Long-Term Athletic Development

Long-Term Athletic Development: Setting Kids Up for Lifelong Success
Hey everyone, today, I want to discuss long-term athletic development, a concept that focuses on preparing kids for a lifetime of enjoyment in sports and fitness. It's all about skillfully and efficiently developing their abilities. Recent literature emphasizes the importance of exposing children to a wide variety of activities during their early years, building a solid foundation before they start specializing in any particular sport.
The Importance of Early Skill Development
Children have specific windows of time where they are most receptive to learning new skills. By exposing them to a broad range of activities, we ensure they develop a wide array of fundamental skills. These skills fall into several categories:
Locomotion Skills: Beyond just running and jumping, it's crucial to include activities like bounding, skipping, dodging, and hopping. These were once common in traditional schoolyard games and are essential for overall athletic development.
Object Control Skills: Many sports require handling objects such as balls, mitts, or bats. It's beneficial for kids to practice with various implements to build versatile skills. For instance, a child interested in baseball should also try using a golf club or tennis racket. Start with simple tasks like hitting a large ball off a tee and gradually progress to smaller and more challenging targets.
Throwing Skills: Change the shape, size, and weight of the ball to enhance a child’s throwing ability. Encourage them to throw balls overhead, use frisbees, or play catch with tail balls. Activities like trying to hit targets, throwing for distance, or aiming for buckets are excellent for developing these skills.
Developing Stability and Agility
Stability and agility are critical components of athleticism. Kids should learn to control their bodies in space and change directions quickly. Games like sneaky statues, tag, or duck, duck, goose are great for building these skills. They promote multi-directional movement and strength development.
Building Body Awareness and Understanding Rules
Awareness of how their bodies move and understanding the rules of games are also essential. Activities like Twister or using a slackline help improve body awareness. Additionally, learning to play within a rule hierarchy teaches kids about structure and discipline in sports.
Encouraging a Broad Palette of Experiences
By providing children with a wide range of experiences, we equip them with the skills necessary to excel in their chosen sports. Locomotion, object control, stability, agility, and body awareness all contribute to their overall athletic development, making them better athletes in the long run.
Get in Touch
If you're interested in learning more about long-term athletic development for your child, don't hesitate to reach out to us at Body in Motion. We're always available for a free discovery call to discuss how we can help your child develop the skills they need for a lifetime of enjoyment in sports and fitness.
For more information, contact Body in Motion. We're here to support your child's journey to becoming a well-rounded athlete.

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what's good for seniors?

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The developmental movements of throwing, catching, squatting and lunging in a safe fashion are all recommended, but as we age injuries and degeneration can restrict things and involve a little more adjustment then with the younger population. We work on throwing objects, squats and lunges in some form with most of our seniors.