Summer’s here and with it this year the added bonus, for sports enthusiasts at least, of the Beijing Olympics, pitched to be the biggest and best yet.
Ok, so we didn’t even get a look in at football’s Euro 2008 which is a pretty depressing state of affairs given the amount of money spent but we have high expectations for our sportsmen and women to bring home the medals this summer.
Despite British involvement in the invention of a vast majority of the world’s most popular games, we appear to be good at “taking part” but, with some notable exceptions, never quite being at the top of our game.
They learn to be part of a team, to lead at times, to be led at others and to be able to gauge when and how to act appropriately in different situations. These skills are transferred into every day social and working life and stay with children forever
Funding for sport is not the whole issue, as has been proved in football. What lies behind these facts is the lack of comprehensive sports education for all in Britain which stems from the belief held by modern educationalists of the 1960s, that the fostering of competition in young children would somehow damage creativity.
The benefits of sport go far beyond the need to keep children healthy. Sport teaches children to work together and co-operate
Sadly, this was compounded in the 1990s when school sports suffered a massive decline due to the selling off of school playing fields, the lack of desire to organise extracurricular matches in an already crowded school day and the emphasis placed on schools being non-competitive environments. Gordon Brown, last year promised to give all children the chance to play five hours of sport a week by 2010, challenging the beliefs of the schools and local authorities who had long been focusing on participation rather than competition.
Where does this leave parents who are in the middle of this clash of ideology? One minute we are being told that our children’s generation is suffering from an “obesity epidemic” from poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, and the next we are pilloried by the press for being pushy parents if we encourage our kids to achieve in sport. Judy Murray, mother of British tennis ace, Andy Murray, has highlighted the dilemma. She has spoken out recently in the press on her concerns about the danger of parents forcing their children into playing competitive tennis from too early an age.
So how far can parents encourage and where should the line be drawn before becoming a pushy parent?
Frank Dick, a former British Olympic coach believed: “There are two important items for children’s enjoyment of school sport – give them roots to grow and wings to fly.”
The benefits of sport go far beyond the need to keep children healthy. Sport teaches children to work together and co-operate.
They learn to be part of a team, to lead at times, to be led at others and to be able to gauge when and how to act appropriately in different situations. These skills are transferred into every day social and working life and stay with children forever. Sport also promotes discipline, selfconfidence and wellbeing along with achieving personal goals and individual potential.
I recently discussed the issue with Kevin Bowring, Head of Elite Coach Development for the Rugby Football Union, who believes that some parents live out their sporting ambitions in their children. Although, in the elite rugby academies, he sees both “pushy” parents and supportive parents, he feels that what is key is to encourage and support but not push.
“I think it’s the kid’s decision. Let them follow their interests.” Adults should be there to support that interest rather than drive children towards a goal they may not want. They have to participate in sports or activities because they love the sport and they want to play.
It takes 10 years and 10,000 hours to make an elite performer
Kevin’s concern is that of early specialisation. Putting pressure on children at an early age to play sport competitively takes the fun out of it. It is important to offer children lots of different sport experiences letting them play and participate in different activities: “Give them the balanced physical development opportunities and they can then choose. Let them try out everything. If you notice that they love climbing or walking on their hands, for example, encourage it. Go along to a gymboree class, see if they have fun.”
Kevin highlights the findings of scientific research which concludes that it takes 10 years of training and 10,000 hours for a talented athlete to reach elite levels (Bloom 1985 Ericsson et al. 1993). This is known as the 10 year or 10,000 hour rule.
10,000 hours of training over a 10-year period amounts to around 3 hours of hard training a day to make an elite performer. If a child starts at 5 focussing on one sport, he or she will peak at 15 – well below the age at which the majority of sports require peak performance. The majority of team sports are “late” specialisation sports.
"The essential aspect is that fundamental movement skills should be practised and mastered before sport-specific skills are introduced”
There are, however, exceptions where children do need to specialise, for example, gymnastics because children’s bodies need to be supple and their peak comes at 14. Gymnasts usually start at about 4 years old so this fits in with the 10 year rule.
Both Kevin Bowring and Libby Craig, Chairman of the IAPS Sports Committee agree that there is a balance to be sought between academic work and the affects of sports and the general wear and tear on the body. Libby Craig believes that children are better off being “all rounders” and starting their sporting career as late as possible.
What is being done in the UK?
The Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) Plan is an approach to sport development which, by progressing through a series of developmental stages, prepares children to be involved in sport and physical activity and also enables talented athletes to be identified so that they fulfil their potential.
Currently a commonly accepted model in the UK, the plan was developed by a Canadian, Istran Balyi, who split the model into 6 phases that have to be fulfilled in order to become and elite performer. The Youth Sports Trust works with UK Sport to develop a performance pathway from PE to elite performance which is based heavily on this LTAD model.
FUNdamentals
The first stage is all about the FUNdamentals and is based upon the building of core skills that are the basis of most sports. The current focus on this is through a multi-skill approach with the emphasis on FUN. This stage is for children aged between 5 and 7.
The focus is on the ABCs of athletics: Agility, Balance, Co-ordination and Speed are achieved through running, jumping, turning, hand-eye co-ordination, dance and rhythm and the KGBs of movement: Kinaesthesia (the feel of it), Gliding, Buoyancy and Striking. These skills are essential for talent development and long-term involvement in sport. The Youth Sport Trust note that: “The essential aspect is that fundamental movement skills should be practised and mastered before sport-specific skills are introduced.”
The more traditional games for this age are 5-a-side football for spatial awareness, “implement” sports such as soft tennis, kwik cricket, mini-rugby and pop lacrosse for hand-eye co-ordination, swimming to teach buoyancy and gym to develop body management and understanding.
It seems to be that encouragement of participation in as many sports as possible is key.
Development
Between the ages of 7 to 12, motor development is very important. Speed, power and endurance are developed. Technical skills are refined through ball passing, catching and evading; tactical brains are developed using fun games needing spatial awareness and working together as a team; mental skills are honed as the children are introduced into the laws of the game, the ethics of playing sport, learning to cope with winning and losing, respecting opponents and referees and setting their own goals for achievement. This is the stage at which sport specific games are introduced, where the basics are learnt and where talent really starts to be identified.
It’s important to remember that there are a lot more opportunities than just rugby, soccer, cricket and netball
But, as Kevin Bowring says, it has got to be something that captures the imagination: “It’s important to remember that there are a lot more opportunities than just rugby, soccer, cricket and netball. However, if the imagination of an 8 yearold child is captured by rugby, and he wants to be the next Jonny Wilkinson, then our coaching and encouragement of that interest must incorporate the principles of LTAD.”
For young children, the government is promoting a new programme, Start to Play, for children up to 5, which will compliment the Early Years Foundation Scheme. Playing will develop communication skills, language, understanding and colour recognition through the provision of exciting equipment for play and physical activity.
Where?
Schools vary dramatically depending on the interest of the headteacher, the commitment and training of staff and the facilities. However, sport now seems to be appearing higher on many schools’ agenda. Physical Education is also being promoted through Multi-Skill Clubs and Academies which are delivered through a network of School Sport Partnerships.
The out-of-school clubs in already established sports clubs or offered as part of the local authorities sport development give 7 to 11 year-olds the chance to have a go at different sports whilst developing fundamental skills. Multi-Skill Academies continue from these beginnings and offer a talent development programme through sports colleges and partner schools for children in Year 6 and 7 of primary school.
Our own hosting of the London Olympics has brought children’s participation in sport into the limelight again too. Famous sports personalities like Dame Kelly Holmes are spearheading new initiatives such as the UK School Games this August, (see links below).
Unsporty?
Children who have positive experiences at an early stage are unlikely to dislike sport. There is something for everyone and it all depends on the transference of enthusiasm from adult to child. The most important thing to remember is that it is not about you (“I was no good at sport”) but about them. Starting with a “can do” approach, as Kriss Akabusi advocates, and your children may surprise and delight themselves, and you.