Coaches Corner
Developing Athletes

Does being a good athlete come naturally? Is it something that is developed over time? When is a good time to encourage our kids? Is it important to start early? At very young ages we encourage activity and enjoy seeing our kids walk, run, throw a ball and even skate. Some kids develop the necessary motor skills quicker than others, while some take a while to excel at a particular activity. Regardless of the rate of development we must keep in mind that kids will develop at a pace that it as individual as each of us.

There are critical learning periods for children learning motor skills. A woman by the name of Myrtle McGraw is credited for first noticing this phenomenon. If we look at hockey, it becomes clear that there are definite factors at play. Children will mature physically, emotionally and socially at different rates. So, the critical learning period is also different for different kids. There is no evidence to support that early exposure to a sport is the key element that leads to eventual success. In fact, it is impossible to predict who will benefit from early exposure and who will not. At times, early exposure can contribute to the attrition rate as kids get older and drop out of a particular sport.

What this tells us is that you can never know when that critical time frame is exactly upon us. Furthermore, one kid could be 12-years-old, but be physically more like most 15-year-olds. Or the opposite could be the case where a 12-year-old has the maturity of most 9-year-olds. So the tendency is for an occurrence as simple as a kid's motivation, a growth spurt or a taste of success to spring a child into his/her optimal time frame for development. Therefore, to take advantage of this trend, we must adhere to the following as much as possible:

• encourage our kids to be involved in a variety of motor skill activities
• keep in mind the physical attributes of the participants and make adjustments as necessary (ie. the lighter blue puck for mites)
• practice all component skills of the sport (ie. teach the various positions)
• create an environment where kids want to be involved
• allow as many children to participate as possible