Chapters 23-24 (LeUnes)Youth Sports

Psychology of Sport

Dec 2, 2009

Class #39

Youth sports 40 years ago

Free from adult interaction - the sandlot.

Kids played for the sake of playing - learning the same lessons they learn today, but from each other rather than from adults.

Very few organized youth sports programs.

Youth Sports Today

Most towns have organized leagues for children as young as 5 years old.

Both school-sponsored and non-school youth sports programs have drastically increased their offerings.

Increased involvement of parents as coaches and spectators has led to increased pressure to win and succeed.

Good or Bad?

Good: Involvement of parents and coaches in young people’s lives through the intentional teaching of positive values, social interactions, and physical skills.

Bad: Over-emphasis on winning, competition and specialization can diminish the potential benefits youth sports have to offer and even lead to “burnout” in athletes.

Achievement By Proxy

Parents and coaches who live vicariously through their kids “Frustrated jock syndrome”

Its not fun anymore...

Studies conducted by the National Youth Sports Coaches Association showed that nearly three out of four children in organized sports programs drop out between the ages of 8 and 13.

The two most common reasons? The sport was no longer fun and players felt abused by their coaches.

Defining Burnout

A syndrome of physical/emotional exhaustion, sport devaluation, and reduced athletic accomplishment.

A multi-dimensional problem that can have many causes including increased stress, loss of investment, and an over-controlling social structure.

Physiological Symptoms of Burnout

Increased resting and exercise heart rate

Increased resting systolic blood pressure

Increased muscle soreness

Increased presence of biochemical indicators of stress in the blood

Increased sleep loss

Increased cold and respiratory issues

Decreased body weight

Decreased maximal aerobic power

Decreased libido and appetite

Psychological Symptoms of Burnout

Increased mood disturbances

Increased perception of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion

Decreased self-esteem

Negative change in the quality of personal interaction with others (cynicism, lack of feeling, impersonal relating)

Negative cumulative reaction to chronic everyday stress as opposed to acute doses of stress

Can premature specialization lead to burnout in youth sports?

American Association of Pediatrics: “Children involved in sports should be encouraged to participate in a variety of different activities and develop a wide range of skills”. “Those who participate in a variety of sports and specialize only after reaching the age of puberty tend to be more consistent performers, have fewer injuries, and adhere to sports play longer than those who specialize early”.

Burnout

Journal of American Chiropractic Association: “Young children who have played in structured sport programs tend to have higher levels of pre-competitive anxiety that predisposes them to emotional trauma and injuries. Also, higher levels of pre-competitive anxiety have been linked to low levels of enjoyment

Sport psychologists have determined that a lack of fun and enjoyment is the No. 1 reason children leave organized sport.”*

What was your youth sports experience like?

Did you specialize in a sport?

At what age did you specialize?

Would you want your children to specialize?

McElroy and Kirkendal (1980)

2,000+ children, average age 11.9 selected one of the following as their most important reason for playing a sport:

to defeat your opponent or the other team (winning orientation)

to play as well as you can (personal performance) to play fairly, by the rules at all times (fair play) everyone on the team should get to play (total

participation)

McElroy and Kirkendal (1980)

Most Important Reason for Playing Sports

Males Females

Winning 13.5% 04.6%

Personal Perform. 51.0% 48.3%

Fair Play 24.4% 37.6%

Total Participation 11.0% 09.4%

American Youth and Sport Participation Study

Ewing & Seefeldt (1990)

The Athletic Footwear Association commissioned Drs. Martha Ewing and Vern Seefeldt of the Youth Sport Institute at Michigan State University to investigate children’s reasons for participation and/or dropping out from nonschool youth programs.

Boys’ and girls’ (N=10,000) were asked: Why they participate? Why they quit? How they feel about winning?

American Youth and Sport Participation Study

Ewing & Seefeldt (1990)

Highlights of the Study:

Sport participation, and the desire to participate in sports, decline sharply and steadily between ages 10 and 18.

“Fun” is a pivotal reason for being in a sport, and lack of fun is a leading reason for dropping out.

Young participants do not consider winning as a major benefit of sport competition.

Motivations to participate differ greatly within and in between athletes.

CHILDREN’S RANK ORDER OF THE MOST IMPORTANT REASONS FOR PLAYING THEIR BEST SCHOOL SPORT OR DROPPING OUT FROM YOUTH SPORTS

REASON FOR PLAYING REASON FOR DROPPING OUT

01 TO HAVE FUN 01 I LOST INTEREST02 TO IMPROVE MY SKILLS 02 I WAS NOT HAVING FUN03 TO STAY IN SHAPE 03 IT TOOK TOO MUCH TIME04 TO DO SOMETHING 04 COACH WAS A POOR I’M GOOD AT TEACHER 05 FOR THE EXCITEMENT OF 05 TOO MUCH PRESSURE (WORRY)

COMPETITION06 TO GET EXERCISE 06 WANTED NON-SPORT ACTIVITY07 TO PLAY AS PART OF A 07 I WAS TIRED OF IT

TEAM08 FOR THE CHALLENGE OF 08 NEEDED MORE STUDY TIME

COMPETITION09 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS 09 COACH PLAYED FAVORITES10 TO WIN 10 SPORT WAS BORING

11 OVER-EMPHASIS ON WINNING

Reproduced from Ewing, M. E., & Seefeldt, V. (1990). American youth sports participation: A study of 10,000 students and their feelings about sport. North Palm Beach, FL: Athletic Footwear Association.

THE 12 MOST IMPORTANT REASONS I PLAY MY BEST SCHOOL SPORT

BOYS GIRLS01 TO HAVE FUN 01 TO HAVE FUN02 TO IMPROVE SKILLS 02 TO STAY IN SHAPE03 FOR THE EXCITEMENT 03 TO GET EXERCISE

OF COMPETITION04 TO DO SOMETHING 04 TO IMPROVE SKILLS

I’M GOOD AT05 TO STAY IN SHAPE 05 TO DO SOMETHING I'M

GOOD AT06 FOR THE CHALLENGE 06 TO BE PART OF A TEAM

OF COMPETITION07 TO BE PART OF A TEAM 07 FOR THE EXCITEMENT OF

COMPETITION08 TO WIN 08 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS09 TO GO TO A HIGHER 09 FOR THE TEAM SPIRIT

LEVEL OF COMPETITION10 TO GET EXERCISE 10 FOR THE CHALLENGE OF

COMPETITION11 TO LEARN NEW SKILLS 11 TO GO TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF COMPETITION12 FOR THE TEAM SPIRIT 12 TO WIN

Reproduced from Ewing, M. E., & Seefeldt, V. (1990)

THE 6 MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES I WOULD MAKE TO GET INVOLVED AGAIN IN A SPORT I DROPPED

“I would play again if…”

BOYS GIRLS01 PRACTICES WERE 01 PRACTICES WERE MORE FUN MORE FUN02 I COULD PLAY MORE 02 NO CONFLICT WITH STUDIES03 COACHES UNDERSTOOD 03 COACHES UNDERSTOOD

PLAYERS BETTER PLAYERS BETTER04 NO CONFLICT WITH 04 NO CONFLICT WITH SOCIAL

STUDIES LIFE 05 COACHES WERE BETTER 05 I COULD PLAY MORE TEACHERS

06 NO CONFLICT WITH 06 COACHES WERE BETTER

SOCIAL LIFE TEACHERS

Reproduced from Ewing, M. E., & Seefeldt, V. (1990)

Achievement Goal Theory

3 major factors in determining the motivation levels of children in youth sport settings:

1. Goal Orientation Task-orientation – success is defined as self-referent

improvement Ego-orientation – success is defined by social comparison and

out-doing others2. Motivational Climate

Mastery climate – focus is on learning, effort, cooperative strategies, and skill development

Performance climate – competitive, beating teammates, demonstrating superiority over others

3. Perceived ability High – greater competence Low – less competence

Violence in Youth SportViolence in Youth Sport

45.3% of young athletes have been called names, yelled at or insulted while participating in sports

17.5% of young athletes say they have been hit, kicked or slapped while participating in sports

Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission

Stats in Youth Stats in Youth SportsSports

15% of parents at youth sporting events display 15% of parents at youth sporting events display obnoxious, unruly, or unsportsmanlike behavior obnoxious, unruly, or unsportsmanlike behavior ******

8.2% of young athletes report that they were 8.2% of young athletes report that they were pressured to intentionally harm others while pressured to intentionally harm others while playing sports **playing sports **

19,000 members of the National 19,000 members of the National Association of Sports Officials are now Association of Sports Officials are now offered assault insurance****offered assault insurance****

*The Institute for the Study of Youth Sports of Michigan State *The Institute for the Study of Youth Sports of Michigan State UniversityUniversity

** Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission** Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission*** National Alliance for Youth Sports*** National Alliance for Youth Sports**** US World News & World Report (2000)**** US World News & World Report (2000)

Intervention StrategiesIntervention Strategies Sport psychology consultants

Sport administrators

Parents

Athletes/Teammates

Media

League officials/referees

Coaches

HERE ARE FAIR PLAY RULES FORPLAYERS AND COACHES

                                                                                                                        

They saw Knight get away with it...

Well, eventually Bobby got fired...

Credits

http://www.basketballalberta.ca/clientuploads/Youth_Sports_Web.ppt#309,25,Conclusions

http://academic.missouriwestern.edu/wrussell/

WhatisSportPsychPresentation.ppt#259,4,Global Sport Psychology Specialties:

http://scott.allenby.com/Site/Sports_Psychology_files/Specialization%20and%20Burnout.ppt

http://ajvisek.com/ss493H/Classnotes6_YouthSport.ppt#281,2,Violence in Youth Sport: Case Studies