Children in Elite Sporting Institutions - Essay Example

The Psychological implications or issues both in a positive and negative way that occur as a result of having children (between the ages of 8 and 18)installed into elite sporting programs/institutions Children in elite sporting institutions should not be considered as miniature adults. The psychological capabilities, maturity and the physical structure of children engaged in sports institutions are different from their adult counterparts. Due to this reason sports can have a negative and a positive impact on the development of a child. It is a fact that a sport can offer enjoyment, develop skills, strengthen relationship with peers, master a skill and above all obtain a feeling of success. However, professional training in sports is vulnerable to the drawbacks of intensive levels of competition, exposure to the anxieties of the coach, requirement to meet the expectations of the high levels of expertise and training of coaches and exhibit good performance even when there is inadequate number of teachers (Mackenzie, S. (n.d)). Scientific research in various universities reveals that exercise through participation in elite sport programs indicates that the physical health of participants improves and there are positive implications for their psychological well being (Allen, M.B. 2005 p.xiii). Early sport participation enables children to be well organized, professionalized and be competitive and as children grow up these skills tend to improve. Sports participation through elite competitive sport teams under the supervision of adults has a positive impact on the social structure and familiarizes children to work values (Coakley, J.J. & Donnelly, P. 1999 p.38). A detailed analysis of positive outcomes associated with participation of children aged between eight and eighteen year olds in elite sport program reveal that there are three main positive outcomes that affect the development of the child that include the opportunities to remain physically active that leads to better physical health, improves psychosocial development with skills like discipline cooperation, self-control and leadership and thirdly sports programs are essential to improve motor skills that serve as a basis for further development as recreational adult sports member and national sports stars. The psychosocial and physical benefits of adolescent sports participation is well recognized since it facilitates muscular strength, weight control, cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, healthy bone structure and flexibility. The healthy physical activity habits of childhood and adolescence is closely related to the physical activity routines in adulthood. Adolescents who have had an active lifestyle are less probable to develop serious illness like diabetes, depression, obesity, cancer and osteoporosis. Participation in sports fosters social success, citizenship, leadership skills, positive peer relationships and a sense of initiative. Involvement of youngsters is sports are also positively correlated to career achievement in adulthood while it is negatively correlated to delinquent behavior and school dropout. However, the positive outcomes of participation of children are not automatic and have negative outcomes like obesity which is evident in several developed countries. Eating disorders and sports linked injuries are also on the rise. A psychosocial analysis reveals that young children have to undergo excessive pressure from coach and parents to win and consider their poor capabilities and may feel less associated with their teams. These negative factors lead young children to carry a negative attitude of poor self esteem and poor self confidence. It may also lead to acts of violence, poor morality reasoning, aggression and poor sportspersonship in sports programs. Less positive experiences results in high attrition rates among adolescents who fall in the age of ten to seventeen years and drop from sport programs annually (Fraser-Thomas, J & Côté, J. 2006). Young children who participate in elite sports programs are exposed to a number of psychological problems that include fanatical behavior of coaches, parents and sports officials, violence, racism, peer opinion and the impact of media (p.771). Children also undergo emotional abuse and verbal violence (Houlihan, B. 2008 p.772). Children training to become elite athletes begin deliberate practice when they are very young to exhibit expert performance at an early age. Participants of figure skating and gymnastics indulge in hectic practice when they are seven years of age and spend most of their time in well planned training sessions without considering possible negative psycho social and physical consequences. For example, rhythmic gymnasts engaged in intensive practice are prone to more injuries and are less likely to enjoy the sport. A high rate of burn out or drop out is evident in the case of deliberate training at a young age. Excessive training during critical times of biological developments leads to increased risk of training injuries (Faroow et al 2007 p.18). Changes in sport enjoyment level are likely to affect the extent of involvement and changes in the level of commitment (Horn, T.S. 2008 p.149). Injury and over training is common to adult as well as young sports person. Over training becomes evident with fatigue and the incapability to exceed earlier performance levels and the reduced capability to recover from these symptoms. Over training happens when the sports person undergoes excessive training when he or she is stale. Incremental stages of this condition comprise staleness, overreaching, withdrawal and burnout. From a psychological perspective, the sports person may be impaired while on a routine work out with signs of reduced concentration, slow mental function, increased anger and reduced self esteem. These occur when children are trained to meet unrealistic demands within the target duration through rigorous physical exertion (Hollander et al. 1995). Excessive expectation from parents and coach may lead to drug abuse by sports person. It is a fact that sports person consumes alcohol and drugs (Goldsmith, W 2008) to enhance their performance. Athletes tend to avoid professional guidance to manage stress and indulge in self defeating activities by consuming chemicals. The intensity of the problem can be understood by the measure taken by the Olympics to test sports personnel for steroid use and blood doping. Sports persons even youngsters are likely to use chemicals to get over psychological stress like depression and anxiety. The use of steroid is associated with eating disorders which will further increase potential dangers to the sports person (Ferraro, T & Rush, S. 2000). In conclusion, children in elite sports programs are subject to a number of psychological implications in their run to achieve the high aspirations of the self, parents and coach. While the positive outcomes are evident and continuing to the later parts of their life, the negative outcomes are devastating and impairs the sports career of the child or adolescent aged between eight and eighteen years of age. Reference Allen, M.B. 2005 Sports, exercise, and fitness: a guide to reference and information sources California: Libraries Unlimited Coakley, J.J. & Donnelly, P. (1999) Inside sports London: Routledge Farrow, D., Baker, J. & MacMahon, C. 2007 Developing Elite Sports Performers: Lessons from Theory and Practice London: Routledge Ferraro, T & Rush, S. 2000 Why Athletes Resist Sport Psychology Available: http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol2Iss3/Resistance.htm. Accessed on April 21, 2009 Fraser-Thomas, J & Côté, J. 2006 Youth Sports: Implementing Findings and Moving Forward with Research . The online journal of sport psychology Available: http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol8Iss3/YouthSports.htm. Accessed on April 21, 2009 Goldsmith, W 2008 Drugs, Alcohol and Elite sport: a real life approach Available: http://www.sportscoachingbrain.com/drugs-alcohol-and-elite-sport-a-real-life-approach/. Accessed on April 21, 2009 Hollander , D.B., Meyers ,M.C. & LeUnes, A. 1995 Psychological Factors Associated with Overtraining: Implications for Youth Sport Coaches. Journal of Sport Behavior, Vol. 18 Available: http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=JsLf2tJnDftDZZ9H5Cx0h6mVKBnDQvJC28gP4BtQ2QWGJylGGd2c!329144733!-957050587?docId=5002221996. Accessed on April 21, 2009 Horn, T.S. 2008 Advances in sport psychology Illinois: Human Kinetics Houlihan, B. 2008 Sport and Society: A Student Introduction London: SAGE Mackenzie, S. (n.d) A discussion of Youth Sport Participation and Competition Available: http://sallymackenzie.com/sitev1/infoon.asp?infoid=17. Accessed on April 21, 2009 Read More