Coaching Strategies to Help Keep Kids in Sports

Every year, young athletes enthusiastically play in youth sports. But it’s estimated that about one-third of them drop out each year. By the age of 13, over half have quit sports altogether. Youth sports can have a positive or negative effect on kids, ranging from improved academic performance and behavior to aggression or athletic burnout. ¹

How much of a role do coaches play in how long kids stay in sports?² Coaches can facilitate participation in sports by creating an environment that gives young athletes a sense of relatedness, autonomy, and competence. When these needs are met, athletes tend to be motivated and have a desire to continue participating in the sports they love and enjoy. Coaching strategies can play a huge role in helping kids be content and happy playing sports.

Why Youth Participate in Sports

Sometimes, the assumption is that kids play sports just to be on a winning team or to win a championship. But for kids and adolescents, winning doesn’t even make the top 10 reasons they play. What motivates them, then? Their main motivation is simple: to have fun. 3 Of course, playing for fun isn’t just the top reason for kids who play sports; it’s even the main motive for athletes who play in highly competitive sports, too. Coaches who push kids to just win the season may miss the mark entirely. Adding a lot of pressure to win at all costs is likely to cause young athletes to drop out entirely. ⁴

The Fun Integration Theory

FIT, of the Fun Integration Theory⁵ was initially developed to understand and maximize the “fun” part of sports for kids. Researchers wanted to understand what factors made sports fun and engaging for kids. It turns out that they enjoyed being active and developing their skills. Kids respond well to coaches who treat them with respect, as well as teammates who become friends and those who play well together.

Kids don’t seem to mind working hard to develop skills and athleticism as long as they are having fun with their teammates/friends while being supported by a good coach. They don’t even mind being challenged or the competition required to play sports. Coaches who care and respect kids help make sports fun for kids. Of course, winning is part of having fun, but it turns out that it’s not the most important factor behind the why.

Effective Coaching Strategies

For kids, having fun isn’t just goofing off, especially when it comes to organized sports. When coaches meet their psychological needs and kids feel valued as humans, challenged, with their friends, competing, and growing their skills, they will have fun. But coaches have to be intentional about creating a sports experience that helps kids have fun. Here are five coaching strategy suggestions to help.

Coaching Strategy Recommendation	Practical Examples
Create an environment that allows kids to make mistakes.	Emphasize mastery, challenge kids to improve, and learn from mistakes. Praise effort and hard work. Set realistic goals for each player.
Promote positive team dynamics.	Teach and expect your players to be good sports and to support teammates. Develop team rituals to build team spirit.
Foster team-wide respect and encouragement.	Encourage effort over results, help teammates learn how to help and support one another, and to play well as a team.
Encourage friendship, facilitate enjoyment, and foster fun.	Include team-building activities separate from the sport, attend local sports events, take recreational trips, and encourage teammates to become friends.
Teach players to have ownership of their experiences and let them participate in decision-making.	Positive coaching is encouraging the team, treating players with respect, providing clear and consistent communication, and listening to players’ opinions.

Youth sports can be fun and competitive! Coaching strategies can help kids learn to love sports and the process of learning new skills. Of course, kids (and adults) still love winning the championship trophy! But kids who stay in sports can learn skills that will stick with them and serve them for their lifetime.

Suburban Custom Awards: Your Partner for Sports Awards

Suburban Custom Awards has decades of experience helping coaches reward kids who play sports. We offer a wide variety of options from sports trophies to participation certificates and sports-themed plaques. We’d love to help you encourage kids to keep playing and keep having fun!

References

Breunner, C. C. (2012). Avoidance of burnout in the young athlete. Pediatric Annals, 41(8), 335–339. https://doi.org/10.3928/00904481-20120725-09

Gustafsson, H., Skoog, T., Podlog, L., Lundqvist, C., & Wagnsson, S. (2018). Hope and athlete burnout: Stress and affect as mediators. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 36, 140–147. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-51459-006

Gould, D., Tuffey, S., Udry, E., & Loehr, J. (1996). Burnout in competitive junior tennis players: III. Individual differences in the burnout experience. The Sport Psychologist, 10(4), 322–340. https://awspntest.apa.org/record/2004-18908-008

Appleton, K. M., Hall, H. K., & Hill, A. P. (2009). Relations between multidimensional perfectionism and burnout in junior-elite male athletes. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 27(3), 78–99. https://js.sagamorepub.com/index.php/jpra/article/view/8619

Crane, J., & Temple, V. (2015). A systematic review of dropout from organized sport among children and youth. European Physical Education Review, 21(1), 114–131. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4201634/