Presentation given at the 2016 NSCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference

2. Prescribing Free Play to Enhance Youth
Athletic Potential
Joshua Barriero

3. Who Am I?
Joshua Barreiro
• Undergraduate at Temple University
• President of Exercise Science Association
• Health, Fitness and Wellness curriculum
development for Boys & Girls Club
• Founder & CEO of Make & Move Club Inc

4. Benefits of Physical Activity &
Sport Participation
Development of physical literacy and overall fitness
level
Reduced risk for obesity & CVD
Improved cognitive function and focus during
school
Learning to work with others
Enhanced self-confidence
Opportunities for shared experiences and social
bonding

5. Trends in Physical Activity
Nader et al., 2008

6. Unstructured vs. Structured Play
(Hoffman, 1997; Goldstein, 2012; Pellegrini &Glickman, 1989 ).

7. Benefits of Unstructured Free
Play
Research on free play shows:
• Incorporating free play into childhood sport results in
more creativity and confidence-both of and off the
field
• Free play establishes a creative base that translates
into better classroom performance (Hutchinson,
2015)
• Play also contributes to healthy brain development
(Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000; Frost, 1998; Tamis-
LeMonda, Shannon, Cabrera, & Lamb, 2004).

8. Benefits of Unstructured Free
Play
• Individuals of all ages need to take a break from
performing tasks, especially when they are
performed over an extended period of time (Corbin,
1979; Pellegrini, 1991).
• As a matter of fact, children need breaks much more
frequently than adults do (Corbin, 1979).
• More likely to develop important social and cognitive
skills that extend into adulthood (Hutchinson, 2015)

9. Benefits of Unstructured Free
Play
• By participating in free play, children learn to work in groups, share,
negotiate and resolve conflicts (Blasi & Hurwitz, 2003; Erickson,
1985; Pellegrini & Smith, 1998; McElwain & Volling, 2005;
Vygotsky, 1980).
• When play is child driven, as opposed to being adult led, children
are able to learn decision-making skills, move at their own pace,
and independently discover areas of interest to them (Blasi &
Hurwitz, 2002; Erickson, 1985; Pellegrini & Smith, 1998).
• Free Play also helps the children develop their abilities to control
their own cognitive and emotional processes, or to ‘self-regulate’
(Vygotsky, 1980). This is important because self-regulation is a
predictor of a child’s academic achievement and their emotional
well-being (Whitebread, 2012).

10. Trends in Free Play
(Sandberg & Hofferth, 2001; Hofferth, 2009, Christensen, 2002; Lester & Russell, 2008)
• 25% decrease in free
play and specifically a
50% decrease in
outdoor activates
• Play is now more
institutionalized and
has become more
associated with
learning rather than
enjoyment

11. Youth Sports Specialization
• This has become increasingly
common in early to middle
childhood (Jayanthi, 2013)
• As a coach or parent of a child,
It is ok to get excited about
sport but don’t drink the Kool
aid
• While there is a general
agreement that the number of
hours spent in deliberate
practice and training positively
correlates with level of
achievement, there is a
question

12. Unintended Consequences of
Specialization
• Independent risk of injury
and serious overuse
injury in young athletes
who specialize in a single
sport despite how much
they train and despite
their age
• The relationship between
specialization and
overuse injury is a dose
dependent one. (Jayanthi,
2015)

13. Unintended Consequences of
Early Specialization
• Society sends mixed
messages
• Recreational sport is
seen as “second class”

14. Unintended Consequences of
Early Specialization
Killing interest

15. Unintended consequences of
early specialization
Killing interest

16. Child-Centered Programming
• Early focus on physical
literacy, more so then
competition
• Time for unstructured free
play and self-testing to be
incorporated into practices
• Encourage children to try a
range of different sports,
rather than specializing
• Make sure sport is introduced
in an age appropriate manner

17. Fundamental Motor Skills
• Object Control –
The management of
the body in space
and motion and also
how the body
connects with
external objects
• Bouncing
• Catching
• Dribbling
• Kicking
• Striking
• Throwing
• Locomotor –
Skills that are most often
associated with
successful movement,
especially in sports
• Crawling
• Dodging
• Galloping
• Hopping
• Running
• Skipping
• Walking
• Body Awareness –
Focus on the ability to
control body movement
in motions
• Rolling
• Bending
• Climbing
• Landing
• Static and Dynamic
balancing
• Stopping Turning
• Twisting
Howard, 2015

18. What does this look like?

19. Adolescent Years
• Sport
specialization is
not helpful in
achieving elite
status.
• Early
diversification is
actually more likely
to lead to success.

20. Early Diversification
(Baker, 2003)

21. Avoid injuries
• Age adjust
– Kids should not
play more hours
per week in sport
than their age.
• Increase free play
– 2:1 (Jayanthi,2015)

22. Incorporating Free Play into Sport Practice
What does this look like?

23. Motivational Climates
Mastery climate – “one in which athletes receive
positive reinforcement from the coach when they (a)
work hard, (b) demonstrate improvement, (c) help
others learn through cooperation, and (d) believe that
each player’s contribution is important”
Competitive climate - “one in which athletes perceive
that (a) poor performance and mistakes will be
punished, (b) high-ability athletes will receive the most
attention and recognition, and (c) competition
between team members is encouraged by the coach”

24. Motivational climate and
fundamental motor skill
performance

25. Skill Development

26. Newell’s Model
• Using the constraints-led
approach we can redefine
motor learning s an ongoing
dynamic process involving a
search for and stabilization of
specific, functional movement
patterns across perceptual-
motor landscape as each
athlete adapts to a variety of
changing constraints

27. Facilitator not Drill Sargent
• Does not imply a
diminished role for the
practitioner
• Creating a learning
environment for
discovery of optimal
solutions by manipulating
constraints, interpreting
movement variability, and
nurturing learners in their
search

28. T.A.R.G.E.T
• Task – use a variety of tasks that are challenging,
interesting and meaningful; tasks need not be the same for
all athletes
• Authority – allow your athletes to get involved in making
some of the decisions; give them a choice in which tasks or
drills to work on
• Recognition – use private recognition for individual
accomplishments so that you are not inviting social
comparison
• Grouping – group athletes heterogeneously for drills
• Evaluation – stress evaluation based on individual success
and achievement of individual goals rather than using
social comparison
• Timing – not all athletes learn skills at the same pace; allow
adequate practice and playing time for even the least
skilled

29. Teaching Games for
Understanding
Six Basic TGfU Concepts:
• Teach games through games.
• Break games into their simplest format - then
increase complexity.
• Participants are intelligent performers in games.
• Every learner is important and is involved.
• Participants need to know the subject matter.
• Need to match participants’ skill and challenge.
Butler et al. (2008)

30. Teaching Games for
Understanding

31. Barriers

32. Free Play Combined with Sport
in Action
“Coaches can often be
more helpful to a
young player’s
development by
organizing less, saying
less, and allowing the
players to do more”
(U.S. Soccer
Federation, 2006).

33. Free Play Combined with Sport
in Action
“We are trying to set up an avenue for the kids to
play some street soccer where they can explore
the game and play on their terms” (Aspen Institute,
2015).

34. Conclusions
• Early focus on physical literacy, rather than
competition
• Practice and game play should be
appropriately age adjusted
• Diversification > specialization
• Free play and sport should have 2:1 ratio
• Time for free play and self testing (without
adult imposition) must be incorporated into
practices

35. Practical Takeaways
• Create pre-sport physical activity programs for pre-school
children & children in the early grades of elementary school.
Foster fundamental skills such as running, jumping,
balancing, throwing, catching, etc. Also introduce unique
environments such as water, ice, sand, snow, etc). Use
games that emphasize these skills in and make physical
activity fun.
• Introduce “sandlot” nights at sport facilities where sport
equipment is made available with minimal adult supervision
(no parents). Kids decide what they play and how they play it.
• Incorporate games into practice. For example, to train agility
and acceleration the youth can play one of the many
variations of the game tag (eg: sharks and minnows)

36. Practical Takeaways
• Use small-sided games (eg 3v3 hockey) so kids are more
involved and active
• Use modified versions of the sport (rather than drills) as
training tools. (eg use skipping games to train runners to
optimize hip extension & plantar flexion)
• Set aside time for youth to invent and explore. Allow them to
create their own version of the sport. They can make changes
to the rules of the existing game, play a different position, or
change the structure of the game entirely.
• Have a family night at the training facility where the youth can
teach their parents and guardians the new versions of the
games they created and everyone can play it together.

37. Practical Takeaways
• Provide parents and guardians with a flyer that states the
goals and objectives for the program. Stress why free play is
being included as a part of their training. Tell them ahead of
time that their child’s practice will not look like adult practice
and why this is a good thing.
• Establish goals that go beyond simply winning or losing.
Celebrate things like personal improvement, good
sportsmanship, helping team mates, etc.
• Build status for participatory (not just elite) youth sports
program
– Youth sport should be about more than winning and losing

38. Thanks!
• Makemoveclub.org
• Survivalofthefitness.info
• Joshua.barreiro@gmail.co
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