STAGES OF ATHLETIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

A Six Part Series Explaining The Athletic And Social Development Model To Be Happy And Active For Life

ATHLETIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ARE KEYS TO BEING ACTIVE OR LIFE

Athletic and Social Development are Keys to being Active for Life. Check out this five part series that explains the developmental milestones that allow athletes to be successful and active for life.

Landscape Of Youth Sports And The Foundation To Be Active For Life: Part 1

FOUNDATION BUILDING

Physical and Social Development

While your child’s physical development is dependent on being active, her/his social interactions are important for personal growth. Being physically and socially active can work hand in hand to help or stunt a child’s growth as an athlete and as a person. To better understand this process, let’s examine the long-term development of your child from both athletic and social emotional perspectives.

1) Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers: Foundation Building (birth to age 6)

FUN-DAMENTALS

In this section, we will look at the grade school years from elementary school through middle school. The grade school years are the time when kids start to participate in organized sports and learn the fundamental skills necessary to play specific sports. Socially, this is the time where peer interactions start to play a larger role in a child’s development.

2) Grade Schoolers: Skills Acquisition (ages 6-12)

LEARNING TO COMPETE

This section discusses the teenage years and how kids start to define who they are as a person and how they start to develop as a competitive athlete.

At this stage, athletes have put in the blood, sweat, and tears to develop a strong base in the technical, tactical, and physical aspects of the game that are necessary to successfully compete in their sport. These are elite level athletes who are competing at the collegiate, competitive club, and professional levels.

3) Teenage Years: Learning to Compete (ages 11-23)

COMPETITIVE LIFE

At this stage we transition from the teenage years to adulthood. During the teenage years, emphasis was on learning to specialize in different areas of life and developing a self-identity as a person. It is the last stage of fundamental development where commitment and dedication to mastery are learned. If an athlete is able to successfully navigate the teenage years, it will make their transition into adulthood and the competitive environment easier to manage.

4) Young Adulthood: Competition Ready (ages 20+)

Erickson Stage 6 (Intimacy versus Isolation, 20’s to late 30’s); LTAD Stage 6 (Train to Win, girls age 18+/boys age 19+)

THE GOLDEN YEARS, STAYING ACTIVE FOR LIFE

This is the last stage of fundamental development where you enjoy staying active for life.

5) Active for Life and Giving Back (Ages 30+)

Erickson Stage 7 (Generativity versus Stagnation, age 40-60) and Erickson Stage 8 (Integrity versus Despair, ages 60 to the end of life); LTAD Stage 7 (Active for Life, any age)

REFERENCE LIST

Reference

Botcher, S. (2014, November 23). 9 communities to pilot Canadian Sport for Life approach to sport and physical activity - Active For Life. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://activeforlife.com/9-communities-pilot-canadian-sport-for-life-approach/

Cherry, K. (2015, July 02). How Erik Erikson's Own Identity Crisis Shaped His Theories. Retrieved February 25, 2016, from http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_erikson.htm

Duffek, J. (2017, March 28), A few surprises in the data behind single-sport and multisport athletes. Retrieved March 09, 2018, from http://usatodayhss.com/2017/a-few-surprises-in-the-data-behind-single-sport-and-multisport-athletes.

Jojic, J. (n.d.). Running, Climbing, Jumping, and Kicking [Photograph found in http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/run-jump/, New York]. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from http://images.agoramedia.com/wte3.0/gcms/MLS-F-run-jump-and-more-343x343.jpg

Long-Term Athletic Development Framework (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2018 from http://sportforlife.ca/qualitysport/long-term-athlete-development/

Ludbrook, K. (2015, November 12). South Africa vs New Zealand photo preview 50549933 [Photograph found in Sports, Rugby Union Photo, European Press Photo Agency, Frankfurt, Germany]. Retrieved March 23, 2017, from https://sports.vice.com/en_uk/article/the-all-blacks39-haka-it39s-complicated-uk-translation (Originally photographed 2012, June 12)

epa03425465 Players of New Zealand (back) perform the Haka, or war dance, as the Springboks of South Africa (front) accept the challenge before the Rugby Championship rugby union test match at Soccer City in Soweto, South Africa, 06 October 2012. EPA/KIM LUDBROOK

McLeod, S. A. (2013). Erik Erikson. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

Miner, J. W. (2016, June 1), Why 70 percent of kids quit sports by age 13. Retrieved March 09, 2018 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2016/06/01/why-70-percent-of-kids-quit-sport-by-age-13/?utm_term=.43577ceb15ba.