flyburst Blog

Physical Literacy and More - Day 2@ 2011 Sport for Life Canada

The Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L) 2011 Workshops wrapped up on Thursday in Ottawa.   The day was dedicated to exploring how CS4L is working in schools, sports federations, and local governments.  Here are some of the key themes from the day:

•  “Physical Literacy.” Analogous to the capability to read, the CS4L folks believe that physical literacy will raise the odds that children will have the “motivation, confidence, and understanding to be physically active throughout their lives.”  For example, kids who are taught proper running and jumping techniques will be better equipped to participate in any sport and more likely avoid injuries (e.g., learning the right way to fall) that will keep them active. 

 

• Serving Kids with Special Needs.   Emphasis on learning fundamental movements and preparing for a life of physical activity also extends to kids with special needs. Delegates from the Special Olympics and other organizations representing the disabled participated fully in the conference and are extending the ideas into their programs.
  

• Greater Emphasis on Skill Development.  Numerous sports federations in Canada were experimenting with programs to refocus youth sports beyond competition to skill development.  For example, Baseball Canada initiated the “Rally Caps” program that awards kids different colored caps based on mastering certain baseball skills (similar to karate belts).

• The Unique Needs of Girls in Sports and Fitness. There were many sessions on how coaches, school programs, and sports organizations were addressing the social and psychological differences between boys and girls at different stages of development.   For example, at younger ages girls frequently grasp fundamental movement skills faster than boys.  Read more about these insights and how they can help guide parents, coaches, and teachers here.

 

Hats off to the Canadian Sports for Life movement.  The organizers and participants are advancing the theory and - more importantly - the practice about what works for kids with regards to sports and fitness.  For parents and sports providers in the US, we can learn much from the Canadian experience including the importance of gaining physical literacy, guidance for when to specialize in sports, and practices that work that can help contribute to a life commitment to fitness. 

For more information please visit the Canadian Sports for Life website.

 

Why basic movements and physical literacy is important...

(Sport for Life Canada Diagram)

 

 

Au Canada, le sport c'est pour la vie!

 

flyburst is participating in the 2011 Canadian Sport for Life  workshops here in Ottawa (Ontario), Canada.  Why are we here?  Sport for Life or “CS4L” is a national initiative to expand youth participation and improve sports performance across all Canadian sports.   We are here to learn about the latest in successful and cutting edge youth sports programming.

There are representatives here from sports organizations from Nova Scotia to Vancouver. The 425+ delegates represent the whole spectrum of sports including hockey, figure skating, soccer, sailing, basketball, swimming, judo, water skiing, and the list goes on. (Have you ever heard of Ringette? Apparently, it’s very popular here!).

What is CS4L? The Canadian looked at youth sports in their country and asked, “Is there are better way?“  They recognized that the system that most Canadian kids participate in emphasizes competition over training, focuses on chronological age rather than developmental age, and promotes early specialization in sports over learning fundamental movement skills (Sound familiar?). 

The downside of these practices are two-fold. First of all, kids either don’t participate in sports or drop out early. This results in a whole bunch of bad things from a health perspective. Secondly, Canada doesn’t end up doing very well in international sports competitions because there are too many unnatural barriers to competing in sports (outside of hockey and curling, which they seem to be doing just fine).   There are a lot more details that we will feature in future blog posts and incorporate into flyburst.

 In the mean time, here are some interesting tidbits from the conference:

• Conference organizers think that “physical literacy” is a key to youth sports development in Canada.   The idea is that if kids learn the fundamentals of running, jumping, throwing, etc., they will be better able to compete in sports as they grow older and will be more likely to stick with fitness their entire lives. 

• The amount of physical activity among Canadian children has fallen dramatically.  One study indicated that less than 35% of 6-11 year olds meet the MINIMUM daily activity guideline. Dr. Dean Kriellaars, from the University of Manitoba, noted the connection between reduced activity, obesity, and the growth of Type 2 Diabetes.

• A study of 150 early childhood centers in the province of Alberta discovered that only 14% of kids received the recommended minimum daily activity levels.  The researchers observed that the majority of kids spent most of the day standing or sitting at activity stations (e.g., building block or sand tables) instead of engaged in active structured or free play.

• In order to promote sports for girls, local governments are designing multi-sports programs (e.g., Xplore Sportz for Girls in Ottawa) to help girls gain greater physical confidence and to expose them to more sport options.

• Does early specialization in sports for kids make sense?  Research by CS4L (and backed-up by international research) indicates that kids will be much better off waiting until they turn 14 and older to pick a single sport (with some noted exceptions).  Focusing on a sport too early frequently results in burnout and kids missing out on the physical and social benefits that can be learned from other sports.  Dr. Istvan Balyi noted that studies have shown that top seeded 12,13, and 14 year-old tennis players very rarely become top professionals. Roger Federer played soccer until he was 12 before turning full-time to tennis.

That’s it for today. We will post an update on Friday that cover Thursday’s sessions. 

Goodnight from Ottawa!