider, Kidsports wants kids, parents, and coaches to have as much information as possible so that “all kids,” have a positive and productive youth sport experience.

This page will provide updated local, regional, and national recommendations that guide all of us involved in youth sports to nurture a positive and productive environment where all kids can play, develop, and have fun while doing so.

As an example, children 5th – 8th Grade (Males 9 to 12; Females 8 to 11) have a window of opportunity physically, mentally, cognitively, emotionally, and physiologically that is quite different than both that of younger and older children.

The stage of children ages 9 to 12 for males and 8 to 11 for females is called, in Long Term Athlete Development Literature, “Learn to Train”. Learn to train is one of the most important stages of athletic preparation.

During these stages, we can help to make or break an athlete. As such:

— Apply a ratio of 70 percent training to 30 percent competition
— 70 % training includes both movement and motor skill such as speed, agility, balance, coordination and sport specific skills such as: throwing and catching; receiving hit balls – in the air/on the ground; batting; running; stopping,etc.
— The 30% competition includes competition-specific training and actual competitions
— Athletes undertaking this type of preparation are better prepared for competition in both the short- and long-term than those who focus solely on winning.

Skill development and motor learning requires repetition: John Wooden outlined 8 steps to learning a skill:

1. Explanation
2. Demonstration
3. Correction
4. Repetition
5. Repetition
6. Repetition
7. Repetition
8. Repetition

Find ways to make it fun, exciting, and challenging, but don’t cut kids short on the appropriate development time in order to practice strategy and tactics so you can win.

John Wooden also said: “Plays don’t win games; skilled players do.”

Honor the Game