Having an end in mind is pretty important. Aspiring towards a future outcome provides the impetus and intent that helps us to act in the moment. Knowing where we want to get to also provides a sense of how we are progressing and in turn guides us along the way. Deciding upon an ultimate aim is thus a central theme of the youth sports journey. As we will explore to some extent the performer settles upon their ultimate aspiration through a process of elimination and will often try out a few before they find their true north star to guide the journey. These formative experiences and the lessons they contain are part of what makes participating in youth sports so valuable in developing crucial traits, tools and behaviours that serve the performer well not only in their chosen sport but also in their life outside sport.
THE PROFOUND EFFECTS OF HAVING AN END IN MIND…
Our aspirations are how we orient ourselves towards the future. Striving towards an outcome provides direction and propels us forwards. Our aims provide the context for how we should engage with the world in order to move towards whatever destination we have in mind. The ultimate destination provides us with a set of objectives and in turn directs what we attend to and informs our actions in the moment.
Our emotions are even shaped by the extent to which we are moving towards whatever outcome we have in mind - hence emotion. What feelings we experience in response to the events, objects and other humans we encounter along the way are largely shaped by the extent to which they are impeding or aiding our progress towards our intended destination.
So hopefully by now I have made the case that having an aim in mind is a good thing! This does however raise the question how does a young performer settle on their ultimate aim? We might also ask what can the grown ups do to assist them in the search?
DECIDING WHICH STAR TO AIM AT…
The question of what end goal we should aim for is not a straightforward one. I know many adults who are still trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up! There are a constellation of stars we could aim at, so settling on which one to set our sights on is a tricky proposition. Happily young performers have a few years to figure it out, especially if we can begin the search early on.
Sampling (i.e. engaging in multiple sports) is something that is advocated for young performers. One of the reasons given for this is that being exposed to a range of sports allows kids to develop a wider array of skills and abilities, which will ultimately serve them well in whatever sport they finally opt to pursue. Another obvious benefit for our discussion is that we should help kids to sample as many sports as possible so that they are exposed to the full range of options to select from.
BEGINNING THE SEARCH…
Whilst the arguments against early specialisation are certainly valid there are certain sports that do require that kids are exposed to them at a younger age to improve their chances of ultimately being successful at the elite level - examples would include, swimming, gymnastics and even weightlifting. There are also other sports that similarly favour early exposure due to the fact that they involve very different environments - such as ice and snow (i.e. skating sports, snow sports).
From a pragmatic point of view, we might therefore want to include these sports in the sample to hedge our bets! Beyond that, what directs the search is essentially whatever holds a fascination for the young performer. Aside from establishing what might be the best fit, we are seeing what might provide the spark that ignites the flame for the performer.
To be clear kids do not have to be enrolled in a formal or structured programme - in fact it is better if it is not. What we are seeking is that the young person can try the sport out and have a play. The role of the grown ups at this point is to reveal the essentials of what makes the sport interesting - to that end we just need to provide a minimum level of instruction so that they are competent enough to experience the elementary skills (and of course ensure the necessary safety measures are in place).
Otherwise we should get out of the way and let them play and explore. We can help them to be be competent but otherwise we should stand aside and let them play with and against other kids - cooperation and competition are integral features and vital parts of what makes sport engaging so both these elements need to be preserved (another reason that the grown ups should get out of the way). When provided with the equipment, rudimentary skills and a place to play the kids will likely figure out the rules and the structure for themselves.
EMBARKING ON THE QUEST…
A crucial aspect of having an aim is that if we know what we are aiming for we can set about equipping ourselves to achieve the ultimate aim in the future. Envisioning something in the future that we desire to attain is what prompts us to engage in practice (and physical preparation) in a deliberate and purposeful manner. Once again, this is part of what makes sport so valuable in developing traits and behaviours (notably conscientiousness, tenacity) that serve the young person in all parts of their life, including the academic realm.
Thus there comes a point in the youth sports journey when the young performer must look towards the future and commit themselves to attaining a specified long-term aspiration. As noted previously, early adolescence is a pivotal phase from this perspective as this is point in a young person’s development when they start to acquire the faculty and inclination to aspire and work purposefully towards a future goal. That said, certain sports that favour early specialisation may require this commitment to be made sooner; whereas for other sports this may be deferred to a later date.
In many ways any future aim is better than none, so when faced with doubts on which star to aim for it serves a young performer well to simply pick one and proceed accordingly. Essentially anything that orients us towards the future will enable us to engage in purposeful action in the present. We can triangulate our position along the way and likely change course or switch track entirely. In any case there will be valuable lessons learned along the way.
Observing what top sportspeople or prominent people the young person admires also offers some leads on what type of performer they aspire to be. What traits and qualities their role models have in common is certainly indicative. More importantly this helps the performer to model their future self; and it is this future self that the performer should use to guide their approach in the present.
Having defined a long-term aim we can construct a hierarchy of goals to direct our efforts in the short- and medium term. An exercise that I have used in the past with young performers is to break down what they are working towards in a way that is differentiated at multiple levels according to the respective time-frame involved. Beginning with the long-term aspiration (‘I want to be an Olympian’), they then define a stepping stone towards their ultimate aim, then a short-term process goal they can work on over the coming period which will help them achieve the defined medium-term objective, and finally set an intention for the immediate-term (i.e. this is what I will do today). Aside from sharpening their focus and bringing a higher level of resolution, this is a helpful discipline to encourage the performer to be systematic in their approach. Of course this is also an exercise that should be revisited periodically, not least as it is all somewhat subject to change.
Cover photo credit: Photo by Rad Pozniakov on Unsplash
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