Gamified skill development can cultivate young athletes’ lifelong love of the game
"We take our fun pretty seriously. We've really looked at what keeps kids coming back. Because if they're not having fun, they’re not enjoying the experience, they vote with their feet. They just walk away."
I love this quote from a recent USA Today article written by Ken Martel, USA Hockey’s senior director for player and coach development. Quite often, when it comes to making activities more enjoyable for participating youth, youth-sports directors equate increased fun with reduced competition. This trend makes one thing clear: the best way to make athletic programs fun is to help children develop the required skills. As youth athletes gain confidence, the sport will eventually become more fun.
One caveat, however: fun can have several different meanings in sports.
Playful Practice
Most youth-sports administrators know the answer to the following question without Googling it: “What percentage of kids drop out of youth sports by the time they are 13?” In the late 1980s, the answer was 70 percent; more recent studies show the figure hasn’t changed much. Why? The answer hasn’t changed either. Most of the respondents say, “It’s not fun!”
That is why administrators must take a more in-depth look at what defines fun. Today, kids start participating in sports at much younger ages, some as early as 3 years old. And obviously, a 3-, 4- or 5-year-old’s idea of fun is vastly different from that of a teenager’s. For younger athletes, sports programs must focus on the traditional definition of the word. For 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds, every activity needs an out-of-the-box approach, beyond simply introducing and teaching a sport. Incorporating skill development into simple activities like relay races, keep-away, and tag is a great way to educate without forcing kids into game scenarios. This technique is what young kids consider fun.
When I coached T-ball, the league didn’t keep score during games, which was great. In the dugout, the assistant coaches played games with the kids to help develop other skills. They quizzed the players on position names and asked strategy questions like, “If the shortstop catches the ball on the ground, who should he throw it to?” Every player had a chance to answer questions, and prizes were given during the postgame team huddle. During practices and warm-ups, mini contests for consecutive catches or chases to run the bases were more fun than traditional infield and hitting practice. Utilizing those activities helped improve athletes’ skills, and it was all inspired by one goal: make the sport fun so every player fell in love with baseball and played the next season.
Ready For Competition
Fun takes on an entirely different meaning once a child reaches the pre-teen and teen years. It becomes less defined by traditional play and more closely associated with competitiveness. Fun means being good at something and also enjoying all the hard work it takes to ramp up one’s skills. A 13-year-old can become emotionally scarred after missing a free throw or turning a ball over at a critical point in an important game; clearly, that is NOT fun!
This underscores the importance of administrators focusing on fun skill development for younger athletes. When they associate a sport with fun, kids are more likely to become self-aware as they reach the next level. They will be ready to compete with confidence and take a big shot, or fearlessly try to make a play that’s critical to a team’s success. If they don’t, it won’t be because they weren’t prepared. And when those heartbreaking moments occur—they happen to everyone—hopefully, they will have learned that another form of fun involves finding the lessons in losses to bolster their development. It may take some convincing, but, eventually, young athletes will realize the joy of turning a painful moment into fuel for later success.
I use the following story all the time in educational sessions: Think about a 6-year-old basketball player who grabs a rebound and starts dribbling awkwardly down the court—toward the wrong basket for a layup that he or she is most likely going to miss. Or the T-ball player who hits the ball in play and runs toward third base instead of first. These things are funny and part of the game at an introductory level. No one is embarrassed or upset, including the coaches, friends, and family members who saw it happen. The game is still fun!
But move forward three to four years, and the idea of fun totally changes. Enjoyment comes from succeeding and being recognized as a good or even star player. What older kids must realize is fun is multifaceted—it’s about competing, improving, and savoring all the ups and downs of the journey. That is why it’s so important for administrators to make the fun of skill development a primary focus in athletes’ early years. When the definition of fun changes, kids must be ready. We have a limited amount of time to get them there.
And like Martel said, we need to take our fun seriously!