Youth Sport In Australia

Youth sport in Australia explores the history and policy development of youth sport in the Australian context, the role of sport and physical education in private and public schools. The book investigates the conflict between elite and grassroots sport and its repercussions on policymaking and youth involvement in sport.

Sport in the lives of young Australians offers an informative look into the practice of sport, the nature of children's and young people's experiences, and its significance for their development.

Youth Sport in Australia explores the history and policy development of youth sport in the Australian context, the role of sport and physical education in private and public schools, and community clubs.

Elite youth sport competitions have increased significantly in number in recent years, with the Youth Olympic Games representing the high point of this phenomenon. This book examines the global context within which elite youth sport has emerged and continues to grow. It explores elite youth sport policy across fifteen countries, in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia, addressing the questions of how youth talent development is organised and why elite youth sport has become so popular. Taking a comparative global perspective, the book analyses the growth in more systematic approaches to young athlete development and the increasing emphasis on early talent identification. It discusses the attitude of stakeholders (such as NGBs, governments and sponsors) towards elite youth sport, while also considering how young elite athletes’ interests are protected and how the growth in elite youth sport affects a sport’s development strategy. Written by a team of internationally renowned researchers, Elite Youth Sport Policy and Management: A comparative analysis is fascinating reading for all students, scholars, managers, policy-makers and coaches with an interest in youth sport, elite sport development, talent identification and sports policy.

Although the physical and psychological benefits of youth participating in sport are evident, the increasing professionalization and specialization of youth sport, primarily by coaches and parents, are changing the culture of youth sport and causing it to erode the ideal mantra: “It’s all about the kids.” In Best Practice for Youth Sport, readers will gain an appreciation of an array of issues regarding youth sport. This research-based text is presented in a practical manner, with examples from current events that foster readers’ interest and class discussion. The content is based on the principle of developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), which can be defined as engaging in decisions, behaviors, and policies that meet the physical, psychological, and social needs of children and youth based on their ages and maturational levels. This groundbreaking resource covers a breadth of topics, including bone development, burnout, gender and racial stereotypes, injuries, motor behavior, and parental pressures. Written by Robin S. Vealey and Melissa A. Chase, the 16 chapters of Best Practice for Youth Sport are divided into four parts. Part I, Youth Sport Basics, provides readers with the fundamental knowledge and background related to the history, evolution, and organization of youth sport. Part II, Maturation and Readiness for Youth Sport Participants, is the core of understanding how and why youth sport is different from adult sport. This part details why it is important to know when youth are ready to learn and compete. Part III, Intensity of Participation in Youth Sport, examines the appropriateness of physical and psychological intensity at various developmental stages and the potential ramifications of overtraining, overspecialization, overstress, and overuse. The text concludes with part IV, Social Considerations in Youth Sport, which examines how youth sport coaches and parents can help create a supportive social environment so that children can maximize the enjoyment and benefits from youth sport. In addition to 14 appendixes, activities, glossaries, study questions, and other resources that appear in Best Practice for Youth Sport, the textbook is enhanced with instructor ancillaries: a test package, image bank, and instructor guide that features a syllabus, additional study questions and learning activities, tips on teaching difficult concepts, and additional readings and resources. These specialized resources ensure that instructors will be ready for each class session with engaging materials. Ancillaries are free to course adopters and available at www.HumanKinetics.com/BestPracticeForYouthSport. Best Practice for Youth Sport provides readers with knowledge of sport science concerning youth sport and engages them through the use of anecdotes, activities, case studies, and practical strategies. Armed with the knowledge from this text, students, coaches, parents, administrators, and others will be able to become active agents of social change in structuring and enhancing youth sport programs to meet the unique developmental needs of children, making the programs athlete centered rather than adult centered so that they truly are all about the kids.

The Routledge Handbook of Youth Sport is a comprehensive survey of the latest research into young people’s involvement in sport. Drawing on a wide diversity of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, policy studies, coaching, physical education and physiology, the book examines the importance of sport during a key transitional period of our lives, from the later teenage years into the early twenties, and therefore helps us develop a better understanding of the social construction of young people’s lives. The book covers youth sport in all its forms, from competitive game-contests and conventional sport to recreational activities, exercise and lifestyle sport, and at all levels, from elite competition to leisure time activities and school physical education. It explores youth sport across the world, in developing and developed countries, and touches on some of the most significant themes and issues in contemporary sport studies, including physical activity and health, lifelong participation, talent identification and development, and safeguarding and abuse. No other book brings together in one place such a breadth and depth of material on youth sport or the engagement of young people in physical activity. The Routledge Handbook of Youth Sport is therefore important reading for all advanced students, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers with an interest in youth sport, youth culture, sport studies or physical education.

Sport Pedagogy offers an essential starting point for anyone who cares about sport, education and young people. It offers invaluable theoretical and practical guidance for studying to become an effective teacher or coach, and for anyone who wants to inspire children and young people to engage in and enjoy sport for life. The book also focuses on you as a learner in sport, prompting you to reflect critically on the ways in which your early learning experiences might affect your ability to diagnose the learning needs of young people with very different needs. Sport Pedagogy is about learning in practice. It refers both the ways in which children and young people learn and the pedagogical knowledge and skills that teachers and coaches need to support them to learn effectively. Sport pedagogy is the study of the place where sport and education come together. The study of sport pedagogy has three complex dimensions that interact to form each pedagogical encounter: Knowledge in context - what is regarded as essential or valuable knowledge to be taught, coached or learnt is contingent upon historical, social and political contextual factors that define practice; Learners and learning -at the core of sport pedagogy is expertise in complex learning theories, and a deep understanding of diversity and its many impacts on the ways in which young learners can learn; Teachers/teaching and coaches/coaching - effective teachers and coaches are lifelong learners who can harness the power of sport for diverse children and young people. Gaining knowledge and understanding of the three dimensional concept of sport pedagogy is the first step towards ensuring that the rights of large numbers of children and young people to effective learning experiences in and through sport are not denied. The book is organised into three sections: background and context; young people as diverse learners; the professional responsibility of teachers and coaches. Features of each chapter include: research extracts, ‘comments’ to summarise key points, individual and group learning tasks, suggested resources for further reading, and reference lists to enable you to follow-up points of interest. This book provides you with some of the prior knowledge you need to make best use of teaching materials, coaching manuals and other resources. In so doing you, as a teacher or coach, will be well placed to offer an effective and professional learning service to children and young people in sport.