{"id":1671,"date":"2012-04-26T19:01:53","date_gmt":"2012-04-26T19:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1671"},"modified":"2025-08-07T01:32:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:32:23","slug":"can-young-athletes-improve-faster-with-playful-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/can-young-athletes-improve-faster-with-playful-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Young Athletes Improve Faster with Playful Practice?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg\" alt=\"How Choking Hurts Athletes\u2019 Performance\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-9099\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Being_Playful_in_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Being Playful in Youth Sports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/can-young-athletes-improve-faster-with-playful-practice\/#Being_Playful_in_Youth_Sports\" >Being Playful in Youth Sports<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/can-young-athletes-improve-faster-with-playful-practice\/#How_did_he_integrate_the_%E2%80%9Cscience_of_play%E2%80%9D_into_practice\" >How did he integrate the \u201cscience of play\u201d into practice?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/can-young-athletes-improve-faster-with-playful-practice\/#Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\" >Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/can-young-athletes-improve-faster-with-playful-practice\/#The_Composed_Sports_Kid\" >The Composed Sports Kid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Being playful in sports&#8211;finding ways to laugh and joke around during practice&#8211;isn\u2019t just for fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It actually helps kids <strong>improve<\/strong> faster in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the word from Gary Avischious, founder and head coach of coachingschool.org. Avischious learned about the science of play at the National Institute for Play and put some of the theories to work in his <strong>sports practices.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What he wanted to counter, among other things, was the all-work-no-play ethic often seen in <strong>youth sports.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cIt can be all about \u2018Get in two lines we\u2019ve got a lot to do today,\u2019 and parents watching with eagle eyes and screaming at their kids,\u201d<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI started this concept of bringing play sciences into youth sports and saw how that changed kids\u2019 performance,\u201d<\/em> says the soccer, roller hockey and basketball coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_did_he_integrate_the_%E2%80%9Cscience_of_play%E2%80%9D_into_practice\"><\/span>How did he integrate the \u201cscience of play\u201d into practice?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>He did it in a structured way, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, he instructed his 6-year-old roller hockey players to skate around the town\u2019s trail system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI would say, \u2018Between this light pole and the next one, let\u2019s hold our sticks above our heads like the Statue of Liberty.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he\u2019d ask the kids what silly things they\u2019d like to do. They wanted to skate with their fingers in their noses. Or make monkey noises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cOne thing leads to another, and the rules change as you go,\u201d<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every once in a while he\u2019d ask them to skate backwards on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He knew they were having fun because they lost all track of time\u2014which is one of the key ingredients to achieving the all-desirable state of \u201cflow,\u201d Avischious says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cResearchers call it flow, athletes call it getting in the <strong>zone<\/strong> and kids call it play. You lose track of time and space.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His <strong>goal,<\/strong> he says, is for the kids to say,<em> \u201cIt hasn\u2019t been an hour yet. We want to keep playing,\u201d<\/em> instead of<em> \u201cI can\u2019t wait until this is over.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One mom called him after a playful practice and said that her son had laughed so hard his stomach ached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, running practices this way required a lot more<strong> creativity<\/strong>, effort and energy on his part, he notes. But it all paid off. <em>\u201cPerformance went through the roof.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\"><\/span>Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-wing-it-during-games\/\">Helping Young Athletes \u2018Wing it\u2019 During Games<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/the-importance-of-playfulness-and-trust-in-youth-sports\/\">The Importance of Playfulness and Trust in Youth Sports<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-athletes-improve-trust-in-skills\/\">Helping Athletes Improve Trust in Skills<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Composed_Sports_Kid\"><\/span>The Composed Sports Kid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"285\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/THE-COMPOSED-KID-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9203\" style=\"width:170px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Composed Sports Kid&#8221; audio&nbsp;and workbook digital download program for young athletes and their parents or coach helps kids cope with frustration and anger in sports. Help your sports kids learn how to manage expectations and let go of mistakes so they can keep their head in the game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>The Composed Sports Kid system<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;is really two programs in one\u2013one program to train parents and coaches how to help their kids practice composure, and one program that teaches young athletes\u2013<em>ages 6 to 13<\/em>\u2013how to improve composure, let go of mistakes quickly, have more self-acceptance,&nbsp;<strong>and thus enjoy sports more<\/strong>!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-26bcd9b3\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-903b6244 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-3275f4fd gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/confident-sports-kid-series-digital-version\/products\/the-confident-sports-kid-bundle-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being Playful in Youth Sports Being playful in sports&#8211;finding ways to laugh and joke around during practice&#8211;isn\u2019t just for fun. It actually helps kids improve faster in sports. That\u2019s the word from Gary Avischious, founder and head coach of coachingschool.org. Avischious learned about the science of play at the National &#8230; <a title=\"Can Young Athletes Improve Faster with Playful Practice?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/can-young-athletes-improve-faster-with-playful-practice\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Can Young Athletes Improve Faster with Playful Practice?\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,6],"tags":[490,491,489],"class_list":["post-1671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-coaching","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-kids-who-excel-with-play","tag-organized-sports-versus-play","tag-playful-practice","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}