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 ®

htttp://www.runfunstarz.co.uk 

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 ®

htttp://www.runfunstarz.co.uk 

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 ®

htttp://www.runfunstarz.co.uk 

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 ®

htttp://www.runfunstarz.co.uk

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

 

Run Fun Starz Group ®

htttp://www.runfunstarz.co.uk