RAQUEL HUTCHINSON

LAURENCE CHALIP

JARROD SCHEUNEMANN

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION, SPORT & TOURISM

2016 IPRA/IAPD CONFERENCE

YOUTH SPORT & THE AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT MODEL:

OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH

THE ILLINOIS YOUTH SPORT INITIATIVE

An ongoing effort to assist practitioners in developing the skills and resources needed to implement new programs,

practices, and policies that will ultimately increase the diversity, attractiveness, and quality of youth sport options

and experiences for children across the state.

1. Design & implement child-centered programming

2. Manage parents

3. Train coaches to be sport & life skill mentors

4. Creatively develop & manage resources

5. Build status for participatory (non-elite) youth sport programs

6. Improve programming for traditionally underserved populations

REALMS OF ACTION

AGENDA

• Review youth sport myths and truths

• Explain the ADM

• Provide examples of how to incorporate principles into programs

• Discuss how to market the ADM and rebrand your programming to attract more participants

• 10,000 hour rule

• Deliberate practice

• Early specialization

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN SPORT

Commonly believed myths:

BUT WHAT IF….

A. Early specialization is not required for excellence?

B. Early specialization is (sometimes) contraindicated?

C. 10,000 hours of sport-specific practice are not required for excellence / elite performance?

D. Informal sport play enhances skill development more than the equivalent time in deliberate practice alone?

EARLY SPECIALIZATION IS NOT REQUIRED FOR EXCELLENCE (IN MOST SPORTS)

The greater the athlete’s early exposure to a range of sport experiences early in their sporting careers, the less time is required to become excellent in a particular (other or new) sport. [Baker et al., 2003]

Cognitive skills, such as pattern recognition, transfer from one (similar) sport to another. [Abernethy et al., 2005]

Tactical creativity can transfer from one (open skill) sport to another.[Memmert & Roth, 2007]

EARLY SPECIALIZATION IS (SOMETIMES) CONTRAINDICATED

Early specialization can cause athletes who would mature to excellence to be lost. [Wiersma, 2000]

Athletes who specialize during preadolescence have greater rates of success (on average) than athletes who specialize in childhood (even in a closed skill sport). [Barynina & Vaitsekhovskii, 1992]

Athletes who specialize in adolescence have longer careers as elite athletes (on average) than athletes who specialize earlier. [Cote et al., 2009]

10,000 HOURS OF DELIBERATE PRACTICE ARE NOT REQUIRED FOR EXCELLENCE

Expert performance (in sports for which peak performance occurs after maturation) has been achieved with 3,000-4,000 hours of deliberate practice.

[Cote et al., 2007]

Data on US Olympic athletes and average hours of training[scienceofsport.blogspot.com]

INFORMAL SPORT PLAY ENHANCES SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Higher levels of unstructured play activities in childhood and preadolescence are associated with greater tactical creativity in later years (even if volumes of deliberate sport-specific practice during those ages substitute for unstructured play). [Memmert et al., 2010]

Informal sport complements formal training by enabling self-testing and experimentation with movement, thereby building confidence and capability.

[Bowers & Green, 2013]

IMPLICATIONS Encourage a wide range of physical activities and sports during childhood.

Offer a greater variety of sports.

Find ways to incorporate diverse sports into a single program.

Help athletes find ways to transfer skills from sports they know to new sports.

Foster informal / free play in sports.

SOUNDS GOOD, BUT HOW DO WE DO IT?

THE AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT MODEL

Develop

Lead

Excel

Compete

Play

Participation

Performance

PLAYAges: 0 - 10

Get kids active and develop fundamental

physical skills

• Safety and fun• Maximum participation• Movement skills• Child-centered programming

DEVELOPAges: 8 - 16

Keep kids engaged, develop skills and passion

for sports

• Skill development• Play multiple sports• Sportsmanship• Communication• Teamwork• Creativity• Conditioning• Nutrition

COMPETEAges: 14 - 20

Provide avenues to fulfill athletic potential

• Specialization• Mental preparation• Time management• Elite or structured competition system• Commitment

PHYSICAL LITERACY

• Ability to move and manipulate one’s body

• Introduction and development of fundamental movement skills

• Best achieved through various physical activities, including games and sports

• Imperative for future sport success

• Drills

• Games where kids sit out

• Winners and losers

• Advanced equipment

• Extensive rules

• Too much repetition

• Play leaders

• Let the game be the teacher

• Include a variety of activities

• Introduce different environments

• Allow for creativity

• Include unstructured free play

• Everyone participates

PHYSICAL LITERACY

What to do What to avoid

EQUIPMENT

• Puffer balls

• Hula hoops

• Balloons

• Beach balls

• Beanbags

• Pool noodles

• Plastic implements

ACTIVITY EXAMPLES

PROGRAMMING FOR PHYSICAL LITERACY • Create a daily or weekly pre-sport, physical literacy program for young kids

• After school program or a drop-off childcare type program

• If you offer daycare, set aside regular time for physical literacy play

• Use the internet to find games and activities

• Hire or train staff to be play leaders

• Allow opportunities for kids to have creative control – ask them for suggestions, allow them to determine how to use equipment

• Simple equipment and imagination goes a long way

• Use themes and link to relevant cultural activities

SPORT SAMPLING

• Playing multiple sports – opposite of specialization

• Every sport requires mental and physical skills that develop a child’s overall ability to perform

• More diverse sport background leads to more complete muscle development and range of motion and ability

• The more sports you try, the more likely you are to find one you love

• Set aside practice time to play a different sport

• Vary the “secondary” sport

• Play modified, small-court versions

• Provide equipment and allow for unstructured free play

• If parents ask, explain that this is all part of the system to develop the best athlete – refer to the ADM and USOC

• Use the weather/season as a guide

• Combine individual and team sports

• For younger ages package together uniquely different sports

• For older ages package together complementary sports

• Combine an emerging sport with a traditional sport

SPORT SAMPLING

Create a multi-sport programIncorporate other sports in existing and traditional programs

CASE STUDY: USA HOCKEY

DON’T FORGET ABOUT FREE PLAY

• Create a weekly sandlot night

• Partner with other community organizations to shut down a block or lot and offer a safe place for kids to play

• During practice occasionally set aside time for kids to play

MARKETING AND SELLING THE ADMHow to re-brand as the best

USE SCIENCE

“Kids who play multiple ‘attacking’ sports, like basketball or field hockey, transfer learned motor and anticipatory skills — the unconscious ability to read bodies and game situations — to other sports. They take less time to master the sport they ultimately choose.” – David Epstein, author of “The Sports Gene”

USE SUCCESSFUL COACHES

“The first questions I’ll ask about a kid are, “What other sports does he play? What does he do? What are his positions? Is he a big hitter in baseball? Is he a pitcher? Does he play hoops?” All of those things are important to me. I hate that kids don’t play three sports in high school. I think that they should play year-round and get every bit of it that they can through that experience. I really, really don’t favor kids having to specialize in one sport. Even here, I want to be the biggest proponent for two-sport athletes on the college level. I want guys that are so special athletically, and so competitive, that they can compete in more than one sport.” – Pete Carroll

USE SUCCESSFUL COACHES

USE FAMOUS ATHLETES

“One of the worst things to happen to the game, in my opinion, has been year-round hockey and, in particular, summer hockey. All it does for kids, as far as I can tell, is keep them out sports they should be doing in the warmer weather. I could hardly wait to get my lacrosse stick out and start throwing the ball against the walls and working on our moves as we played the lacrosse equivalent to road hockey. All the good hockey players seemed to play lacrosse in those days and everyone of them learned something from the game to carry over to the other – things athletes can only learn by mixing up the games they play when they are young.”— Wayne Gretzky

USE FAMOUS ATHLETES

“Today, a lot of kids individualize in a specific sport. I think one of the things that helped me most was playing everything. I played basketball, I played football, I ran track. I even played soccer one year, [and] I played baseball. I think it allowed me to recruit different muscles [and] work on different things that I normally wouldn’t. And, it gave me a greater appreciation for the sport that I’ve come to love.”– Larry Fitzgerald

USE FAMOUS ATHLETES

My parents allowed me to play volleyball and softball and basketball and soccer at one time and I loved it. I was playing all these other sports so it wasn’t too much wear on the soccer field and it wasn’t too much wear on a repetitive exercise.”– Alex Morgan

USE FAMOUS ATHLETES

Steve Nash didn’t own a basketball until he was 13.

USE STRONG PHRASES Cutting edge

System approved by US Olympic Committee

Programs that develop the best athletes

Follow guidelines and recommendations of US Olympic Committee

Or throw in the specific sport NGB (example USA Football)

Develop elite performers

Achieve excellence

Path to success

HOW TO COMMUNICATE

• In program descriptions and on specific promotional materials

• Use language from NGBs

• On the website

• Brand your programs

• Provide quotes or videos of successful athletes and coaches

• Link to the sites that say this is the right way to do things

• Parent meetings or workshops

• Explain the ADM in-depth, and how your programs follow the model

• What parents should expect to see/hear about their child’s sport experience

QUESTIONS

CONTACT US

Raquel Hutchinson: rhutchi2@illinois.edu

Laurence Chalip: lchalip@illinois.edu

Jarrod Scheunemann: scheune1@illinois.edu