Positive Mental Health Aspects of Youth Sports

Positive Mental Health Aspects of Youth Sport

            In my last blog post I discussed the advantages of youth sports for children and today I would like to look at the mental health aspects of children playing youth sports. Before I go any further, I have a disclaimer; I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist nor do I have any mental health training, what I am about to discuss is based on personal experience and what I’ve been reading over the past few years.

When I was coaching,  usually my first questions before a practice or game were “How is everyone doing? How was school today?”  I did this because I wanted to get a feeling how the children felt and let them know that I cared about them beyond their athletic talents and abilities and if any of them had something they wanted to talk about, I would listen. I can’t say that I knew what I would do if they brought something to me that was really troublesome; however, if it was a matter that needed to be reported to the proper authorities I would have done so, but otherwise I would probably have spoken to the parents to make them aware of the conservation/situation.

According to and article written by the Caris Sports Foundation the mental health benefits of youth sports are as follows: 

SLEEP

According to the American Academy of Sleep, children ages 6 – 12 should sleep 9 – 12 hours per night and teens should get 8 – 10 hours of sleep per night. Just how important is sleep? Experts say children and teens who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, injuries, poor mental health, and problems with attention and behavior. An afternoon on the field or the court prepares the body for a restful night’s sleep, something we all could use.

RESILIENCE

No team wins all the time, every time. Dealing with a loss builds resilience and prepares children and teens for setbacks in life like not getting your dream job the first time. Playing poorly and making mistakes teaches children and teens to learn from those failures so they can do better next time.

SOCIALIZATION

Recreational and club sports give children and teens the opportunity to socialize with others outside of their typical peer groups they interact with at school or the neighborhood park. Additionally, it gets them away from their tablets, smart phones, laptops, computers, and TVs. Human connection is important for maintaining mental health, a lesson in the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic.

COMMUNITY

Structured sports programs are not just about practice, winning, or drills. Youth sports provide a sense of community for children and teens the same way we rely on our circle of friends as adults or our churches. Cristiane Chiacchio, AIG Americas Head of Accident & Health, wrote for the National Council of Youth Sports, “Properly structured programs can provide a safe, wholesome and nurturing environment for children and teens, instilling a sense of community where they feel supported and are engaged with adults who care about their mental and physical wellbeing.”

CONFIDENCE and CHARACTER

Winning a game, hitting your mark, landing a routine, or simply making the team can build confidence and self-esteem. Children and teens are rewarded for their hard work, building character that will last a lifetime. Former MLB player for the White Sox and Blue Jays, Samuel Ewing, explained it this way, “Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”

DISCIPLINE and DEDICATION

To excel in youth sports, to win the game, to hit your mark, to land your routine, to make the team, requires discipline and dedication. You must be disciplined and dedicated to doing well in school to stay on the team. You must be disciplined and dedicated to listening to the advice of coaches. You must be disciplined and dedicated to the success of your team as a whole… all of which build character.

Additionally, the pandemic of 2020 was a terrible time for children and their mental health as in many cases they were not going outside of their homes to socialize with their family or friends due to all activities being shut down for long periods of time. In Allison Torres Burtka’s article, written for Global Sports Matters, April 12, 2023, she states that the “The pandemic has been difficult for kids. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that 42% of high school student reported that in 2021 they felt so sad or hopeless every day for at least two weeks that they stopped doing their usual activities. The problem was worse for girls as 57% of the girls were persistently sad and hopeless, the highest levels reported over the past decade, compared with 29% of the boys. Further, she stated that 30% of the girls and 14% of the boys surveyed seriously considered attempting suicide during the past year”.

To relate this to my own recent personal experience, I have been going to the gym for over 7 years now and I can state, as an adult I go as much for mental  health as I do for physical  exercise. The 45 minutes to an hour that I spend with my trainer or in a class allows me to turn off my brain and just concentrate on what I have to accomplish while at the gym and when I leave the gym, I feel refreshed and ready to take on the day. During the pandemic I was working more hours and had less free time and with my gym being closed due to the shut-down, I felt that I had no outlet to clear my head and work on my physical and mental health and while I tried to do workouts sent to me by my trainer admittedly, without having him there to push me my workouts fell to the wayside very quickly.  So, if exercise and physical activity helps my mental health outlook and clears my head as an adult, I can imagine what it does for children who are cooped up in school all day and need an outlet to expend some energy.

As I stated earlier, I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist. Nor do I think that other youth sports coaches should have or need those qualifications to coach. However, based on my experiences coaching at the youth level, I do believe that children participating in youth sports gain a boost in self-confidence and develop a feeling of belonging to something and that helps them cope. Furthermore, they can also gain valuable lessons in teamwork that will stay with them throughout their lives.