Rethinking Youth Sports and Methods

Organized youth sports programs in America offer plenty of potential for children to be physically active and healthy. It also provides an environment for youngsters to build meaningful relationships with their peers and develop self-confidence to help them strive forward in their future endeavors. However, in its current state, it can also be a dangerous endeavor that puts you at risk of injuries.

Youth Sports Evolution

In earlier times, youth sports leaned more towards a recreational and enjoyable pursuit. Today, youth sports trainers and institutions treat young athletes like professional athletes. This is why they provide them with an elite sports atmosphere that is challenging and physically and emotionally demanding. This industry is priced at $5 billion, and institutions lure parents and kids to stick to tough times and financial commitments.

Due to these overwhelming demands, by the time the child reaches junior high, they will likely quit sports altogether. The sport they loved so much becomes no longer enjoyable, and it drains the student’s energy, leading them to give up. This is the case for all other sports as well. Student-athletes are undergoing burnout from their efforts, causing them to lose their love for the sport.

Over the past 10 years, there has been a steady increase in the number of injuries. Ligament tears and stress fractures that were rare in children are starting to become more common. For this reason, it has become critical for youth sports platforms to rethink youth sports training and initiate exercises that make the pursuit of sports more enjoyable and encouraging.

Methods for Building Confidence and Mental Toughness

Confidence is a very strong predictor of sports performance. People with higher confidence will more easily get involved in challenging tasks and set higher goals without being overwhelmed. They also enjoy their experience more than students with low confidence. For this, youth sports programs need to target children’s confidence and introduce exercises and drills that focus solely on developing the student-athlete’s confidence.

One of the ways that parents and trainers can help children be more confident is through past performance accomplishments. When athletes have prior successful experiences, it grows their belief in their ability to perform those skills in the future. Therefore, it is critical to have athletes set up for success in the future according to their past accomplishments.

To do this, youth sports training faculties need to ensure they don’t burden students with tasks they have not previously accomplished. Breaking large tasks into smaller chunks is also a great method to manifest a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment in the student.

Final Thoughts  

Rethinking Youth Sports Program will require parents to sign up with a youth sports platform that organizes their sports tasks and events around making the process enjoyable and boosting the child’s confidence.

Partner with Cinch.

If you are a youth sports organization, we at Cinch can help. Contact us today and speak to our team on how we can benefit your business.  Schedule your DEMO today!!