Talent Identification Essay

If kids don’t try other sports, how do they know whether or not they might like those sports more or be better at them? For many athletes their bodies are not completely developed. By playing at the speed of the higher conditioned and developed players in the professional league, young underdeveloped athletes run the risk of suffering an early career ending injury. These opportunities, though, come at a cost. While young athletes are participating in intensive sporting education, their academic education may be neglected. Age effects take a greater approach to the physical side of the sports people body, as the older the sports person is, the more mature and developed their body is and the younger the person is the less developed they are. Training and traveling all

Have you ever wanted to participate in a sport, but you failed at a tryout? This paper talks about why we should no longer have tryouts for kid’s sports. This is a complicated issue because there are many sides to it, for example, some people may think that it tryouts teach kids to fail. This argument is misleading because if kids fail at a tryout, they may think that they are useless in the sport and they may give up sports altogether. The actual question to be decided is, should there be tryouts and why. Tryouts can be problematic because the coach would choose someone who is taller and older to play, it could stop a kids participation in a sport, and coaches would rather choose favorites from a past season of coaching.

Being a professional athlete is one of the most commonly heard dreams of a young boy or girl who currently elementary school. Whether it is realistic or not, these kids will be participating in the sport that they wish to thrive in. But, time after time we hear adults complain about their child’s insane soccer schedule, or how they have to spend their whole weekend traveling for games. The parents complaints shouldn’t be the topic of discussion, in fact the only opinions that matter are the children. The question shouldn’t be asking whether or not youth sports are too intense, it should be asking if it is worth it. If a child loves what they’re doing then they have every reason to continue playing their sport, but if they are not all in, he or she has to question whether or not all the craziness is worth it.

Each year in the United States, more than 36 million school-aged children participate in an “organized sport” (“Youth Sports Statistics”). Especially over the past few years, many studies have proved or disproved the idea that sports are beneficial for young kids. Those studies have found that youth sports have both positive and negative effects on young children, and research shows parents and coaches have the greatest effect on a child’s experience.

In many American neighborhoods, while driving by, there are young children and adolescents playing outside, perhaps chasing a basketball or maybe each other. Maybe one of those children will be getting called out in to the starting line up on the massive screen at the Pepsi Center. For most this wont be the case, but for a bigger proportion of children will have the opportunity to play college sports and in some cases receive an athletic scholarship. Most importantly, these children will have the ability to pursue their dreams while doing the thing they love most. For most people, they don 't get to play past high school level, or at all. So what sets these children apart from the ones who don 't make it? How are they motivated? How do we keep our own athletic children engaged? Transitioning to examine the adolescent athlete, what can they do in order to perform at a higher level?

The fact that young people now have the opportunity to get into professional sports at a younger age now encourages this trend. If a young person is very successful at a sport, the media will rave on about them and the publicity will only force them to work harder. Freddy Adu, a thirteen-year-old soccer sensation, is getting large amounts of publicity for his remarkable skills (Goodall, 2003). He has been featured in Sports Illustrated where he was referred to as “the prodigy of American soccer” (Wahl, 2003). Newsweek has also included articles about this remarkable soccer player, calling him “a preteen phenom” (Starr, 2004). ESPN Soccernet also reported information about his amazing skills (Goodall, 2003). The publicity of Adu is making this young athlete a star and keeping other young athletes focused on similar opportunities for themselves.

There are a lot of aspects that should be taken into account when determining what makes an athlete successful. One could argue that natural ability is one of the determining factors which leads to success. For example, if an athlete has dreams of playing in the NBA then height makes a difference. There aren’t many successful players in the league under six feet tall. One could argue that level of competition plays a role in the development of an athlete. This could include the skill level of the opponent or outside factors such as playing conditions or game circumstances. These types of arguments play a role in athlete success, but will not be used in this paper because they are factors that are out of the athlete’s control. This paper

In the article “For Children in Sports, a Breaking Point” by Jane Brody the author discusses the underlying problem on whether or not young athletes should be encouraged to push themselves to their physical and mental breaking point in sports from their coaches, parents, or even themselves. Meanwhile, in “Why Parents Should Let Their Kids Play Dangerous Sports” by Jeb Golinkin the writer deliberates why parents should let their children participate in risky sports to understand the significance of failing, teamwork, striving, and succeeding.

For decades, American Football has captivated this nation as one of the prime sources of entertainment. With the culmination point, the Super Bowl, attracting more viewership than any other televised event in the country, the sport has seen a tremendous growth since its origination in 1920. In an era of economic struggle, job shortage, and high-cost of living, those with above average physical abilities can find the lure of professional football to be extremely attractive. With the wealth and fame attached to a professional career, many of our youths share the common dream of achieving football star status. In order to attempt this lofty goal, many kids enroll in this contact sport at an early age, often times with the support of their parents.

However, the days of simply playing ball with your friends are over. It is a different world for young athletes. Sports at a young age should be fun and a great source of physical activity. Yet, many children are specializing in one sport early- playing year-round, joining competitive clubs, or travel teams and participating in special training programs- believing they’ll put themselves on the fast

However if a child becomes a successful athlete, money and bonuses may be brought to not only the athlete but their family as well.

However, when we talk about youth sports, our main concern is with providing players with a positive, character building experience. Winning is not the only acceptable outcome for youth players, and coaches need to understand this principle. “With a winning philosophy young athletes may lose out on opportunities to develop their skills, to enjoy participation, and to grow socially and emotionally. Well informed coaches realize that success is not equivalent to winning games, and failure is not the same as losing.” (Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sports, 15)

A fairly large percentage of today’s youth participate in at least one sport. Some of these kids will learn that their interest in athletics is low, and either quit or give very little effort. However, many of these young ballers dream of one day donning the uniform of their local high school and making their community proud. This transition is not an easy one, and is not completed without dedication and hard work. Even though the sports themselves are the same, youth athletics differs from high school athletics in rule enforcement, opponent skill level, and commitment required.

Analytical data includes different psychological aspects of a player’s mentality. Stopwatches record times, tape measures calculate distances and heights, plus video gives scouts and coaches a visual look at player performance. However, for all their usefulness, they do little more than categorize athletes based on a series of numbers.

Practicing a sport can be highly beneficial to children, until it’s taken too far. Often called training now, children as young as six years old are participating in sports that require too much time. At that age, sports should be something fun to do and a favorable source of physical activity. However, whenever an athlete shows a hint of a talent, child exploitation occurs (Bean 10234). Between the ages of 7-12, adolescents should be learning identity, motives, beliefs, and values, but nearly all athletes are practicing 5 days a week with games every Saturday. This leaves no time or energy for hanging out with friends, homework, family time, and relaxation. Dr. Shane Murphy reports that if a coach or trainer sees talent in a young child, immediately they are convincing the