How To Engage Parents In Your Sport & Physical Activity Message...

As a Sport Activity Leader encouraging children to maintain an active lifestyle is vital. Equally it is best to get the parents on board as with more understanding from home the higher the chances of continuing activities. Fortunately, many parents are very clued up about their children's sport or physical activity. At the same time there are those who have little or no understanding. But how can these parents give guidance on health benefits of sport to your pupils if they don't know this information themselves? 

Since not everyone is always familiar with certain terminologies used in reference to health and physical activity; to engage parents you should also provide generic information about your sport, physical activity and its benefits that it entails. A lot of parents may prefer someone who knows what they are talking about to directly speak to their child. However, this is no reason at all that you cannot involve the parents in the process of communicating your message beyond the sports hall or wherever the sessions are taking place. Admittedly, some parents may see it as your job to this but others will appreciate the information you make available. What ever the case it is good practice.

You can provide a handout after or before each lesson which outlines the following:

(A) Generic term and definition of the activity, technique and/or skill that was performed or practiced in the session.

(B) Brief explanation of why/how/when this particular activity, skill and/or technique is applied.

(C) What are the benefits of the practicing the particular activity, skill and/or technique.

(D) How the parent can help their child practice it with small adaptations.

(E) What social, psychological, physical and technical skills will their child learn?

(F) How will their child's health and fitness improve as a result? 

(G) A personal account of their child's development in the sport or physical activity

(F) Easy and practical ways their child can be supported.

Some of the above can also be constructed as Key Learning points. Alternatively, you could provide a small document which demonstrates the programmes which their child will be taking participating in in the long term. This will give parents a good indication of what is to come ahead and how it relates to their child's health benefits. If you do not have the resources for the latter you could clearly place the information on a notice board for everyone to see. When writing the information avoid using jargon and write it in a way where anyone is able to pick the piece of information up and understand it.

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How To Set Attainable Goals in Team Sports....

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Encouraging a group of participants/players of setting their own goals within the team or for an individual is a great way of increasing motivation, keeping focus on the task in hand and building a sense of unity. The most important aspect of goal setting is that they are realistic and achievable otherwise you risk the reverse effect. When setting goals as a team, class or group it is vital that you take every one's input into consideration. This important because this will boost commitment and dedication as individuals will feel they have an affiliation to the goals and a shared purpose.

Additionally, giving out responsibility shows you value their views. This blog would suggest that you sit down together as a group to establish the goals. If you are coach you may already have goals you have established for the team, now it is the time to maybe allow the team itself to come up with some goals. The coach can be involved in some aspects of goal setting such as process goals to provide technical information.

Here are three key themes to think about when setting goals.

1. Planning - This the period of constructing the goals and discussing the possible strategies to use in order to reach the goals. The goals can be decided within of a training session. Alternatively they could be set through workshops/presentations in a controlled environment. Also, meetings where discussions are held are advisable. One of your goals may be to improve team work ethic. In this case you may consider a pre-match routine which everyone gets involved in. It may be something simple as one/different individual leading the warm-up each week whom the rest of the group follow. The planning period is the key part of the participant/player's mental development since they are learning how to set realistic goals in the future. Avoid emphasising outcome goals especially for kids and those low on confidence. Process goals are more suitable for the latter. 

2. Meeting - The meeting period is about confirming the deadline/dates for meeting specific goals. It could be when a certain movement/routine has to be perfected. You can keep a record of deadlines team and individual goals by using Log Books and Diaries. Combine short term and long term goals. Short term goals because it will help to give an immediate focus to the overall goals. Set long term goals as this is likely to link to the main incentive which can maximise effort.  

3. Evaluation -  The Evaluation period is meeting as a team and individuals to assess progress and make adjustments to team and individual goals. Question such as: How are we doing? What needs to be changed? Are there any problems? What needs o improve? This can be after each session. If you are a more organised team/club then organise specific dates which are dedicated to collectively evaluating the goals.

Appropriate goal setting will reduce the possibility of anxiety when the goal is not achieved. Overall goal setting is important because it gives the participants/players perceived sense of control and self-confidence when they have been achieved. Another important thing to remember is to make the progress visable to the participants and players.

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How To Encourage Pupils in London Secondary Schools to do more Sports?

It was one of the last Government's top priorities to ensure pupils get at least 2 hours of physical activity a week. Now only 6% of pupils actually meet this target. In 2008 the Department for Children, Schools and Families reported that 97% of 11 year old Primary School Children participated in at least two hours of high quality PE and out of hours school sports in a typical week. This figure was pretty much steady from Year 1. However, once pupils have reached Secondary School this figure gradually decreases. This is all a too familiar trend. On a national level, in 2008 by the time the pupil is in Year 7 it is at 95%. Now it has reduced to 90%. Currently in London, it is at 87% for pupils aged 12 years. Thus over the last two years there has been a steady decline in physical activity and the trend certainly seems worse in the capital.

Less than 6% of pupils take part in 2 hours of physical activity in Hackney with Chelsea and Kensington being one of the few with 100% participation. One of the main themes quoted in being a determinant in enthusiasm for extra physical activity for pupils in London's Secondary schools is school competition. In 2010 the then Children's Minister Mr. Tim Loughton stated “Young people's involvement in competitive sport remains disappointingly low. We aim to spark a competitive school sport revolution by giving thousands of young people the chance to compete at school sport competitions in 2012.” He is right in pointing out the need for more competition as this is once of the key incentives for pupils.

London Evening Standard

Nevertheless, this revolution should begin now and not just because of the 2012 Olympics. There is a need for more regular inter and intra competitions in and between schools. this has been acknowledged for a while now. This set up for this must be well structured, organised and comprehensive. Some Primary Schools are already working together to share the extra curricular activities to make them available to pupils from another school. Partnerships like these should be considered more among Secondary Schools because. Primary Schools who do this may be really on to something. It could be the catalyst for the beginning of  inter school competitions. More importantly, an integrative approach to school competition as a whole could be a great way to encourage pupils to do more than 2 hours of physical activity a week.

Additionally it must also go beyond competition in school. Young people in our programmes often want fresh challenges. The chance of playing in tournaments around different boroughs is a very attractive proposition to pupils because it is seen as a bigger opportunity to recognised and rewarded for their achievements. After all to reinforce positive behaviour  there often has to be some kind of reward. Pupils need to be shown that you do not need to be a potential talented athlete to perform or compete in major events. And for those may be talented provide direction and a pathway by working with sports organisations. There must be a larger appeal to pupils in London than taking part in school physical activity week in week out just for the sake of it. No wonder pupils feel disillusioned with sports and physical activity. By the time pupils reach the age of 12 this is not enough and hence the crave for a new kind of excitement is heightened. Young people become more competitive and less impressionable than they were at primary school.

The introduction of niche sports is the way forward. The wider choice and range of sports available to pupils the more interest and commitment. We cannot stress this enough. Pupils are often motivated by new opportunities. So by offering a new experience in a sport that they have perhaps only seen on TV and played in the Americas or Asia you are further engaging their imagination. You must find out what it is they want

In relation engagement, which we have discussed in one of our previous posts, in order to encourage London pupils to do more sports the people or the person directly delivering these sports should be someone they can relate to. Many of the pupils who are not getting two hours of physical activity come from poorer boroughs. Therefore it is even more important that those supervising the activities are potential role models who come from a similar back ground. These individuals are also more likely to communicate to the pupils at a level they are responsive to and motivates their participation further.

Further participation is also about creating a safe environment. Creating a safe environment for pupils is of course constantly drilled into coaches and I'm sure for teachers too. Now it may be safe. But you also need to consider if the pupils actually feel that the surrounding area is safe. Obviously if they feel that they could be a potential target or if they are already a victim of bullying it is less likely that they are willing to stay in an environment for an extra hour to play sports. This problem must be addressed, especially within inner-city secondary schools.  

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Increase Your Team Work (Ethic) 

We are all aware that if you want to work in a functional and productive environment a positive team work ethic can make it half easier.

The video below demonstrates fantastic ideas of Team Work activities that can be used to build a better team. The even better thing about it is that it can be used by people of different ages and backgrounds. You can use it as part of Staff Training, ice breakers or for a junior sports team in school, clubs etc. 


The main tip to take away from this video is that fun and challenging activities which require the support of peers can help develop a bond.

 Free Icebreakers, Team Building & Training Fun

After you have watched the video; can this be beneficial to you if you work in an environment where the ability to carry out your task effectively may depend on another individual? The answer is of course yes. You may not have the equipment but you could always improvise.


What do you think of the video? Would you try it out at any capacity? I thought it was quite fun and clever..  

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What can YOU do to make Sports & Physical Activity More Appealing to almost anyone?

Here are the KEY things you can do.

1.
To begin with the best thing to do is to identify factors linking to sport and physical activity that would appeal to the individual. You need to investigate their preferences, likes and dislikes.


2.
Secondly, people take part in sports and physical activity for a number of reasons. There may even be a factor that is more relevant to your specific domain that you have not taken into account and as a result it is keeping people away. You need to get on to this as soon as possible. These reasons are often about:


- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
- Improving their level of fitness
- Confidence building and boost
- Motivation
- Personal enjoyment
- Socialising with other members of the community 
- Making friends
- Fun
- Competition
- Catharsis and energy release
- External rewards  
- Being part of a team
- Skill development


You need to find out how to get the best out of them with the regards to the above. This links to the next point.




Where do they want to go?

 3.
Thirdly,  in order to really make sports and physical activity appealing the personal benefits of it needs to be shown. Visual results are very powerful. People are much more likely to be responsive to something that has helped them better themselves. Implement a set up that regularly displays and monitors their progress.  

4.
People are always attracted to things that are most in aligned to their terms and outlook. The topic of accommodation has been discussed in our other blogs. So try to accommodate their needs and requirements as much as possible (without compromising others and within a scale that is feasable).


5.
Finally, identify patterns. Identify patterns in terms of low or no turn out from certain groups or individuals and act on them. Work out why it is that your sports and physical activities is not appealing to them specifically but it is to others and act on it accordingly. 

This list is not exhaustive.


What are your views?

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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Why is the standard of Disability Sports activities still lagging behind?

 

Disabled people have some of the lowest participation rates in the UK. According to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (2007) only 8.8-9.5% of disabled adults are involved in regular moderate activity compared to the popular average of 21%. The barriers in challenging the standard of disability sports provision is really not that much different to other groups. It is perhaps the perception and approach people have to improving the quality of activities for people with disabilities that requires more drive. Like girls and women in sport the low standards of activities is often linked to access to facilities/equipment and funding (sponsorships). Furthermore, activities failing to accommodate physical capabilities, supervision and inadequate expertise and knowledge in delivering Adapted Sports are also barriers which influence standards.  Visit the Run Fun Starz Group page to find out more about Adapted Sports. This post will outline these issues with regards to disability sports at community level.

One of the major reasons the standard of Disability Sports is lagging is due to little or no understanding of which activities are available and suitable by those responsible for providing the activities. This is possibly because they are not even aware that sports and activities geared towards people with disabilities at a local level even exist. So an attempt to integrate the person with a disability into a mainstream activity is made. This is good when the integration is successful. However, the success of this integration is dependent on the type of disability. For instance it is easier for someone with hearing impairment to me included in a Table Tennis compared to involving someone in the same session who has an upper limb disability. This increases the chances of not taking part at all as their needs are not being met. In the latter example Polybat may be a more suitable choice of activity. Thus to develop the standard those directly involved in providing the activities should have the necessary Coach Education and Training relating to Disability Sports (Adapted Sports) such as Boccia, New Age Kurling and  Table Cricket this will build knowledge and experience.

People supervising activities may not be practically involved in raising standards. It is important to allow people to play the sport but if the activity is not explained or demonstrated then the risk is the person is not learning or gaining the skills that they should do. Consequently, they get into a bad habit like everyone else. It could be due to the perception that because someone is disabled it is okay for them to learn or practice incorrectly. With an outlook like this of course the quality of the activity will not be up to standard and hence the level of learning and acquiring skills is lower than it could be. It is according to the context in which the activity is being taught, the type of disability and capabilities of the person which must influence the decision to make the correction required. To enhance the experience for disabled people supervisors should use their observations and experiences to get involved more in the activities.

In relation to access to facilities and equipment for activities this plays a vital part to the standards.  Some facilities still have poor accommodation for those with disabilities often linking to spacing. If you could not manoeuvre around a Sports Hall properly it is certain to take away from your experience in the activity as you are being restricted. Thus poor facilities impact the setting of activities. For example the Wheel Chair Slalom Event in Athletics requires adequate space for the wheelchair to move freely. In addition, if the suitable racket for playing Polybat is not available to someone with a upper limb disability and they are forced to use a Table Tennis racket they are not able to grip properly it means standards of the activity provided is lower than it should be.

The above issue like most challenges in accessing sports is funding and perhaps sponsorship. The good news is that governing bodies like Sport England continue increase funding. In March 2010 they provided a further £10m to disability sports. Despite some standards still lagging behind in communities things have come a long way and many organisations are providing schemes and activities to improve access. 

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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How to engage Young People..

Coach engaging his Young Participant

The first step to engage young young people in activities, sports and programmes is to involve them in the decision making process. This can be done by holding discussions where they are able to voice their views, ideas and any concerns they may have.  Young people can be very imaginative and enthusiastic therefore some of their ideas may not always be feasable. Ensure that you show appreciation to it even if it is unfeasable and demonstrate the reasons they cannot be carried out. Don't dismiss what they have to say as they are likely to feel they are not being listened to. Suggest alternatives to their proposals which are on a smaller scale and achievable in the short and long term.

On a long term basis set a system where young people can regularly express their views and have them recorded for future reference and learning. You can use measures such as questionnaires which investigate young people's feelings about how things are going in the programmes. Make it clear that you value their opinion and that you aim to provide the most enjoyable experience for them. Make a commitment that they have an option of their answers being confidential. This contribute to creating  an environment they feel safe in and building trusting towards you.

Furthermore, aim to produce an atmosphere that is friendly and positive among the young people themselves. Young people can be mistrusting of people in their same age group. Break down this barrier by organising ice breakers which requires them to talk about their experience (negative or positive) to the rest of the group. Additionally, ask the young people to come up with a shared vision in what they want to get out of their involvment. Display this vision clearly around the facility. This will create a shared common aim for everyone to relate to. 

Treat every person as an individual who has their own personality and taste. Take an interest in their other hobbies they may tell you about. Show interest. Find out what makes them 'tick' and work on everyone's strengths. A strength my be a young person with leadership qualities; give this person a responsibility that they like. Another strength might be organisation; give this person a planning task that they actually like. The point is delegate tasks so they feel a part of it and challenged at the same time. It means they are learning skills and enjoying themselves in one go. Also work on the group's strength as a whole.

This strength may be thriving from reward and achievement. Give them a 'licence' to show that they have been merited in their efforts and achievements. Offer certificates/qualifications for them to show off to their peers, family and future employers. Young people should feel appreciated. Reward is likely to bring intrinsic motivation and a sense of self-worth. More importantly it will do wonders for their overall confidence engaging in future programmes.

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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How do you attract Sports Drop Outs back?

Part of increasing sports participation is also about reaching out to those who have a background of playing sports before. How can you increase sport participation if people are dropping back out again? In this blog you will get a clear idea of how to attract sports drop outs back into sport. Sport Drop Out is not a technical or scientific term. It is a colloquial one. For the purpose of this blog it shall take it to mean; an individual who participated in regular sports activities and is still physically able to continue but no longer make themselves available due to various factors. To continue with the subject of sports drop outs. You could say many are simply not interested. Admittedly, some are genuinely not interested in taking part in sport anymore. What about those who are but lose their way? Firstly, lets take a look at the non-practical reasons they have abandoned sports.

Image via Wikipedia

After spending years playing sport you might have an unpleasant experience which makes you think twice about continuing. This negative experience could vary from things becoming too competitive for you to being told you're not good enough by your peers, on lookers or even coaches. Studies and research have shown that the enjoyment of sport is related to your experiences and if you are not having fun you are highly likely to stop. Secondly, it may be that your motivation has diminished as the experience itself is not the same anymore. Your motivational needs are no longer being met. 

Indeed many attempt to get back into sports. You often see posters around your community saying something along the lines of '_________ Activities on Tues 5:00-6:00pm for beginners, intermidiate & adavanced level players. All welcome'. So the person decides to try it out and they may very well like it.  At the same time if they were not satisfied with their experience chances are you will not be seeing them again. It is at this critical point an intervention is needed before losing that person possibly forever. An experience like this could further knock down their hopes. Therefore their attitude and perception of playing sport changes. Concequently, many who drop out of sports can become cynical of sports activities and programmes due to differences which also could be cultural. 

People who drop out of sport need to be reconnected in a way that considers all differences and that is sensitive to their personal characteristics, experiences and expectations in order to increase confidence and motivation in taking part again. How do you go about doing this? It is easy to suggest that just directing them to a local leisure centre or gym will help. You need to consider why they dropped out in the first place to attract them. This involves encouraging the individual to tell their story. What has been your best experience and why? Why did you stop taking part? What would motivate you to take part again? How can we support you? What do you want achieve from taking part? What are your expectations of getting back into it? Those are the type of questions that need to be addressed.

Finding out about someone's experience is best carried out by inviting them for an informal chat with the person. It may also be investigated through a some sort of a questionnaire. I would suggest an infomal chat or discussion because then you are more likely to get the essence of the person. Both is useful. This way you can gather valuable information about them and aim to apply as much as possible into your activities and programmesto their experience. Inform the of how you intend to improve and enhance their experience. Additionally, demonstrate the personal benefits to them. Moreover, it also helps matching them up with a person/member who has had a similar experience to them and now has found success by playing sport again. This part of making them feel welcomed and that they belong here. We are more inspired by those who are like ourselves because we can relate to them.  As a result they coud feel less anxious and more confident about joining in because you are showing real purpose to address their concerns.

Who should address all these factors? A collective effort is the most effective. Implement the aim to attract and maintain sports drop out as part of your system. This means everyone from the receptionist to the Head Coach has a role to play. Also give the responsibility to a person of finding out about them as a whole. Consistently re-evaluate how they are getting on to monitor progress and deal with issues.

To build a foundation that will improve on numbers in sport you need to continually retain and rekindle the joy people get from playing sports. How about yourself? What are your experiences and views on the matter?


Run Fun Starz Group ®

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A Coach Takes You to Your Destination. Where is Yours?

 

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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Is Coaching (or Teaching Sport) too Inclusive?


The idea that coaches are too inclusive is dependent on which level they are working in. According to Duffy’s (2007) diagram of The UK Framework: A 3-7-11 the role of Children’s and Participant Coaches is to be as inclusive as possible. See an example of this on a Run Fun Starz Sports Session Plan. But the danger is the standards of development at this level are minimized to accommodate participants with less ability. This is not necessarily the fault of the coach. If your duty is to 'coach to the middle' do you ignore the top? The answer should be no but it is difficult and sometimes even impossible to reach out to both.  If you are ignoring the top then you are not being inclusive if we go by the definition?. When coaches have been set rigid criteria may it be by an organisation they work for, a club or a contract that must be followed it has a huge influence on how they coach, what they coach and whom they focus on.

Even so the standards of the developmental or participation stage should always seek to improve to get the best out of each individual including those with an advanced ability. If the aims and objectives are to coach to the middle those setting the agendas must also be aware that this risks excluding others. If coaches can be given the freedom of being inclusive without the expense of others who have the potential to develop beyond achieving basics then there is nothing wrong with being too inclusive.

What are your thoughts?

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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Free 1 hour Sport Session Trial

Free 1 hour Sport Session Trial 

Request a FREE Trial for your School or Community group fill in the small contact form Contact Form or email info@runfunstarz.co.uk. The Run Fun Starz Group is offering a series of FREE Session trials to London Schools and Community Group with youngsters aged 6-16 years for the month of October 2010. This is an opportunity for you to observe the quality of delivery and great enjoyment to the children and young people. In the 1 hour session trial the children and young people involved will get a taste of learning the core social, technical, psychological, physical and experience elements of the Flexy Sports Programme. It will give the chance for the children and young people to experience a sport they may have never even heard of. This offer is only available for October so Enquire NOW!

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Link with Your Local Organisations

Did you know that only 18% of East London pupils participate in activities run by clubs linked to their school, compared with a UK average of 27% (Pro Active East London, 2007)? There are various reasons for this. One reason may be that the children or young people are not being engaged correctly by these sports clubs. It may also be due to many clubs specialising in one or very narrow fields of sports. If you have a sporting event like sports day or you want to organise competitions it is a good idea to contact local organisations. The benefits of linking with local organisations include:

• Possibly being offered FREE services
• Having the input and support of professionals with expetise
• The introduction of new, modern and innovative extra curricular activities
• Increase community cohesion
• A helping a hand with staging competitions & tournaments
• Bringing in professionals who are seen as role models to children and young people
• Given extra help from volunteers affiliated with the organisation
• Improve the low sports participation rates

So go beyond the borders. Contact local organisations and see what FREE services they may have to offer.

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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Build a better coaching compatibility

Build a better coaching compatibility

Lets be honest, if you are going to help the people you coach to be a success you need to do it correctly right?



The 6 minute video below encouraged me to write this post because it contains some essential points to building a better coaching compatibility with your athletes or the people you coach for a more productive relationship. In short those being coached will listen when they are open to being coached by YOU? Because at the end of the day who likes to listen to someone they do not have confidence in? Many of us have felt that and it feels frustrating.


Therefore the key tip in this video here is that if you want to build a better coaching compatibility you must firstly ensure your athletes or the people you coach are willing to take your ideas on board, then watch this video and use the clues that are highlighted here.

Video

Now that you have watched the video. Would you agree that by making your athletes feel confident in your ideas and knowing how to execute them it is highly likely to lead to success? Indeed it is. You may not need to attract athletes or people to your coaching if the people getting coached by you have great faith in you as a coach.


If you agree with this then let your followers know by retweeting the message. Looking forward to your responses too. Do you agree with the topic?

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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How To Help Children Struggling to Cope in a Sports Session and PE Lesson

Children competing to catch the Handball

How do you help children in your Sports Session or even PE Lesson to cope with the demands? For an experienced coach this may be less of a challenge. For other coaches still learning their trade it can become confusing or even seem like a lost cause. It is never a lost cause. We work hard in our sessions and constructing coaching plans. So when a participant, particularly a child is struggling to cope with the demands we are disappointed because we want them to learn as much as possible from the session. If a child walks away without taking any learning point. You have not done your job.

As coaches we must anticipate the need to adapt sessions to the needs of children and young people. It is almost impossible to deliver a session that is progressive without 'tweaking' the session a little bit. Therefore when a child is struggling to cope chances are that the coach is to blame due to poor planning or lack of anticipation/experience. But lets not dwell on that. We will tell you the very fundamentals that are working for Run Fun Starz Coaches;

1. Manipulating Objects

 By manipulating objects I am referring to changing the way equipment is used or even not used. For example in a Hurdle Sprint drill the hurdle itself may be slightly to high for a child in the session. You can make it easier by using a smaller hurdle or even replace the hurdle completely and use a Traffic Cone instead.

2. Take advantage of Space Available

More often than not there is lots of space available. So use it. This is one of the most common and basic adaptations coaches apply. Depending on the sport of course changing the area of activity/space just a little can make the biggest difference to the child. For instance if a child cannot dribble through a restricted space in a Basketball drill, make the area bigger for them to manoeuvre around.

3. Give Hints & Ask Questions

Sometimes the best thing to do is to let the child figure it out for themselves. But guide them through it. Coaching a child to demonstrate a Short Pass in Football may require you to name the steps as they kick or question what the next step is to complete the short pass.

4. Imitation

This similar to demonstration. The difference is you as a coach perform the drill with the child as they copy your moves, technique, strategy and whatever you aiming to coach. It will allow you to check for understanding. More importantly it will place you in the shoes of the child to experience as well as observe first hand what they are doing incorrectly. Allow the child to imitate you step by step. It's like learning to tie your shoe laces, it helps to do it slowly and in stages that can be remembered.

5. Involve other Children

This is also about making the session easier for you as a coach. If you delegate a little responsibility to other children to help their peers it can work wonders. For example when practicing a balancing movement in Gymnastics ask children to support each other from the back/side if it is too hard to balance without stability.

6. Allow adequate Practice

Unfortunately allowing children to practice is something coaches still underestimate. The best coaches allow 'play to go on' sometimes because often it is only by trial and error children learn. It is important not to rush children. They might be able to do a perfect Forearm one week and the next they cannot even hold the racket properly and vice versa. This part of development; which brings me to the next point.

7. Implement a Transitional Stage

This is a sub-transitional stage for children and young people who are lacking competence in a skill. It is comparable to a 'safety net' given to talented late developing athletes to compensate for their slower progress. The sub-transitional stage has no specific time frame in which the child should grasp the skill/technique. It is a way to monitor progress according to the ability of the child concerned only and manipulating their strengths.

This list is not exhaustive of course.

Run Fun Starz Group ®

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