Providing evidence-based sport and physical activity opportunities that intentionally support the development of physical literacy can help youth rebound from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities that are fun, challenging yet accomplishable, and that spark creativity in movement welcome youth back to the playing field and hold promise for keeping them engaged in the long-term.
Physical activity remains low and sedentary behaviours remain high despite increased awareness of the importance of sport and exercise for health. A recent study examined how motivation to engage in physical activity varies across the day. Researchers found that motivation to exercise fluctuates in a manner similar to a circadian rhythm.
Researchers correlate early specialization in sport with a higher likelihood of injury, burnout and dropout from sport. Multi-sport participation helps young athletes develop a spectrum of skills that transfer to later specialization. The best advice regarding pre-puberty athletes is to help them experience a variety of sports and activities, including unstructured play, and allow them to gravitate to their sport of choice.
Research suggests youth sport training focusing on exploration is central for holistic development. An explorative approach to youth sport and physical activity is one that includes more opportunities for problem solving, autonomy and creativity, and engaging in different types of physical activities.
Sport and physical activity research can get stuck sitting in the pages of academic journals. Integrated knowledge translation is one way to make sure that doesn’t happen! Integrated knowledge translation involves meaningful collaboration between researchers and knowledge users to help bridge the gap between research and practice.
Research from the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial University has shown that foam rolling can increase range of motion, as well as reduce pain and the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness, without having any adverse effects on performance. Foam rolling is a useful tool for athletes during warm up or recovery.
Adolescence is an important period of physical growth and the development of one’s relationship with food. Researchers assert that those providing nutritional advice to adolescent athletes should emphasize sustainable long-term health and avoid a focus on body composition, which can contribute to the development of disordered eating practices or low energy availability. Adolescent athletes need a balance of macro- and micronutrients to support training and growth.
The Canadian Disability Participation Project has created Canada’s first ever disability report card that summarizes physical activity data for youth with disabilities. Key findings included the need to prioritize youth with disabilities in policy and funding, improve monitoring, remove ableism for existing benchmarks, and address measurement gaps.
Sport and physical activity research can get stuck sitting in the pages of academic journals. Integrated knowledge translation is one way to make sure that doesn’t happen! Integrated knowledge translation involves meaningful collaboration between researchers and knowledge users to help bridge the gap between research and practice.
A team’s success depends on how well each athlete understands and performs their role. To create a sustainable winning culture, coaches must give each team member, from starters to bench players, a set of behaviours that can become personally meaningful. Learn more about how to establish and communicate role expectations in the SIRC blog.
