Question

Part 1:
Young athletes participate in and discontinue sport programs for a variety of reasons. Stress can also significantly affect a young athlete's sport participation. Addictive behaviors can influence both participation and performance. In this activity, you'll reflect on your childhood youth sport experiences and determine what factors played a role in your decision to participate in and discontinue participation in a youth sport program.

Part 2:
Stress and addictive behaviors can have a significant impact on youth sport participants. To help them cope with stress and/or addictive behaviors, you can adapt and use several anxiety reduction techniques that are relevant for children. Identify and explain three.

Part 3:
In frustrating sport situations, young people are particularly influenced by adult behavior.
Why do some people act aggressively and others do not?
What socially learned cues in sport signal the appropriateness of being aggressive?

Identify and explain two methods you would use to help young athletes control their emotions?

Answer 1

Answer 1.

While there has been an increase in the prevalence of organized youth sport participation, there has also been an increase in dropout rates among youth athletes. As I reflect back on my own experience during school sports, I realiz3 that my gradual loss of interest in organised sports was largely due to the administrative and social organisation of sports activities itself. Like in many distric5 schools, in my Institution as well, the environment surrounding organized youth sports had become less fun-oriented and the focus was more geared towards intense training and highly structured environments.

Moreover the focus on traning in a specific sports meant that we were not exposed to other recreational sports activities. As a result of the emphasis on specializing in sports at a younger age, by adolescence I lost interest and I became less likely to continue participation. Secondly, parental pressure on academic performnace compelled Somen of my peers and myself to dropout.