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A Good Sport

How athletics can benefit your child
by Hollie Costello

Sports are a huge part of our society. From that first T-ball game to winning a Super Bowl, sports provide an outlet for fun, exercise, learning, socialization and self-esteem—all the essentials for a happy life. The physical benefits of sports are obvious; however, are there psychological benefits as well? It depends on how you and your child choose to participate.

First Base
Sports are a great way for children to develop valuable behaviors that will help them in life. Teamwork, discipline, rules, winning and losing—these are great lessons taught through sport participation. But how do parents know when to start their kids with sports and how can they make sure their child is getting the most from participating without going overboard? Those questions are debated regularly, both in the bleachers and in research institutions.

The physical health benefits of sports, especially with today's youth obesity epidemic, are readily apparent. Habitual aerobic exercise for children and adolescents has been proven to encourage healthy lifestyle routines both on the field and off. Research has shown that regular exercise leads to better sleep habits, better eating habits and better learning habits.

“The goal of having your child participate in sports should vary depending on the developmental stage of your child,” said Dr. Tracey Oppenheim, child psychiatrist with Banner Children's Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center. With young children, Oppenheim recommends that parents start with a variety of sports to start the kids moving. It is important, in these early years, to make sure to find a team that is focused on development and fun, not on winning.
“For pre-schoolers, the emphasis should be on prosocial behaviors, such as listening and cooperating,” said Oppenheim. “In the school age child, you are striving to develop leadership skills, self-esteem and a healthy competitive drive.”

These psychological benefits may be harder to recognize than a great jump shot; however, recent studies have shown that, psychologically, regular participation in exercise relates to a more favorable self-image, lower instances of anxiety or depression, and less social inhibition. The U.S Department of Justice also recently released a study that correlated regular team and individual exercise with a higher resistance to drug and alcohol addiction.

In the Key
Most experts agree that participating in sports provides children with positive social and peer interaction, positive recognition and praise, and a sense of accomplishment and pride.
When starting a young child in sports, make sure your child is in a league where he or she can compete and playing a sport that he or she enjoys. Just because you were an All-State power forward on your high school basketball team does not mean your son will even enjoy dribbling a ball. Allow your children to sample different sports in their early years so they can find a sport where they enjoy and they excel.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't participate in helping your child choose a sport. Use sports to create interaction and communication between you and your child. What do they enjoy doing? Why do they enjoy doing it? Michael Jordan was a school-age star baseball player who played basketball for fun. As he started to enjoy and practice basketball more, he found his niche. David Beckham, on the other hand, never played any sport but soccer—because he was good at it and because he loved to play.

“Examine your own reasons for wanting your child to participate in sports,” said Dr. Oppenheim. “Check the desire to create your own David Beckham at the door.”
Once you find a sport your child enjoys, realize that all sports require practice, practice, practice. Work on specific skills he or she may need during competition and focus your praise on those skills that show improvement. By pointing out your child's growth, you show them that you are interested in their activities and proud of their accomplishments. Always avoid comparing your child with other players and find a coach who will do the same. All of the work you do with your child at home can be destroyed in a minute with a negative coach.

At the 50 Yard Line
As your child matures and finds his or her sport, the next step is to teach your child to play graciously. Stress the importance of fun in sports, but also begin reinforcing such important lessons as respect for others, positive communication and the dignity of winning or losing as long as you play well.

“Parents must model good 'team' behavior both at home and on the field,” said Dr. Oppenheim. She recommends that parents remind their children that sports are a way to showcase their personal best. This is a time to bring out the “everyone makes mistakes” speech, dust it off and repeat it often. Celebrate personal goals instead of wins. Did the batting cages yield that extra base hit? Did running stairs help with a 30-yard end zone sprint? Whether or not your child won the game, these are accomplishments to be celebrated.

Look for a coach and a team that celebrates personal accomplishments just as often as team accomplishments. Are all the kids on the team participating? Are they helping each other and appreciating each other? That is the team to join. 

Goal!
In most cases, sports are one of the best ways to help your child grow into an adult who understands and appreciates hard work, dedication and accomplishments, personal and with a team. Sports help emphasize the building blocks of life's lessons, such as teamwork, fairness, support, teaching and respect. These lessons will then help in other aspects of their life, from homework to siblings to interests outside of sports.

And remember, while your child may not be a superstar at his or her game of choice, as long as they have fun and are a good sport, they will reap all the benefits they can.  K&S

Hollie Costello is the senior public relations specialist for Banner Desert Medical Center and Banner Children's Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center. She can be reached at Hollie.Costello@bannerhealth.com. 

The morning of the game, your child wakes up with a stomachache and sweaty palms and, while he goes to his game, he freezes on the field and ends up sitting the bench. Is this a simple case of nervousness based on special circumstances, or is it something more serious? Is it performance anxiety?

Performance anxiety involves a child's mental, emotional and behavioral states. It is basically our inherent “fight or flight” response reacting to some internalized fear. The irony is that the reaction-reduced complex thinking abilities, increased sensitivity and increased muscle tension affect performance, thus leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.  

Once you add today's cultural expectations and habitual self-criticism, performance anxiety has new weight on your child's psyche. The good news? There are simple ways to help your child overcome performance anxiety, ideas you can do without effort.

The best way to help is to think around the performance instead of about the performance. In other words, reward hard work and improvements, not just wins. Praise your child when he uses passing techniques he has been practicing. Whether or not those techniques yielded a goal should not be the point. The point is, your child succeeded doing something he couldn't do before.

Also explain failure. Since failure is part of life, share a time you failed and how that helped you to change your strategy and ultimately succeed. Assure your child that no matter what happens just the fact that he is playing and improving makes you proud.

If your child's anxiety seems to get worse, think about counseling or talk with their coach and/or teachers. Something as simple as changing teams because of personality differences could mean the difference between your child's decision to fly or fight when it comes to playing sports.

A great resource for families is the book “Whose Game Is It Anyway?” by Richard D. Ginsburg, Stephen Durant and Amy Baltzall.