Love of Sports Key To Your Child’s Athletic Success

Many factors contribute to being a successful athlete, including physical skill and good coaching. Yet the primary reason players succeed in sports is they have a love for the game. In his interviews with athletes around the world, Robert Nideffer, sports psychologist, has consistently found that it is not money or fan approval that motivates them to play long term. Rather, it is because they love how they feel when playing, a love for the game that allows them to continue playing through adversity.

Love is First Caught

Children develop a love of sports early, and in many ways. The love of the game is caught when a child:

* Learns a sport’s most basic skills
* Is on the field with his friends
* Begins to feel comfortable with her body and can see how hard work pays off with increased skills proficiency.

Organizing Youth Sports: Taking The Fun Out?
Playing games is natural for children. Soccer is a great example of a simple game that children can grasp at a young age and enjoy as they grow into their bodies and increase their skill level. The reality of modern American life, that children can’t be left in playgrounds and parks without supervision, and that parents have limited free time, mean that children learn to play sports on organized teams, in organized leagues, with set schedules for games and practices, all of which tend to take the fun out of sports. The number one reason kids give for dropping out of sports – most at age 12 or 13 – is that it is no longer fun.”

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