In my last article, I dove into what’s going wrong in youth sport: the 70% dropout rate by age 13, burnout, overuse injuries, and the trap of professionalizing childhood games. This week, let’s focus on solutions.
If you work with kids – as a parent, coach, or administrator – this article is for you.
Self-Awareness Starts with You
Before you pick up a whistle or sign your child up for another season, take a moment to reflect. Ginsburg and colleagues proposed a three-step approach to navigate youth sport effectively:
- Know Your Child Every child develops at their own pace. Maturity, skills, and motivation all vary.Just because a child is physically ready doesn’t mean they are emotionally or socially prepared.From my own experience, I thought my son was ready for T-ball at three. Physically, maybe. Emotionally? Not so much. And that’s okay, it was a learning moment. Don’t discount the importance of social maturity (and make it a joint decision with your spouse – i.e. listen to your wife!)
- Know the Youth Sport Environment Skill development should always come before competition. In the earliest years (ages 0–6 or 0–8), focus on building agility, balance, coordination, and speed (the ABCs).If you run a program, consider offering motor skill sessions for kids ages 3–5 rather than jumping straight into leagues.
- Know Yourself Are you reliving your childhood dreams through your child?Are you pushing too soon because you think that’s what good parents do?It’s their journey, not yours. Your role is to guide, not steer.
Build Motivation with a FEAST
Once you’ve reflected, you can focus on motivation. A helpful acronym I love is FEAST (Vealey & Chase, 2016):
F – Feedback
- Be specific, honest, and encouraging.
- Praise effort and progress, not just results.
- For example, a young basketball player is finally stepping off the correct foot for a layup – even if they miss – celebrate that progress. Give them correction, but stay positive, and celebrate the small wins.
E – Emotional Connection
- Kids need to feel understood and cared for.
- Foster friendships within the team. Coaches, be intentional about this, it doesn’t happen haphazardly. Create situations for kids to cheer for each other.
- Make time for check-ins, silly questions, and moments of connection.
A – Autonomy Support
- Give kids choices within your structure.
- Let them vote on warm-ups or pick a team name.
- When kids have ownership, they buy in.
S – Stimulation
- Variety keeps kids engaged. NO LINES. NO STANDING ON THE SIDELINES. EVERYONE MOVES.
- Use creative drills and mini-competitions. Break kids into pairs or small groups with multiple coaches if need be.
- For example, instead of static dribbling practice, try dribble knockout or relay races.
T – Teaching Prowess
- Master the art and science of instruction.
- Keep kids moving – nothing kills motivation faster than standing in line.
- Plan practices that maximize active learning time.
Create Developmentally Appropriate Environments
A reminder: kids aren’t mini-adults. They shouldn’t be trained like they are.
- Avoid excessive volume and intensity.
- Prioritize multi-sport participation, especially before adolescence.
- If your child wants to specialize, make sure it’s their choice and build in rest periods. Constant competition can lead to burnout and overuse injuries. Strike a healthy balance of training, competition, and recovery.
- As they grow, follow a progression (from Cote and LTAD models):
Ages 6–12: Sampling Years – try many sports.
Ages 13–15: Specializing Years – if desired, begin focusing.
Ages 16+: Investment Years – increase commitment if the child chooses.
Remember, more isn’t always better. Progress comes from balanced loads, variety, and adequate rest.
Focus on Self-Worth Over Outcome
Children stay in sport when they feel valued and competent. They leave when they feel like failures.
- Downplay social comparison, who’s the “best” doesn’t matter. Kids mature at different rates.
- Focus on personal progress and effort.
- Allow them to succeed. When I coached my son’s basketball team, I was intentional about every kid getting a chance to shoot and handle the ball every game.
- Praise each child’s effort and help them set personal goals.
- If you run a program, track participation and do exit interviews to learn why kids drop out.
Coaching with Care: A Few Final Principles
To wrap up, here are some essentials for any youth coach or parent:
–Set realistic expectations. No one is perfect, especially kids learning new skills. Give them the courage to fail.
-Be positive and sincere. Kids know when you’re phoning it in.
-Reward technique and effort more than outcomes.
–Modify equipment and rules to match age and skill level.
-Keep kids moving. Lines are a waste of precious development time.
-Engage parents. Even those unfamiliar with the sport can help.
Most importantly, avoid professionalization. Research, including Bloom’s 1985 study, shows that experts develop their passion gradually, not through early forced specialization.
Final Takeaways
Lifelong athletic success begins with joy and play, not hyperfocus.
Youth sport should be fun, skill-building, and personally enriching. Next time you run a practice or cheer from the sidelines, ask yourself:
- Am I helping kids fall in love with movement?
- Am I seeing this through their eyes?
Let’s build systems that keep kids coming back for all the right reasons.
Linkedin: Brandon Podgorski
Program Director, M.S. in Sports Leadership, B.S. in Sports Leadership and Management – Abilene Christian University
