Category: The Coach Diary

Nothing to do

Now and again I like to be a little diverse in my posts. To often I see kids walking the street with nothing to do and nowhere to go. A lot of these kids use to play football, I use to coach some of them. But because of behavioural issue or falling out with the coach or even just losing interest because they didn’t like their coach has led to these kids no longer participating in sport.

What am I getting at you might ask? Obesity, strange as it might seem that a kid giving up football for his reasons alone could lead to this. However, this does happen and its happening all to fast.

The facts

• 300,000 Irish Children are Obese
• This number increases by 10,000 annually
• 1 in 5 Irish children are obese.
• The World Health Organization (WHO 1998) report shows that the prevalence of both adult and childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide.
• 11.6% and 13% of all Irish girls and 10.5% and 9.2% (5-12 years) of boys* are either overweight or obese.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO 1998) report shows that the prevalence of both adult and childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide”

In sports a lot of what we do at young ages discourage kids from playing sport, particularly the systems that eliminate kids by grading them in ABC. Reports also found that the percentage of over weight children has doubled in the last ten years. The problems in youth sports are not alone to blame for the increase in obesity. The attractions of video games, computers, televisions, also contribute heavily to this problem. School has cut out PE classes for kids and replaced them with academics. Eating habits are a problem too; Irish diets can be high in the wrong fats.

A recent report stated called on those involved in youth sports and other activities to do their part to offer a range of opportunities for children and adolescents to be active, “our young people…will not increase their levels of physical activity and fitness unless they are sufficiently motivated to do so”

Ireland has been taking steps

The newly elected President of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), Matthew Ryan announced a children’s healthy eating initiative for hotels and guesthouses across Ireland.

The initiative, which promotes more choice for parents, is the first nationally coordinated campaign of its kind in Europe. The IHF will provide chefs with healthy preparation guidelines along with a range of nutritious ‘Family Friendly Menus’ seasonally augmented inline with the availability of fresh produce.

The healthy eating guidelines will promote:

• Eliminating salt in preparation and cooking
• Offering alternatives to chips
• Using ‘real potatoes’ to make homemade chunky chips with no added salt
• Using vegetables & fruit more imaginatively
• Increasing the use of whole-wheat and oats.
• Providing less fried foods
• Increasing the fibre content in children’s food
• Ensuring a child-friendly presentation of food
• Providing fish, chicken and meat that are nutritious and not processed.

The IHF stated that it hoped that this initiative will play a role in addressing alarming national statistics which include:

1. 11.6% of Irish girls aged 5–12 years are overweight while 13% are obese
2. 10.5% of Irish boys aged 5–12 years are overweight while 9.2% are obese
3. 40% of Irish children exceed the recommended maximum of energy intake from fat.
4. 61% of children did not consume enough fibre.

We Can do more…

Children need to “develop confidence in their physical abilities” and be “guided by competent, knowledgeable and supportive adults,” enhancing efforts to promote participation in physical activity and sports among young players is a critical national priority”

A new website is being launched back in Feb to help tackle the growing obesity problem in Ireland.

The Obesity Hub – http://obesity.thehealthwell.info – is aimed at bringing together all relevant information on obesity to help policy makers and people affected.

So the next time you kick a kid off your team, make sure it for all the right reasons..

Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits. Sports typically help kids academically and socially as well. The benefits are the same whether or not your child actually excels at the sport. Although if they are really good they will probably want to continue playing when they are older. If your child isn’t good enough to play competitively on a school team, then you can always sign them with a local club team or encourage them to just to get out with their friends and play.

Ten ways playing sports and can benefit your child.

1. Playing sports is fun. It gives your child something to do and a group to belong to. They have a group of friends that has the same goals and interests.

2. Research has found that kids that play sports, especially girls, are more likely to have a positive body image and higher self-esteem. They also are less likely to be overweight.

3. Kids involved in sports are less likely to take drugs or smoke because they realize the impact that these destructive activities can have upon their performance. Girls who play sports are also less likely to become pregnant.

4. Physical activities are a good way to relieve stress and reduce depression, sweating the brain is essential.

5. Sports help kids develop discipline. They learn to set goals and then work to achieve those goals. They learn that by working hard they can accomplish the things that they want to in their lives.

6. Kids who play sports quickly learn that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. They learn to be a good sport in both situations. It also helps them learn to deal with disappointment and go on.

7. Statistics show that kids who are involved in sports while in secondary school are more likely to experience academic success and better results.

8. Sports help develop teamwork and leadership skills. Kids quickly learn that they have to work together as a team to win the game.

9. Motor skills, strategic thinking, and even math skills are learned by playing sports. Students develop strategic thinking as they figure out plays and the best way to get around a player or score a goal. Math skills are used as they calculate scores and stats.

10. Regular exercise increases quality of life. Children who exercise are more likely to continue the practice into adulthood

As much I hate talking stats from the US and other countries with vast populations, it’s very hard to get stats from Ireland, however when it comes to sports, kids are the same all over the world. Has anyone every asked what the kids want, have you asked your child why he plays sports? Have  the leagues even asked the kids want they want from playing sports and how the leagues should be set-up for the benefits of the kids? This Articles is from the US

Not Everyone Can Be a Sports Superstar

If you attend a kids’ sporting event, whether it’s school-sponsored or otherwise, you’re likely to notice that some parents and coaches are far more competitive than the kids. Many adults have a win-at-all-costs mentality when it comes to sports, and this attitude can lead to hyper-competition among children.

When parents are tempted to overemphasize the importance of sports and winning, they should stop and ask themselves, “Why are my kids playing sports in the first place?” If the answers don’t include “for fun,” “for exercise,” “to spend time with friends,” or “to learn important values that sports and competition can teach,” then there could be a problem.

When Playing Sports Isn’t Fun

Most kids don’t participate in a sport to win games or trophies or to become a pro athlete. They just want to have fun playing with their friends.

But the pressure parents can put on kids in sports often results in kids retreating to the sidelines. The National Council of Youth Sports (US )reported that more than 41 million girls and boys currently participate in some kind of organized youth sport each year. Experts estimate, however, that more that 70 percent quit organized youth sports by age 13, or before they enter secondary school. Often, the pressure from adults to win or excel strips the fun out of playing sports, and that turns kids away.

But My Kid Could Go Pro!

Even if your child is one of the 30 percent who continue to play sports in secondary school, it’s highly unlikely that he or she will play college sports, let alone earn an athletic scholarship. It takes a “perfect storm” — the right combination of talent, hard work and luck — for a youth to go on to play at the college or professional level.

Consider these facts:

• Of the nearly 7 million boys and girls who currently play sports in secondary school, only about 126,000 student-athletes will receive either a partial or full athletic scholarship to play sports in college. That’s less than 2 percent.
• The chances of going pro are even slimmer:
  • 1 in 1,250 for football
  • 1 in 3,300 for men’s basketball
  • 1in 5,000 for women’s basketball

So, Why Should My Kid Play Sports?

The best reason is that young people can have fun and come away with something that helps them grow and mature — if the activity they participate in is carried out in a positive manner. Kids can learn skills and lessons they will use in other parts of their lives, for their entire lives.

To Summarise – It’s okay to want your kids to improve and become better athletes. But in the end, it’s more important that they walk away from their sports experience as better people. Sports give kids the opportunity to learn good character and sportsmanship, and those qualities — combined with fun, friendship and fitness — are the greatest benefits of any game.

Source: Competing With Character by Kevin Kush, M.A., With Michael Sterba, M.H.D