A pinpoint perspective on the path in achieving elite athlete status reminds us to focus on core values rather than outcome. In short, parents and coaches of youth sport athletes should chill out!
Great article and very important info. As a movement educator turned movement therapist, I notice that early specialization, and in many cases, early athletics can disable the child’s capacity to just play. They get stuck in those early sport practice moves and often refuse to engage in play that doesn’t look like sports. Adding to the picture is the research that 75% of children who start sports as early quit by the age of 12, burned out, and never go back, right at the age when athletics provide the healthy intensity, risk, and peer to peer challenges that adolescents need.
Great article and very important info. As a movement educator turned movement therapist, I notice that early specialization, and in many cases, early athletics can disable the child’s capacity to just play. They get stuck in those early sport practice moves and often refuse to engage in play that doesn’t look like sports. Adding to the picture is the research that 75% of children who start sports as early quit by the age of 12, burned out, and never go back, right at the age when athletics provide the healthy intensity, risk, and peer to peer challenges that adolescents need.