PaceSetter Book

The Concept of Pacesetter 1

1.4 Play & Learn

Learning through play is a natural gift to all young athletes and ‘play & learn’ is intended to be the first steps into athletics for the 8–13 years age group. This is when young athletes are in the ‘skill hungry’ years of their lives and they will learn at an amazing rate, most of which will be learnt through play activities and from watching others. For many young athletes this is also the age when they are trying activities away from school and home for the first time. Young athletes like to be grouped with friends and if they enjoy the sessions and feel relaxed within their group they will continue to attend for many years. The emphasis for this age group must be on fun, the value of loyalty to friends and pride in the team and organised activities should reflect this. The activities also need to be varied as too much of the same exercise can be potentially harmful to growing bodies. Within Pacesetter – Working with Young Athletes there are many examples of introducing learning a physical skill through the form of play or a game. These examples are just the starting point and the coach should use their own imagination to create new games involving a specific activity to be practised. It must be remembered that for young athletes, play is the most effective and enjoyable way to learn. WEB COPY ©EVEQUE WEB COPY ©EVEQUE

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