THURSDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- "Oh, put me in, coach! I'm ready to play today," plead the lyrics of a classic song about baseball.
A new study suggests that coaches who heed those pleas and give kids playing time and avoid pitting one kid against another may end up with more motivated players who stick with the game.
"The big thing here is to create a climate where the players don't compare themselves with others," said study author Jean Cote, director of the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada.
Instead of comparing themselves to their teammates, kids should be encouraged to strive to improve on their own skills, called "self-referenced competency," Cote said.
Cote and his colleagues asked 510 Canadian youths aged 9 to 19 to complete several questionnaires on their sports experiences. All participated on school sports teams or non-elite community programs, including baseball, basketball, curling, dance, football, hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, synchronized swimming, volleyball and ringette, a sport played on ice in which sticks are used to control a rubber ring.
The study found that several factors were associated with a positive experience, including when kids felt they were part of a team; when coaches kept the focus on personal skill development regardless of how the child measured up to others on the team; and when coaches and peers encouraged each player to do their best and to reach for challenging, but attainable, goals.
Negative experiences were most strongly associated with a focus on demonstrating superior ability over others and comparing one's own performance to others.
These findings all suggest that the stereotypical gruff, red-faced, screaming, yet lovable coach of Hollywood lore probably isn't the best type of coach for your kids.
The best coach, said Cote, is one
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