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Organized, well-structured youth sports and on-going physical activities can provide many benefits for children and adolescents. Positive experiences that sports and an active lifestyle bring play an important role in a young person's life.

At University of Missouri Health Care, our adolescent medicine team encourages all children to participate in sports or other regular physical activity. Physical exercise is good for the mind, body and spirit. Team sports help teach adolescents accountability, dedication, leadership and other skills.

Many athletes do better academically

Playing a sport requires a lot of time and energy. Some people may think this would distract student-athletes from schoolwork. However, the opposite is true. Sports require memorization, repetition and learning - skillsets that are directly relevant to class work. Also, the determination and goal-setting skills a sport requires can be transferred to the classroom.

Sports teach teamwork and problem-solving skills

Fighting for a common goal with a group of players and coaches teaches you how to build teamwork and effectively communicate to solve problems. This experience is helpful when encountering problems at work or at home.

Physical health benefits of sports

Clearly, sports can help you reach your fitness goals and maintain a healthy weight. However, they also encourage healthy decision-making such as not smoking and not drinking. Sports also have hidden health benefits such as lowering the chance of osteoporosis or breast cancer later in life.

Sports boost self-esteem

Watching your hard work pay off and achieving your goals develops self-confidence. Achieving a sport or fitness goal encourages you to achieve other goals you set. This is a rewarding and exciting learning process.

Reduce pressure and stress with sports

Exercising is a natural way to loosen up and let go of stress. You can also make new friends who can be there for you as a support system. When you feel under pressure or stressed, call up a teammate, head to the gym to talk and play it out.

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At MU Health Care, we encourage all children to participate in sports or other regular physical activity. Learn why sports benefit adolescents.

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Are Competitive Sports Worth the Time and Money?

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Are Competitive Sports Worth the Time and Money?

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Sports Promote Healthy Weight in Teenagers

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Sports Promote Healthy Weight in Teenagers

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Sports Promote Healthy Weight in Teenagers

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Walking or biking to school, or playing on a sports team, or preferably two or more, helped high school students lower their risk of being overweight or obese, according to a new report.

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Katie Couric video on the benefits of sports for kids

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Your young athlete has completed another soccer season. The competition has almost come to an end - for now, at least.

And regardless of the level of offseason activity, when it comes to training and practicing, everyone can take at least a few moments to sit back, relax, and take a deep breath...or several deep breaths.

Yes, the season is almost over. But it's important to remember that there is no offseason when it comes to learning and growing - both as an athlete and as an individual.

What do sports teach us? The universal response - from coaches, parents and athletes alike - is always "life lessons." We oftentimes champion sports for our children in the hopes that they will learn these valuable life lessons through their experience. But what lessons exactly do we hope they'll learn? What life lessons do you think your son or daughter learned this past soccer season?

This month, the team at Liberty Mutual Insurance together with the experts from take a closer look at the many life lessons that each season imparts to our young athletes - as well as us. Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA)
Life Lessons Checklist
Here's a checklist for life lessons we hope your athlete has learned or will learn through their youth sports experience.
Keep On Learning
Hope you are all enjoying the season - from your friends at Liberty Mutual Insurance and the Responsible Sports program!

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Soccer Teaches Many Lessons On and Off the Field

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Your young athlete has completed another soccer season. The competition has almost come to an end - for now, at least. And regardless of the level of offseason activity, when it comes to training and practicing, everyone can take at least a few moments to sit back, relax, and take a deep breath...or several deep breaths.

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Video What parents should know about a new survey on concussions and sports

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Dr. Jennifer Ashton discusses the major findings from a comprehensive new survey on concussions and sports.

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Video Is the extreme commitment to youth sports worth the expensive price tag?

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Some parents report spending thousands of dollars on the sports careers of young athletes.

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The Benefits of Competitive Sports for Youth

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The Benefits of Competitive Sports for Youth

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Any parent knows that young children are filled with energy, eager to run, jump and play. Transferring that natural energy to competitive sports can help keep kids active and healthy as the grow, and other distractions increase that may lead to a more sedentary lifestyle. Competitive sports such as soccer, track, basketball and swimming can also help kids learn important life lessons about teamwork and fair play.

Learning How to Compete

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Participating in sports teaches children and teenagers how to compete in the real world. As they grow older they'll face competition in school, in the workforce and other areas of life. But these competitions don't have to be negative or unhealthy. Playing sports can help kids understand how competition works in a friendly environment, and that if you try your hardest, you have a better chance to succeed.

Understanding the Value of Exercise

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Millions of American children and teenagers are overweight. This obesity epidemic has make the early onset of health problems such as diabetes more common. Participating in competitive youth sports burns calories and helps to prevent obesity. Additionally, many children who are active in sports are motivated to eat healthier foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Improving Self-Esteem

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Improved self-esteem is another benefit of competitive youth sports. When a child wins a game with his team, he feels accomplished and recognized. Even when he doesn't win, he can learn a valuable lesson: that you can't win every time. Losing with his team can also increase self-esteem, as he learns to hold his head high and feel proud for trying his best.

Decreasing Risky Behavior

According to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, youth sports can help deter negative behavior, such as joining a gang, because competitive sports provide an outlet for expression, friendship and controlled aggression. Teens who have positive influences and friends feel less of a need to participate in risky behaviors.

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What Are the Benefits of Competitive Sports for Youth?

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Any parent knows that young children are filled with energy, eager to run, jump and play. Transferring that natural energy to competitive sports can help keep kids active and healthy as the grow, and other distractions increase that may lead to a more sedentary lifestyle.

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Participation in competitive sports has long been a staple of high school culture. Not only does it help kids stay in shape, learn focus and socialize but it also teaches them about working under pressure. Competition is about challenging yourself to improve. But the world of competitive sports also has a negative side. If not monitored, competitive sports can harm athletes physiologically, socially and physically.

Building Pressure

Competitive sports improve athletic skill and teach players how to work with teammates and win, which can be helpful lessons. When the focus shifts from athleticism to winning, however, what was once an enjoyable and supportive activity can turn into a high-pressure and anxiety-filled job for a child. The mounting pressure to play well can increase stress and make children feel bad and lose confidence should they make mistakes or lose. Even players who win most of the time may lose the pleasure of participating because of the pressure they place on themselves.

Increasing Risk of Injuries

According to Science Daily, competitive success that leads to extra hours of training and practice increases the risk of burnout and overuse injuries. One study concluded that overuse injures account for 50 percent of all reported sports injuries. The risk of injuries during competition may also rise. The intensity of competitive games can lead players to disregard rules, increasing opportunities for torn ligaments, muscle aches and other injuries.

Confusing Commitment with Exclusivity

Although learning the importance of focus can benefit players of competitive sports, this lesson can take a negative turn in children who become unwilling to participate in activities other than their sport of choice. Because of the dedication and time required to perfect the skills that contribute to winning, players may lose the desire to do anything else because it pales in comparison to practicing and playing. Such extreme levels of exclusivity can be detrimental because they limit sports players' abilities to practice moderation, broaden their horizons and become well-rounded student-athletes.

Developing Poor Attitude

Winning is always one of the main objective of sports competitions. Coaches spend tremendous amounts of time perfecting drills and shaping their plays to give players a competitive edge. If not monitored, the drive to win can soon change to a win-at-all-costs mentality that can lead to attitude problems. The attitude that you must win can encourage cheating and difficulty getting along with others on and off the field

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Participation in competitive sports has long been a staple of high school culture. Not only does it help kids stay in shape, learn focus and socialize but it also teaches them about working under pressure. Competition is about challenging yourself to improve.

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Handling Sports Pressure and Competition

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Handling Sports Pressure and Competition

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Michael Phelps discusses his experience balancing school and sports

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Sports are a great way to have fun while staying fit. Sports also teach important life lessons like:

working as a team

learning how to be a good sport

overcoming challenges

controlling emotions

taking pride in accomplishments

But it's not always easy to keep it together when it feels like winning is everything. Having a healthy attitude about sports and learning to deal with the stress that comes with competing can help you perform your best.

Check Stress Levels

Competing always leads to some stress. And that can be good - a little stress helps the body face a challenge. But too much stress can take the fun out of a sport and make it hard to perform. Besides competing, other things can make athletes feel stressed out, such as:

too much pressure from parents or coaches to win

having too much on the schedule

not wanting to play the sport

If you think there might be too much stress around competing, talk to your parents and coach. Making some changes can help, such as:

Change your focus from winning to putting in the best effort and having a positive attitude.

Take a look at your schedule. If you have too much going on, think about limiting practice time or only doing one sport or activity per season.

If you don't want to play the sport anymore, talk to your parents about your feelings and make a decision together.

Ways to Deal With Stress in Sports

There will always be some stress in sports, so it's important to know how to deal with it. Trying different ways during practice helps you know what will work best for you during competition.

You can try:

Deep breathing: Take a deep breath and hold it in for about 5 seconds, then release it slowly. Repeat five times.

Muscle relaxation: Contract (flex) a group of muscles tightly. Keep them flexed for about 5 seconds, then release. Repeat the exercise five times, then move to a different muscle group.

Going to a happy place: Picture a peaceful place or event. Imagine stress flowing away from the body.

Visualizing success: Imagine completing a pass, making a shot, or scoring a goal.

Mindfulness: Focus on the present instead of worrying about the future or the past.

Having a routine: Focus on the routine to keep stress in control.

Thinking positively and developing positive self-talk: Say "I learn from my mistakes," "I'm in control of my feelings," "I can make this goal!" to help keep the negative thoughts away.

To keep stress levels down when you aren't competing:

Eat well and get enough sleep, especially before games.

Do something fun and relaxing. Take a break from competing and go for a walk, ride a bike, see a movie, or hang out with friends.

Remember, no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes in sports - it's part of the game. Be quick to forgive mistakes and move on.

Sports are about staying active, feeling proud, developing as a player, and making friends. Above all, whether you play on the varsity team or at a weekend pick-up game, the point is to have fun. By keeping that as the priority, you can learn to handle the stress that is a natural part of competition.

Date reviewed: February 2019

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Sports are a great way to have fun while staying fit. Sports also teach important life lessons like: working as a team learning how to be a good sport overcoming challenges controlling emotions taking pride in accomplishments But it's not always easy to keep it together when it feels like winning is everything.

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With more kids than ever in organized sports, experts in sports medicine and youth athletics say they are increasingly concerned about the pressures put on young children to excel at sports.

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Listening to Wisdom from a 10-Year-Old Son about His Head Injury

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Listening to Wisdom from a 10-Year-Old Son about His Head Injury

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Listening to Wisdom From a 10-Year-Old Son About His Head Injury (Published 2009)

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After a helmet-to-helmet hit in a peewee team’s practice, a 10-year-old helped his parents make the decision on when to play again.