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![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]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/c660b362-5939-4be2-8f87-5c8aa06402e9-160213015510/85/Youth-Sport-and-the-ADM-Opportunities-for-Growth-7-320.jpg)
![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]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/c660b362-5939-4be2-8f87-5c8aa06402e9-160213015510/85/Youth-Sport-and-the-ADM-Opportunities-for-Growth-8-320.jpg)
![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]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/c660b362-5939-4be2-8f87-5c8aa06402e9-160213015510/85/Youth-Sport-and-the-ADM-Opportunities-for-Growth-9-320.jpg)
![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]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/c660b362-5939-4be2-8f87-5c8aa06402e9-160213015510/85/Youth-Sport-and-the-ADM-Opportunities-for-Growth-10-320.jpg)
![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](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/c660b362-5939-4be2-8f87-5c8aa06402e9-160213015510/85/Youth-Sport-and-the-ADM-Opportunities-for-Growth-32-320.jpg)
Youth Sport and the ADM: Opportunities for Growth
- 1. RAQUEL HUTCHINSON LAURENCE CHALIP JARRODSCHEUNEMANN UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA-CHAMPAIGN DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION, SPORT & TOURISM 2016 IPRA/IAPD CONFERENCE YOUTH SPORT & THE AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT MODEL: OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH
- 2. THE ILLINOIS YOUTHSPORT 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.
- 3. 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
- 4. AGENDA • Review youthsport 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
- 5. • 10,000 hourrule • Deliberate practice • Early specialization ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN SPORT Commonly believed myths:
- 6. 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?
- 7. EARLY SPECIALIZATION ISNOT 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]
- 8. 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]
- 9. 10,000 HOURS OFDELIBERATE 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]
- 10. INFORMAL SPORT PLAYENHANCES 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]
- 11. IMPLICATIONS Encourage awide 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.
- 12. SOUNDS GOOD, BUTHOW DO WE DO IT?
- 13. ADM Train THE AMERICAN DEVELOPMENTMODEL Develop Lead Excel Compete Play Participation Performance
- 14. PLAY Ages: 0 -10 Get kids active and develop fundamental physical skills • Safety and fun • Maximum participation • Movement skills • Child-centered programming
- 15. DEVELOP Ages: 8 -16 Keep kids engaged, develop skills and passion for sports • Skill development • Play multiple sports • Sportsmanship • Communication • Teamwork • Creativity • Conditioning • Nutrition
- 16. Focused Training COMPETE Ages: 14- 20 Provide avenues to fulfill athletic potential • Specialization • Mental preparation • Time management • Elite or structured competition system • Commitment
- 17. PHYSICAL LITERACY • Abilityto 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
- 19. • Drills • Gameswhere 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
- 20. EQUIPMENT • Puffer balls •Hula hoops • Balloons • Beach balls • Beanbags • Pool noodles • Plastic implements
- 21.
- 22. PROGRAMMING FOR PHYSICALLITERACY • 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
- 23. SPORT SAMPLING • Playingmultiple 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
- 24. • Set asidepractice 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 program Incorporate other sports in existing and traditional programs
- 25. CASE STUDY: USAHOCKEY
- 26. DON’T FORGET ABOUTFREE 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
- 27. MARKETING AND SELLINGTHE ADM How to re-brand as the best
- 28. USE SCIENCE “Kids whoplay 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”
- 29. USE SUCCESSFUL COACHES “Thefirst 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
- 30.
- 31. USE FAMOUS ATHLETES “Oneof 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
- 32. 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
- 33. USE FAMOUS ATHLETES Myparents 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
- 34. USE FAMOUS ATHLETES SteveNash didn’t own a basketball until he was 13.
- 35. 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
- 36. 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
- 37.
- 38. CONTACT US Raquel Hutchinson:rhutchi2@illinois.edu Laurence Chalip: lchalip@illinois.edu Jarrod Scheunemann: scheune1@illinois.edu
Editor's Notes
- #2 Agenda:
- #3 Mission statement White paper, 6 realms of action
- #4 Highlight #s 1 & 5 because they reflect our purpose for today Design and implement child-centered programming – these are programs that embrace the ADM principles – they follow certain structural and content guidelines – according to the ADM sport should look different at different ages Build status for participatory youth sport programs – this is really the key piece for today. Those of you in this room are probably familiar with various organizations and people that advocate that youth sport needs to change and that we should re-value participation-based, non-elite, local leagues and teams. In many ways referring specifically to programs run through the local park and recreation department However, despite efforts to say sport should go back to how it used to be, and stop being so competitive/specialized/expensive Reality is that this is the world we live in, and parents want what they believe is the best – what is marketed as the best And right now, a lot of that is in the form of private clubs, travel teams, personal coaches, etc. Which means that in order to compete with other providers many P&R programs will offer the same programming if possible So, instead of spending energy and resources to convince parents and kids that its good to be non-specialized, non-competitive, participation-based, etc. what if we just change how we deliver the message? Everyone believes in all the “sport for all” language and ethos, yet when it comes down to specifics, parents are going to choose what they think is best for their child – which is how elite sport providers sell themselves So today, we are going to review what the ADM is, and how you can use it in your programs and market them as “the best” Instead of convincing the market to want something else, re-brand P&R as the best
- #6 Explain the 10,000 hour rule and focus on deliberate practice How that belief leads to increased and earlier specialization Then explain that we are going to revew
- #13 You might be thinking, I’ve heard this before, it sounds great, but its really hard to do It looks/sounds funny, parents don’t want it, they are confused about it I don’t have time to explain it, they don’t care, they want what they want And this is where the ADM comes in.
- #14 System/pathway for growth and development of players and sport performance It was initially developed by USA hockey and has since been embraced by the US Olympic Committee and ALL 48 affiliated national governing bodies from USA Swimming to USA Volleyball to USA track and field. The Olympics is the highest level of achievement – this is what the best recommends – and it is the future It is also relatively under-utilized because of its newness – this is a major selling point and legitimizer for you. If you can incorporate these tenets into your programming- and you can, it’s easy and we’re going to help you figure out how to do that today – you can then use this system to differentiate your youth sport programs as the best – on the cutting edge of athlete development and sport performance I’m going to explain how it works as a whole and then focus on the youth stages. The ADM organizes sports development into 5 stages. These correspond to the major phases of an athletes development and participation. They range from pure participation and play to elite performance, competition and leadership. Each of the phases has a different primary focus, contains some different elements It provides a structure for us to use to develop programs that meet the needs of the participants and stakeholders in each phase, while allow providing a pipeline that promotes ongoing and lifelong involvement in sports
- #15 The first phase is the PLAY phase and is focused on children up to about 12 years old, pre Peak Height Velocity (puberty). Pre high school. It corresponds to the Active Start and Fundamentals stages of the traditional LTAD model. Its all about getting kids active, getting them moving, having fun, PLAYING! This where they start developing fundamental skills for all kinds of activities and sports – its when they develop PHYSICAL LITERACY But as important as the physical aspects are, I think this is where they develop that joy for sports This stage is crucial to sport development and the development of a healthy fit population. You can’t win a Gold Medal here but you can sure discourage a lot of kids from a healthy fun lifestyle that may reduce the odds of sporting success later on Competition is not the main focus and in fact too much focus on winning may have detrimental effects down the road. It seems we have gone to far in the development of highly structured competitive youth sports that is turning a lot of kids off sports and is having negative physical and social impact on kids. The concept of unstructured play is one we need to give serious thought to and is one of the areas I’d like to see us talk about here today.
- #16 The DEVELOP phase are those years kids are in high school. It is the Learning to Train, Training to Train sections of LTAD. They are going through and have passed PHV. It’s the phase where they do the major sport skill development, cognitive and physical development. Major fitness development, strength, speed, endurance Concepts of teamwork, preparation, practice, dedication and perserverance Sport specific training begins, periodization Passion for sports is really ignited Structured Competition should begin at this phase. Winning becomes important.
- #17 The Compete phase covers late high school and college, and in some sports elite completion. It’s the Training to Compete phase. Everything gets ramped up here. Intense practices, training regimes, sport specialization, nutrition, mental preparation, advanced skill development, strategies, tactics. Potential preparation for national championships, international competiton, professional sports career.
- #19 To give you a sense of what we mean
- #20 Let the game be the teacher means don’t just show them how to do something, allow them to figure it out through play Introduce diff environments – play in a gym, on a field, in a sandbox, on ice, in water, etc Creativity – kids often interpret things differently or come up with their own unique games – don’t worry if something isn’t going as planned – as long as it is safe and fun, let the kids explore natural instincts Games where kids sit out – either because they are waiting their turn in a long line of because they’ve been “tagged” out and are waiting for the next round
- #21 Think outside the box with uses
- #22 Create obstacle courses using common/easy-to-find items – inside or outside require climbing, crawling, going over, under, balance, running, hopping/jumping, weaving, etc. Bottom left, kids jumping – create imagination-based games –they could be hopping liking kangaroos or frogs Hula hoop games – traditional hula hooping, can be used as a jump rope, practice coordination, rolled, use on ground as safe spaces Upper right – kids playing volleyball like game w/ beach balls – practicing tracking and striking, hand-eye coordination this is a modified game – can be played with balloons, can be played with various net heights, can use a paddle or racket beach balls are also great for soccer-like games – develop kicking These are just a few of the many games and activities that help build physical literacy Something to note – the kids are self-directed – when you see an adult he/she is playing along as opposed to instructing
- #23 You might call this pre-sport for pre-k, sport basics or fundamentals, get moving! And target 1st graders and under If you offer daycare, kids under 5, instead of creating a new program, simply incorporate physical literacy programming into the schedule Ideally this would be daily or a few times a week and would include gross and fine motor skill development Not sure where to find these games? The internet is full of them, there are also a growing number of companies that are developing resources and making them available for a fee Play leaders guide activities and play with kids – coaches instruct Builds autonomy, self-confidence. Their interpretation or natural instinct is often more interesting to them – there is not always a right or wrong way Don’t feel like you need to purchase tons of new equipment to offer age-appropriate games – those products exist, but are not necessary Think about having themed days – general like superhero, dance day, military inspired games Or tied to holidays or events – during halloween play games where you act out different costumes, go through a haunted house obstacle course, etc Is it the world cup? The olympics? Superbowl?
- #24 Remember this is really the elementary-aged child and is about trying new sports and developing a range of sports There is absolutely no scientific reason why a 9 year old should be playing baseball or soccer or swimming every day. Instead, if a child has time to play sports 3x a week – it should be focused on 2-3 different activities If a child can only enroll in one program – it should change each season (no year-round sport) so they still play 3-4 different sports
- #25 Weather/season – its winter, its cold, can’t be outside – offer indoor sports, in the summer get kids outside When you talk about sport it is easy to get focused on team sports, however swimming, track, gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, tennis Younger ages – discovering sports – think variations – ice hockey, basketball, and soccer What you see on the left would be a great program to reach new or hesitant athletes – kids and/or parents who are anti-sport, or anti-competition This would be a great way to say come out, learn the rules, try it out, you get 3 sports for the price of one No games, just practice and scrimmages – about learning and testing, maybe you find something you like that you want to pursue Market this as an intro, a sample, a test – fun, participation, and learning We’ve talked about the benefits of sport sampling before, and it is easy to suggest a multi-sport, introduction to sports type program, and yet we see so few of these – because again, there is no demand for them – parents want year round, so they pay for year round How do we solve/address? Using the ADM as a guideline, you simply force sport sampling in the existing programs Incorporate diverse sports in one program – from a programming POV, parents may not be interested in a multi-sport program, so if you have sports that are very popular and/or played year-round, use occasional practices to play a different sport. Example: baseball program, if practice is for one hour, 2x week, spend 20-30 minutes each week playing something else. And make sure to vary what you do. And because this is the “secondary” sport feel free to modify and/or use this time for free play. More touches, more involvement Ideas: mini-court 5v5 soccer games, tennis, flag football, field hockey, or simply providing certain pieces of equipment
- #26 USA Hockey developed the ADM They found that although they were advocating that their players play other sports in the off-season or in addition to hockey (remember this would be elite programming), it wasn’t happening because parents wanted to focus their child on one sport So, in some places, elite hockey summer camps have started to actually program other sports – forcing kids to play other sports There were days/afternoons in which kids never got on the ice – they played basketball, soccer, etc. There is no reason you can’t be doing this with your own programs Yes, parents want an elite program, so they won’t enroll/pay for something else So instead of trying to market something they don’t want – give them what they want – the best/most elite programming which just so happens to involve playing other sports – so the kids get the best training/experience and you can sell your program as the best – capturing a large share of the market And this is the second stage of our presentation – how to market the ADM
- #27 Reference Lake Travis study – free, open to the public, no adults USA hockey again – they do this – when parents ask – the coaches say this is the best way to do it – this is what USA hockey recommends
- #28 So we’ve told you how to create and offer a superior product – this is the best version of youth sport But what does it matter if no one knows? Leverage the legitimacy of the adm and
- #29 David Epstein, author of “The Sports Gene” wrote in a New York Times opinion.