This month’s section will focus on youth athleticism. In today’s culture, there are many activities that our youth have to occupy their leisurely time. It is good for them to have the opportunity to exercise and mature in good decision making skills applicable for all areas of life, and effort should be given to ensure a stable foundation is laid for every child and young adult to appreciate different forms of athletic involvement. You don’t have to be closely connected to something in order to appreciate it; some children don’t know how to identify with this statement because of their expectations. Most youths don’t know if they can perform an athletic movement because they were never encouraged or “pushed” to even try. Physical Literacy is a concept that will help increase the quality of physical education in this country, redefine athleticism, and inspire an appreciation for the possibilities of movement dynamics.
The Aspen Institute has defined Physical Literacy as the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life (1). This term is interchangeable in physical education and athletics. In a formal setting, physical education is just as important as the core subjects of reading, writing, arithmetic, and science. Core subjects help establish development of self expression; this is also the case with physical education. Athletics also play a vital role in the development of self expression, but this will be discussed later. The same emphasis that is given in the literacy of core subjects should also be given to physical literacy because without physical literacy future generations may difficulty understanding their greatest potential and impact on society; also, no vehicle to forge new alliances between health and government, sports and education, coaches and parents, and other institutions that touch the lives of our youth (1). Studies were conducted showing the lack of fundamental movement skills such as throwing, kicking, running, jumping, catching, striking, and skipping (1). Now that there is a concerted effort to reverse this statistic in the country, it is time to reach our goals for a physically literate society. The choice is ours; our future deserves the right one.
Athleticism must also now be redefined because most people associate this term with athletes, but there are so many more applications. Athleticism refers to the ability to execute fundamental movements with applicability across sports and physical activities (2). The athletic components of balance, coordination, agility, speed, and power for youth will constantly change due to rates of change in individual maturity. According to Rick Howard of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), developing athleticism is the C.O.R.E (Context, Opportunities, Recognition, Environments) of positive youth development, and these principles can help them achieve physical and psychosocial well-being throughout childhood and adolescence (2). Context refers to movement patterns that are developmentally appropriate. A child’s foundation is important in assuring confidence in abilities with the desire in progressing in skill. The mastery of certain skills will give a child instant gratification, and this behavior will show in anything he or she does. Opportunities refer to the development of physical attributes in formal and non-formal settings. As youths play on different types of surfaces, their bodies adapt to handle different types of forces. These forces help prepare the body for more formal, or organized types of play. Recognition refers to the variety of activities that help with the maturation of acquired physical attributes. No child should be refused to play an organized sport. However, every child should be exposed to the health and fitness components (muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and body composition) needed to realize greater potential for daily living to complex sports. As the saying goes: “Youth need to know how to be fit to play a sport, not play a sport to know how to be fit” (2). Evironments refer to the surroundings, platform, or model that’s used to help develop youth athleticism. Studies show that there is a downward trend in the participation of popular sports, and 25% of youth never participate in sports (1). Society must be wary to not use the cut-and-paste method when training children; they are not little adults. When the youth are involved in activities that are relevant to them physically and psychologically they will be motivated to build good habits into adulthood.
There is no doubt that the self esteem of our youth needs to increase. Physical literacy plays a major part in making this happen. Our youth will be drawn to counterproductive things if they are not encouraged in activities that focus on them. However, there are many factors that ensure youth success in life as a whole, and adults need to make a conscious effort to ensure that the impact of positive youth development leaves a lasting impression into adult development.
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1. Farrey, Tom. Physical Literacy: Developing a Plan for the United States. Sports &Society-The Aspen Institute (Washington, D.C.). 26 February 2015. Web Pdf. 01 May 2015.
2. Howard, Rick. Developing Athleticism is the C.O.R.E of Positive Youth Development. NSCA Coach. 2014; 1(2): 4-5.
3. King M, Stanforth D. 10,000 Workouts In 10 Minutes: Movement-based Programming. ACSM’s Health & Fitness J. 2013; 17(1): 8-14.
4. Pescatello, Linda S. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (9th ed). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2014.
5. Santana, Juan Carlos. Functional Training: Breaking the Bonds of Traditionalism. Boca Raton, FL: Optimum Performance Systems, 2000.
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