Positive and negative impact of sport on young athletes

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Positive and negative impact of sport on young athletes

Physical activity is essential for a child’s healthy growth. Whether, it is swimming, playing football, basketball, volleyball, or any sports that involves breaking a sweat. Any of these sports could help a child grow faster, develop a strong body and lead a healthy life. However, not all the effects of sports are positive. Considering sometimes the coaches are not qualified enough, or the kids don’t get the chance to train in well-equipped facilities. Let’s outline some positive and negative impact of sport on young athletes.

Health benefits

child in green skiing in green jacket

Sports have various health benefits, including building strong muscles, joints and bones, regulating weight, reducing fat and preventing high blood pressure. Furthermore, it’s the most cost-effective way to have a fit body and a strong immune system. According to the National Institutes of Health, spending leisure-time on the court or at the gym is associated with reduced risk of 13 different types of cancer. Among which are myeloid leukaemia, liver cancer, colon and breast cancer.

Improved skills

Thanks to organised sports activities, children’s cognitive skills are improved and developed much better. Various studies have also shown that when kids are physically active, their academic achievements improve. Not only will they have better grades at school, but also get enhanced concentration, attention and classroom behaviour. Furthermore, the benefits of sports reach far beyond school performances. Namely, a research from 2014 showed that doing sports at a young age significantly contributed to corporate executive’s careers through the years.

Psychological benefits

back of a swimmer girls in one piece green bathers

Physical activity has positive effects on mental health. Namely, it’s been found that those who are physically active have less chance of suffering from depression. Additionally, female high school athletes are less likely to use drugs, unlike those who don’t engage in any sports. Furthermore, staying physically active helps adolescents raise their self-esteem, and positively affects their leadership skills and goal setting. The worth of discipline, getting along in a group, and the importance of mutual effort are also some of the fundamentals children learn through sports.

Also, the better they get at swimming, skating, or some other sport, the more praise they’ll get from their parents, which also has an enormous effect on children’s self-esteem and further psychological development. Winning a trophy brings the sense of accomplishment and motivates them to keep up the good work. Taking home custom-made swimming trophies also teaches the kids that hard work always pays off and that they should always do their best to achieve their goals.

Drawbacks

No matter how much a child would like to engage in a certain sport, sometimes the lack of quality facilities will prevent them from swimming, playing basketball, or football. The lack of nearby parks or other outdoor spaces where children could stay active is also the reason why children are less physically active than they used to be. If the parents decide to let their children play their favourite sport regardless, the risk of injury becomes even higher. Then again, even if the sports centres are well equipped, sometimes, the coaches are not trained enough, which can jeopardise your child’s health enormously. Very few coaches of youth teams have been trained in effective motivational techniques. And the number of those trained in skills and tactics is even lower. This is why it’s of great importance that parents are familiar with the coach’s experience, training and professional background before they trust their child with them.

Boys little league in baseball

Playing football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, handball, or any other sport that involves strenuous work will help children in many ways. From building a strong and healthy body to teaching them various skills and helping them understand the importance of discipline, teamwork and competitiveness ‒ engaging in any sport will make them better people. Even though there are a few drawbacks of doing sports the benefits are far greater. So make sure you let your child stay physically active and live a long healthy life.

Diana Smith

Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in topics related to health and alternative medicine.

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