Week 6 readiness for learning

Question 1

What is readiness in youth sport?

Answer 1

Developmental point at which a student can engage in a certain activity / has the capacity to successfully learn. Its more than signing a child up to play because the age meets the minimum requirement.

Question 2

What three factors need to be considered to determine whether a child is ready?

Answer 2

Maturation

Motivation

Prerequisite skills

Question 3

What are the three components of maturation?

Answer 3

Physical maturity
Cognitive maturity
Motor skill competency

Question 4

What is physical maturity?

Answer 4

strength, power, coordination

Question 5

What is cognitive maturity?

Answer 5

understanding strategies / tactics

Question 6

What is motor skill competency?

Answer 6

Repeated practice of a skill initially not well learned

Question 7

What are prerequisite skills?

Answer 7

All sports have some basic underlying skills which must be mastered to get good at the sport, e.g. golf hand eye coordination

Question 8

How should coaches design programmes to help children develop prerequisite skills?

Answer 8

Spending time in developing skills and not rushing into competition

Question 9

What is motivation?

Answer 9

Desire, intent or drive to do something

In childhood this is often about sampling different activities to see what fits best

Question 10

When are children ready for activities?

Answer 10

Physically and cognitively mature enough to be successful

Have the prerequisites for the activity

Are motivated to try

Question 11

What should be the focus in infancy?

Answer 11

Basic locomotor skills, grasping and manipulative skills, postural control skills and reflexes

Question 12

What should be the focus at 2-8 years?

Answer 12

Fundamental motor skills

Question 13

What should be the focus at childhood to adolescence?

Answer 13

Transitional sport and games

Question 14

What should be the focus at adolescence to adulthood?

Answer 14

Physical literacy and performance in specific sports

Question 15

What is meant by the athletic proficiency barrier?

Answer 15

Impedes movement from fundamental skills to achieve athletic success in more formal sports/games

Occurs around the childhood to adolescence phase

Question 16

What can underdeveloped fundamental motor skills lead to?

Answer 16

Failure to achieve same athletic proficiency as peers with a more mature pattern

Question 17

What happens between 2-8 years?

Answer 17

Learn basic movement skills which are the building blocks for learning more sport specific skills

Critical prerequisites for sport participation

Developed through maturation and opportunities for practice, play and instruction

Question 18

What is cognitive readiness?

Answer 18

Children’s ability to understand technical and strategic requirements of sport, particularly abilities to process relevant information about their performance and the sport environment

Question 19

What is cognitive readiness in sport performance?

Answer 19

Function of motor skill execution and cognitive decision making

Question 20

According to Haywood and Getchell (2009), how do non expert children differ from older athletes in their cognitive capacities?

Answer 20

Less strategic knowledge

Use considerable amount of mental activity to think about how to do a skill

Less able to predict / anticipate objects and events

Less able to recognise patterns

Slower and less accurate decisions

Question 21

Is earlier better?

Answer 21

Yes in relation to fundamental motor development

But what kids do at an early age is more important than when they start

Can be better for some but Vealey and Chase (2016) suggest “starting a child at a young age has been advised as an obstacle to skill development”

Question 22

What model is used to advise when children should start organised sport?

Answer 22

Long term athlete development model (LTAD)

Its an athlete centred model that categories suitable training objectives at every stage of athlete physical development based on biological age.

Question 23

What are the seven stages of the LTAD model?

Answer 23

Active start
Fundamentals 
Learning to train 
Training to train 
Training to compete
Training to win
Active for life

Question 24

Summarise active start

Answer 24

0-6yrs

Home, preschool, day care, community recreation

Parents, preschool teachers

No training/competition focus on learning proper basic movement skills

Question 25

Summarise fundamentals

Answer 25

M 6-9, F 6-8 School, home, community recreation, sport clubs Parents, teachers, recreation leaders, volunteer coaches Play, multiple activities, development of athleticism, overall movement skills Minimal comp, local area, modified

Question 26

Summarise learning to train

Answer 26

M 9-12, F 8-11 School, home, community recreation, sport clubs Parents, teachers, recreation leaders, volunteer coaches Regular practice, seasonal activities, multiple sports, overall sport skills development Occasional comp, modified format, 70% train to 30% comp

Question 27

Summarise training to train

Answer 27

M 12-15, F 11-15 School, community recreation, sport clubs Teachers, recreation leaders, volunteer and professional coaches Regular structured practice, more than one sport, sport specific skill development Regular comp, local to regional, 60% training to 40% comp

Question 28

Summarise training to compete

Answer 28

M 16-23, F 15-21 Schools, post secondary institutions, sport clubs Teachers, volunteer and professional coaches, sport scientists, nutritionists Regular structured practice, planned and periodised schedule, focus on one sport and position specific training Regular comp, provincial to national / international, 40% train to 60% comp

Question 29

Summarise training to win

Answer 29

M 19+/-, F18+/- Post secondary institutions, sport clubs, training centres, professional sport Professional coaches, integrated support teams Regular structured practice, panned and periodised schedule, focused on one sport Selective, planned comp, national/international, 25% training to 75% comp

Question 30

Summarise active for life

Answer 30

Enter at any age Community recreation, sport clubs/programs

Question 31

According to Stafford (2005) what are the benefits of the LTAD model?

Answer 31

Provides a means of developing an integrated, systematic approach to athlete development Ensures that all athletes are able to reach their full potential, and support a raise in long term participation

Question 32

What are some limitations of the LTAD model?

Answer 32

Conceptually sound but has not undergone quality assurance Lack of empirical evidence Lack of understanding of the physiological impacts

Question 33

What produces a victorious circle?

Answer 33

Early success means athletes able to believe in themselves and motivated to become better

Question 34

What produces a viscous circle?

Answer 34

Younger athletes may start to think they are not naturally gifted which diminishes confidence and enjoyment of playing

Question 35

What were the trends in birth month in Euro U17 Champs, 2019

Answer 35

47% players born in first 3 months of year 57 players n Jan to 3 in Dec

Question 36

What is another factor that may have an effect on selection, regardless of DOB?

Answer 36

Skeletal muscle maturation varies, born in Jan not necessarily more mature than born in Dec

Question 37

What may early maturing players gain and what is a danger of this?

Answer 37

Initial selection and training advantages (Johnson et al, 2017) However, may rely on physical dominance, not necessarily diversifying skills

Question 38

Characteristics of an early maturer

Answer 38

Stand out (dominate) Gain more experience / develop May rely on physicality Can impede technical / tactical development

Question 39

Characteristics of a late maturer

Answer 39

Physically outmuscled May drop out / not be selected Maturation may bring more developed technical / tactical / psychological development (if they can stay in the system)

Question 40

There is no comprehensive answer but how may the effect of early / late maturation be reduced?

Answer 40

NGBS - consider the structures (playing up / down) Implement strategies to try and reduce potential drop out Enforce quotas Coach education and awareness

Question 41

What is maturation?

Answer 41

Progress towards biologically mature state The process one undergoes to reach full adult status in terms of physical, cognitive and emotional functioning

Question 42

What is biological / maturational age?

Answer 42

How close people are to their fully mature state

Question 43

Youth sports are based on chronological age, what is this?

Answer 43

How old people are based on DOB

Question 44

What is relative age?

Answer 44

Difference in age between people born in the same year of the calendar

Question 45

What is the intent of chronological age groups?

Answer 45

Provide developmentally appropriate instruction, fair competition and equal opportunities

Question 46

When is the cut off for youth sports teams/leagues?

Answer 46

31st Dec However, this means athlete born in Jan 11 months older than someone in same group born in Dec

Question 47

What is the relative age effect?

Answer 47

Preference for selecting athletes born early in the age band due to enhanced maturational factors Bias: children born at start of selection period represent a higher percentage of those playing elite youth sport