Why shutting down sport at schools isn’t all bad

Just when you think you and your sport are bouncing back, you are dealt another setback with the cancellation of contact sports in schools.

Team sports build leaders, teach you skills to solve problems with a team, decrease stress levels, improve well-being, and keep you mentally sane and healthy.

You need to put this setback into perspective, and then you need to map your plans because sport matters and you matter too.

In 18 years of training athletes I have never heard a parent saying “my son or daughter’s school sport is amazing”.

Nine out of 10 times your school does not have a sports scientist as a conditioning coach, a well-paid full-time coach, along with a yearly structured program design.

Instead, you have part-time coaches who don’t get paid well and are not the best in the business not being a part of the full-time staff.

Your school has quarterly sport, which should already sound the alarm bells; they don’t have a long-term “athlete development strategy” in place.

If the coaching isn’t top notch at school level then it’s better to look for a club. Picture: iStock

Lastly, if you are not training at least four times a week, then you are pretty much just nothing more really than a social player.

The reality is, it takes proper planning and design to develop young students, then it takes time to teach competent personal skills to play the sport.

They need to teach mental toughness, promote cultural excellence, teach you how to deal with failure and to be a good leader and sportsman.

As a parent reading this, reflect on your early days and whether any of what I have mentioned above is even remotely taught at school level?

Of course not, and nor is it today. Why? you may ask.

It requires a school to have a culture of excellence, and bluntly put, they don’t pay for quality coaches.

A handful of schools in South Africa develop athletes the right way, but they are few and far between.

Let’s face it, school sport in South Africa from a “proper development” point of view is poor to terrible, so the question remains, is it really that bad if you are not playing in the school team?

Not playing sport at school should be seen as a blessing. It gives you time to spend on your studies, and it gives you time to find a club with the proper developmental structure.

If you love your sport but just play it socially, join any club close to you and commit, learn, grow, and have fun.

However, if your sport means more to you, then don’t join an average local club.

Look to establishments that will help you harness your skills, look at academy structures with a proven track record of development and success.

SuperSport Soccer Schools are a prime example of a higher level of sporting education. No model is perfect, but it is one of the best out there.

A club like Randburg Football Club has an in-house sports science partner, Advanced Sports Performance, which offers sports science training, tracking and development to their academy teams.

The level of development is superior because they have looked at holistic athletic development.

The sport attracts better coaches and a better calibre of players than school sport.

Club sport is also yearly, which means you have time to develop the right way.

My suggestion is, be safe but look to club sport to improve your sport and if club sport is locked down for any reason by government again, make sure you have a third back-up development plan.

Your gameplan

1 Join an academy or private, smaller club.

2 Make sure they have a good development program and qualified coaches.

3 Take the matter into your own hands and look to get assessed by a sports scientist.

4 If club sport is locked down, then you need to go into “personal development” mode.

5 Seek out private training with a professional in a small, socially distant group or privately.

6 Build a three to six-month development program for home, which includes injury prevention, mental toughness, and proper nutrition.

7 If you can’t afford an “in-person” coach, then look to an affordable version of online training in small groups.

8 Take time to build other areas of your performance that you never have time for, eye vision training, meditation, breathing techniques, mobility, and flexibility training.

9 Spend time reading autobiographies and research about your position and sporting demands.

10 Set a weekly “success routine”, hold yourself accountable and issue rewards for gains and diligence.