Journify

View Original

Top 12 Key Benefits of Youth Sports

There are very few things that have a deeper impact on young kids than sports, and the evidence on psychology and statistics greatly validates this claim.

There are many reasons youth sports have a positive impact on young people’s lives and in this article, we’ll try to dissect some of them. We’ll also look at how you can get your child or student interested in joining sports in a healthy, natural way. Without any further ado let’s jump straight into it.

Infographic from InningAce.com

The 12 Key Benefits of Youth Sport:

  1. Physically Fit

  2. Keep The Weight Under Control

  3. Improve Cardiovascular Endurance

  4. Improves Academic Results

  5. Improves Concentration

  6. Increases Self-esteem and Self-confidence

  7. Keeps Them Out of Drugs

  8. Decrease Dropout Rate

  9. Life Skills

  10. Reduce Stress and Depression

  11. Leadership Skills

  12. Improve Mental and Moral Qualities

Health Benefits

Physically Fit

The biggest and most obvious benefit of playing sports is the physical fitness increase your child will increase. Physically fit children have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.

Keep the Weight Under Control

Childhood obesity is a huge problem especially in America and sports help fight the issue in a very big way. If kids exert themselves more and burn more calories the chances of them being overweight greatly diminish.

Improve Cardiovascular Endurance

Improved cardiovascular endurance is a direct by-product of playing sports and its benefits are greatly linked to a healthier life.

What are the Health Benefits When Kids Play Sports? Check this Video:

Social Benefits

Improves Academic Results

Sports help keep kids focused. The focus has been shown to help kids work harder and as a result, get better grades and results in their examinations.

Improves Concentration

This ties into our last point, but playing sports increases focus and as a direct result your child’s concentration in and out of the classroom.

Increases Self-esteem and Self-confidence

With more achievements in the field, kids have a greater sense of accomplishment and experience an increase in their self-esteem and self-confidence.

Keeps Them Out of Drugs

Focused, driven children are far less likely to fall into bad habits like drug usage as their minds are occupied with productive activities and are not idle and easily malleable.

Decrease Dropout Rate

Like our previous points, focused children who are actively taking part in academics and co-curricular activities will undoubtedly have a higher chance of finishing their high school education.

Watch this Video Out!

Psychological Benefits

Besides the obvious physical benefits, there are a host of psychological benefits that can manifest from your child’s participation in sports.

Life Skills

Sports teach kids how to deal with difficult situations with confidence and integrity. They teach them to push through obstacles and to never give up no matter how challenging the circumstances. These are invaluable life skills that are essential in almost every professional field and avenue.

Reduce Stress and Depression

When you exercise, your body releases endorphins which are hormones that help your child feel good. This naturally reduces symptoms of depression and stress that a lot of young kids experience especially nowadays with social media and the internet.

Leadership Skills

Team sports like baseball greatly improve your child’s leadership skills as it gives them a chance to make a difference in a group of people and helps them practice these skills in a setting that is safe and supportive.

Improve Mental and Moral Qualities

Playing sports helps kids improve their mental fortitude and more importantly teaches them about morality. When your kids learn about the importance of not cheating, of being graceful in defeat and in victory, they learn the backbone of what it takes to be a morally responsible human being.

What are the Benefits of Sports in your Brain?

Ways to Get Kids Interested in Sports:

You know the importance of sports, but the question now becomes, “how do I get my child interested in playing sports in the first place.”

Lead by Example

Kids need people to look up to, whether that’s there parents or their teachers, and if they see them playing sports from a young age, they will want to take part as well.

Make Sports Fun

If the kids aren’t having fun when they play their favorite sports the chances of them sticking to it, in the long run, are very slim. It’s important to make sports fun for this very reason and this article does a great job of giving you some tips.

Encourage Team Participation

Kids respond very positively to team participation as it gives them a chance to make new friends and play a part in making a difference with a group of people they trust and admire.

Stay Positive

Most important of all, you have to be positive and encouraging if you want your kids to develop a lasting, beneficial relationship with sports. Nothing will discourage their participation and motivation more than you being negative.

Take a Look at this Amazing Video:

Conclusion

We hope this article gave you an insight into the benefits of youth sports and how they can help your child in incredible ways. For more information about baseball or other relevant information be sure to check out InningAce. We post regular updates on how to improve your baseball game and how you and your child can use sports to change your lives for the better.

Originally published on InningAce on August 28th 2020


About the Author:

Dan has been playing baseball since he is a toddler and recently graduated high school in 2020. He is fortunate enough to be real good friends with the 72nd overall pick of the MLB 2020 draft. He is currently playing college baseball hoping to achieve the same feat one day.


OTHER FEATURED ARTICLES

See this gallery in the original post