Since childhood, many young children dream of emulating their sports heroes: Federer, Woods, Jordan, Bolt, Serina or Venus. Regardless of what they aspire to be, these kids have an innate sense of desire to excel in the field of sport, that deep desire that evokes the intense inner burning sensations that make you feel alive.
Your child can be gifted with all the talent, have all the focus, dedication and confidence, have parents who provide all the resources needed to help them become #1, but if they don’t have the passion, they will fall short. of that true champion status.
As a parent, you can give your “little sports star in the making” the right start in life by providing a solid foundation from which to grow and develop. The old adage backed by scientific research states that to produce a champion or become elite in their chosen profession, they must engage in 10,000 hours or 10 years of purposeful practice. Practicing with a purpose is defined as a practice that requires focus and dedication and, more importantly, having access to the right training systems and sometimes even having access to the right coach. You only have to examine the history and education of today’s top sportsmen to see how accurate those statements are. Tiger started out with a dedicated father and a golf club before the age of 3, Serina and Venus were once again lucky to have a dedicated father and began training before the age of 4.
Having the appropriate training systems means accessing programs that cover the following guidelines:
- Always provide age-appropriate, variable, challenging but fun activities.
- Ensuring programs are safe, injury prevention is a priority
- Teaching locomotion skills: running and jumping
- Teach non-locomotion skills: twisting, turning, and balance.
- Teaching Manipulative Killing: Throwing, Catching, and Kicking
- Teach movement awareness skills
- teach explosive speed
- teach agility
- teaches quickness
- Teach mental toughness, focus, poise, confidence, humility.
Once children/teens have mastered the art of hours of purposeful practice, their learning will take off and their knowledge will increase. Empowered with the skills and knowledge, their performances improve and they are on their way to becoming champions.
The skills and standards required to be a professional athlete in the 21st century are constantly increasing, as training systems evolve, techniques improve, for today’s rising sports stars it is imperative that the beginnings of their programs training are scientifically based, measurable and comprehensive. significant.
