Is There a Role for Weight Training in the Physical Development of Children?
Once considered a fringe activity, weight training has grown in popularity in the last 20 years due to its benefits for improving health, physical fitness, and performance. Weight training is often included in high school physical education classes and promoted for young athletes as a supplement to sport training. However, various myths regarding weight training…
Early specialization and coordination patterns
New research reported in the Journal of Athletic Therapy discovered early specialization was associated with unstable hip and knee coordination patterns in female youth athletes. Proprioceptive, agility, and other neuromuscular-training techniques should be used by coaches and athletic trainers to correct the coordination differences to reduce the risk of injury.
Physical Activity and Emotional Development
Research from the Université de Montréal found that children with low or no participation in organized sport from ages 6-10 showed higher emotional distress, anxiety, shyness, and social withdrawal at age 12 than those who participated regularly. The authors suggest that emotional skills learned through sport can help youth successfully navigate the transition from primary…
Development in minor hockey
Hockey Canada recommends a ratio of two (or more) practices for every game played — claiming that one efficient practice will provide a player with more opportunities for skill development that 11 games combined. This article from The Conversation explores how the competition-oriented structure and win-at-all-costs culture of minor hockey limits opportunities for players to…
Changing the Sport Culture by Changing the Rules
High-level athletes compete to win. Sometimes, however, they make rash decisions in the heat of the moment that can have serious, long-term consequences. Take figure skating, for example. There have been instances in the past where athletes and coaches were suspected of downplaying concerns about head injury because interrupting a skater’s program would have resulted…
Rowan’s Law Day 2019
Today is “Rowan’s Law Day” – commemorated annually on the last Wednesday of September to raise awareness about concussion prevention and management. Learn more about Rowan Stringer and SIRC’s Four Rs of concussion management, then use #RowansLawDay and #HeadstrongCanada online to share how you, your team, or your organization is taking action.
Bianca Andreescu & Mental Toughness
Bianca Andreescu made history on Saturday as the first Canadian tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles championship. Her success is attributed, in part, to her mental toughness. Learn how athletes manage stress and stay focused through goal setting, self-talk, imagery and arousal control in this article from The Conversation.
Deselection in Sport
“Deselection,” or being cut from a team, can have negative emotional, social and physical consequences for athletes. These include loss of friends and social circles, reduced self-esteem, decreased physical activity, and impacts on long-term engagement in sport. Learn how coaches can improve the experience for athletes, and consider alternative participation models, in the SIRCuit.
Positive Para Sport Experience
Positive experiences in sport provide a foundation for participation, regardless of whether athletes are participating in community sport programs or competing at the Parapan American Games. The Quality Parasport Participation Framework identifies six “building blocks” of positive sport participation: autonomy, belonging, challenge, engagement, mastery and meaning. Learn more in the SIRC blog.
CPC Health and Wellness Video Series
In a series of videos developed by the Canadian Paralympic Committee in partnership with Pfizer, Para sport athletes share the value of sport in their lives, and talk about the mental component of training and competition. Featured athletes include Tess Routliffe (Para swimming) Keely Shaw (Para cycling), Rob Shaw (wheelchair tennis), and Nathan Riech (Para…