Best Practice for Youth Sport

Robin S. Vealey, PhD, is a professor in the department of kinesiology and health at Miami University in Ohio, where she has worked for more than 30 years. She has dedicated nearly her entire adult life to youth sports, whether as a coach, administrator, educator, researcher, or consultant. She is internationally known for her research on the psychological aspects of youth sport and coaching effectiveness. Vealey, who has authored three books, has won several professional awards throughout her academic career, including being named a fellow by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and the National Academy of Kinesiology. She previously was president of AASP, is a certified consultant in sport psychology as recognized by AASP, and is on the U.S. Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. In addition to serving on numerous journal editorial review boards, Vealey is a past editor of The Sport Psychologist. In 2011, Vealey was named to the Marshall University Athletic Hall of Fame after a stellar playing career in women's basketball. Vealey went on to serve as a collegiate volleyball and women's basketball coach and an athletics administrator. She currently enjoys playing golf and continues to remain active in various sports as a sport psychology consultant for youth athletes and teams. Melissa A. Chase, PhD, is a professor in the department of kinesiology and health at Miami University in Ohio, where she has worked for two decades. She specializes in research about coaching efficacy and self-efficacy in children interested in increasing motivation and effectiveness, and she has presented her research across the United States and internationally. She was named a fellow by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and SHAPE America and is a certified consultant in sport psychology as recognized by AASP. Chase was the founding editor of the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, which is an official AASP publication. Before becoming a professor, Chase gained experience as a physical education teacher at both the elementary and secondary school levels while coaching various levels of basketball, cross country, track and field, and volleyball for several years. She enjoys running and watching her teenage children participate in youth sports.

Part I. Youth Sport Basics Chapter 1. Overview of Youth Sport Types of Youth Sport Patterns of Participation in Youth Sport Barriers to Youth Sport Participation Organizations That Support Youth Sport Wrap Up Learning Aids Chapter 2. Evolution of Youth Sport When and Why Was Sport Introduced Into Schools as an Extracurricular Activity? How Did Nonschool Youth Sport Become So Popular? What Does Title IX State, Why Was It Necessary, and How Did It Change Youth Sport? How Did Little League Baseball Become So Popular? Why Do Grassroots Youth Sport Programs Lack National Organization and Support? How Have Changes in Parenting Philosophy and Practice Influenced the Evolution of Youth Sport, Particularly the Decline of Free Play? Wrap-Up Chapter 3. Philosophy and Objectives of Youth Sport The POPP Sequence: From Philosophy to Action What Should the Objectives of Youth Sport Be? Tension Points in Youth Sport Philosophies and Objectives Consequences of Developmentally Inappropriate Philosophies and Objectives Palm Community Model of Youth Sport Examples of Youth Sport Philosophies and POPP Sequences Wrap Up Learning Aids Part II. Maturation and Readiness for Youth Sport Participation Chapter 4. Physical Growth and Maturation Growth Maturation Physical Growth and Maturational Influences on Sport Opportunities and Performance Wrap Up Learning Aids Chapter 5. Readiness for Learning Skills and Competing What Is Readiness? The "Mountain" of Motor Skill Development Sensitive Periods in Motor Skill Development Cognitive Readiness Is Earlier Better? When Should Kids Start Organized Youth Sports? Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 6. Motivation and Psychosocial Development Why Do Children Participate in Youth Sport? Competence Autonomy Relatedness Wrap Up: Provide Kids a Motivational FEAST Learning Aids Chapter 7. Modifying Sport for Youth Why Should Sport Be Modified for Youth? Why Do Adults Resist Youth Sport Modification? What Changes Should Be Made? Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 8. Teaching Skills to Youth Athletes The Five-Step Teaching Cycle Instructional Strategies to Maximize Learning Wrap-Up Learning Aids Part III. Intensity of Participation in Youth Sport Chapter 9. Physical Training and Young Athletes Positive Effects of Physical Activity and Training in Kids Negative Effects of Over-Intensity in Physical Training in Youth Physical Training Guidelines for Young Athletes Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 10. Talent Development in Sport Talent Development Basics How Is Talent Identified, and When Do We Decide Who Is Talented? The Relative Influences of Practice and Innate Qualities on Sport Expertise What's the Best Way to Develop Sport Talent? Specialization in Youth Sport Categorizing Sports Based on Specialization Demands Tips for Nurturing Talent and Well-Being in Youth Athletes Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 11. Stress and Burnout in Youth Sport Stress as a Process Demands (Stressors) Faced by Youth Athletes Young Athletes' Assessment of Demand(s) Young Athletes' Responses to Stress Outcomes From the Stress Process Flow: The Ultimate Goal for Youth Sport Participants Burnout in Youth Sport Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 12. Injuries in Youth Sport Youth Sport Injury Basics Overuse Injuries Physeal Injuries Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes Concussion in Youth Sport Legal Duties and the Emergency Action Plan Wrap-Up Learning Aids Part IV. Social Considerations in Youth Sport Chapter 13. Cultural Competence in Youth Sport Continuum of Cultural Competence Gender and Youth Sport Reasons for Gender Differences in Youth Sport Race and Ethnicity in Youth Sport Sexual Orientation and Youth Sport Disability and Youth Sport Sexual Abuse in Youth Sport Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 14. Coaches and Youth Sport Coaching Education and Certification Recruiting Youth Sport Coaches Evaluating Youth Sport Coaches Building the Youth Sport Coaches' Skill Set Youth Sport Coaches' Meta-Skill: Communication Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 15. Parents and Youth Sport Foundations of the Parent-Child Relationship Three Roles of Youth Sport Parents WANTED: Positive Parent Behaviors in Youth Sport Understanding Parent Traps Parent Education in Youth Sport Strategies for Coaches in Interacting with Youth Sport Parents Suggestions to be a Better Youth Sport Parent Wrap-Up Learning Aids Chapter 16. Moral and Life Skills Development in Youth Sport Understanding Terms Related to Moral Behavior in Sport How Sportsmanship and Moral Behavior Are Learned Enhancing Sportsmanship, Moral Development, and Life Skills in Youth Athletes Wrap-Up Learning Aids