A Small Slice of our Youth’s Physical Activity Landscape in the West
Physical activity needs to be prioritized and delivered in a different context than it currently is…
The western world runs on platforms of instant gratification whether it be PornHub, Amazon, DoorDash, Netflix, Instagram, and more. These companies are relatively new concepts we as a human race are learning to navigate. Not too long ago, the only time children would spend inside is to eat. The rest of the day was filled with exploring the neighbourhood, playing sports, climbing trees, or just watching the clouds drift off. In 2022, there is a fight to get kids out the door to play freely. Part of the reason for this is because kids do not know how to play without supervision. Another reason is because children are addicted to the two-dimensional world and neglecting the world outside their comfort zone. This can change by empowering youth to develop active, healthy lifestyles setting them on a path for future success. By deeply educating kids, teachers, parents, and other community leaders on physical education to develop a physical identity and promote being active for life, our children and communities can thrive.
Dr. Daniel O’Neil, a sport psychologist developed a term known as the physical identity. Children are born with a physical identity, which in this context is how their body interacts with the environment. Children love running around, climbing, throwing, kicking, jumping, exploring, picking up bugs, putting dirt in their mouth, and overall moving. These types of activities develop fundamental movements, coordination, brain function, and link them to play, which is described as Active Start by the Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) model. Following this stage and leading into the FUNdamentals, physical activity for children should be well structured, fun, and positive. Aspects like agility, balance, coordination, speed, and endurance should begin to be developed during this stage. The Learn to Train stage is integral for children because they develop general sport skills needed for overall athletic development. This stage is where physical literacy begins to develop which is the competence, motivation, and confidence to try and enjoy different sports with the general skills they have learned. Train to Train is the next stage, but at this point, children lose interest in physical activity.
Another concept that Dr. O’Neil speaks and writes about is the athletic identity. Due to school sports, unrealistic expectations, and lack of education on physical education, kids will tend to separate themselves into athletes and non-athletes. There is a portion of children where they will be physically active and healthy all their lives, but majority of children will leave all sports and physical activity behind in their teenage years. This is in part due the fact that they have not found some sort of activity they love and enjoy. In high school, if they are not on a varsity team, they feel like they are not an athlete and cannot excel in sports. What children need to understand is that one of the definitions of an athlete is a person who is proficient in sports or other physical exercise. A high school kid who loves basketball doesn’t need to be the star, or even on the team, they just need to go play pickup at the park, and never lose their love for the game. If another kid cannot find a sport they love, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be active. There are numerous options outside of traditional ‘sport’ like baseball, hockey, soccer, and basketball, our youth can pursue. Such options include rock climbing, skiing, running, skateboarding, rollerblading, and many more.
Dr. Travis Dorsch, another sport psychologist researches the parental involvement and impact in organized sport across childhood development. Dr. Dorsch delivered a TedTalk explaining how youth sports are now commodified and that the return on investment should be an elite level athlete. To have a teenager play high school sports and start on multiple teams entails a certain type of commitment and pressure not everyone is able to achieve. That is okay. However, with offseason training being offered, many youth sports travel teams and their high prices, parents expect high school stars, college starters, and eventual professionals as the return on their investment for their financial and time commitments. The purpose of playing sports used to be to expel energy and have fun. To one day be a professional athlete was not the goal, but rather to grow a well-rounded human being. Sports and physical activity develop so many skills such as teamwork, empathy, leadership, and goal setting. The goal of sports should be developing the next generation of teachers, lawyers, police officers, presidents, and leaders.
Sport for Life’s mission is to build quality sport and physical literacy cross country by addressing sport and physical activity from all aspects. Education, delivery of programs, policies, health, physical literacy, and recreation are all factors Sport for Life aims to address. Through thoughtful consideration of children’s psychology, sport science, and proper implementation of the LTAD, the result is for every Canadian to find their route for physical literacy staying active their entire lives. This is the final stage of the LTAD known as Active for Life. Active for Life also entails engagement as leaders and coaches within sport or physical activity. By applying the aspects of Sport for Life to our outlets of sport and physical activity like grass root sports, school sports, competitive sports, coaching seminars, and especially physical education, children can thrive.
To continually develop children’s physical, athletic identity, and even personal identity, physical education classes must make a drastic change. In some schools, physical education is almost non-existent, and some kids don’t even have to take the class because it is an elective. In other situations, Phys Ed is a bird course, an easy A, where half the kids can sit on the bleachers and the other half can play basketball at a slow speed. It is no secret that physical activity gets the brain and body fired up, prepared to focus, and take on challenges. It is unreasonable to teach complex concepts of science, mathematics, or English to kids who may have rolled out of bed half an hour before school started. Start the day with rigorous movement to prepare children for the rest of the day mentally. Seneca once said, ‘We treat the body rigorously so it will not be disobedient to the mind.’ Phys Ed should also incorporate education on movements to be active for life. This includes running, swimming, weightlifting, calisthenics, climbing, stretching, and core work. Activities like these hone agility, balance, coordination, physical literacy, strength, speed, and endurance, giving kids the understanding on how to be active their entire life and to transfer these skills to other sports.
Children in the Western World are plagued with depression, obesity, anxiety, and diabetes. These are diseases that should not affect children, let alone people in general. Our Western cure is some sort of pill, while the free cure is Mother Nature and play. In the last decade, technology has exploded, and kids don’t know life without Snapchat, Instagram, or Call of Duty. They are dependent on social media and video games. As leaders, we need to encourage kids to continuously develop their physical and athletic identity and not make high school sports the be all and end all for kids who like sports. For every human being, the goal is to be Active for Life, as the final stage of the LTAD outlines. By combining a change in Physical Education, teaching and abiding by the LTAD, offering solid sport programs for all youth, and encouraging free play amongst children, the living conditions of our youth will improve.
Great article, Alex!
As always, very informative......Roy