photo by: www.photovendo.ph
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED how you started to have interest in sports? Was it through watching TV, peer group influence, or did you see your parent- especially your dad- doing something that was fun and looked like play? Did your father ever bring you to watch games live, or even participate with you in an event. Did he talk to you about a more serious topic, like health and wellness, because of a family-inherited illness; sometimes using examples of sick relatives who suffered from dreaded diseases?
A talk to children, or even teens about sports may start with a concern about health and wellness; and it should. These are all holistically intertwined: sports, diet, nutrition, information, etc.
One reason why young people do not take sports seriously is because of lack of faith in their own ability or lack of understanding of how a runner, for example, evolves as a genuine, serious marathoner. A question commonly asked is: Is being a great marathon runner due to genes?
This facet of athletic greatness has always been the subject of debate. To refute the claims and counterclaims, we know that not everyone can become a good runner. Some people just do not have the motivation to train, or are physically incapable of training. Did I say incapable? I guess we need only to watch the differently-abled athletes to get the true answer.
How can a father influence his young son or daughter to run? First, he must show that running, even around the block or in an oval is fun. It's: Do as I do and have fun with me! Secondly, he mus educate and initiate the health and wellness information of why he does this exercise. It may start with asking the child: "Do you want to be a s big, like your mom... or your aunt? or, "Do you want to be like that guy who walks with a cane, all bent and weak?" At a young age, it is easy to have kids visualize some of their heroes on TV or movies, in sports, etc. A father should inject these pictures into the minds of his kids. So, it's either an inspiration or an aversion (as what the psychologist refers to as negative) approach.
The key is visualization of what if you do? or what if you don't? Consequences should be picturized and not just sermonized because kids don't listen much to lectures, only to stories, real or fantasized. Remember, this is the I.T. age of graphics and animation.
Next, the father way actually bring his kids to a footrace, where he may even be a participant. This will give his children the feeling that Dad is serious about running. And most young kids, Dad is their hero when it comes to sports. I know of a 10 year old who, aside from playing basketball, took up running with his dad because he witnessed his dad and his ninong finish a 10K run, and he thought that was really tough and for the machos!
Mirroring and modelling behavior are two important aspects of conditioning the minds of the young people to go for the sport and enjoy it. This is the reason parents, especially the dad, should enjoy doing the sport, painting a positive picture of triumph, achievement and fun and not appearing like it's too much of a sacrifice: groaning with pain after a run or complaining of aches and pains.
Training the minds of kids to take up a sport is not a sprint, it is a marathon; just as reaching top shape does not happen overnight. In order to develop you must work as hard as you can, and commit every bit of your spare time training.
Athletes are made and not born because the people who work hard to get there, will get there. Even if you are born with "good genes" this does not guarantee success. For example, if I was born a great runner, but I never worked hard and I spent all my off seasons home drinking beer instead of training, do you think that I would ever aspire to go to the Boston Marathon?
One reason why young people do not take sports seriously is because of lack of faith in their own ability or lack of understanding of how a runner, for example, evolves as a genuine, serious marathoner. A question commonly asked is: Is being a great marathon runner due to genes?
This facet of athletic greatness has always been the subject of debate. To refute the claims and counterclaims, we know that not everyone can become a good runner. Some people just do not have the motivation to train, or are physically incapable of training. Did I say incapable? I guess we need only to watch the differently-abled athletes to get the true answer.
How can a father influence his young son or daughter to run? First, he must show that running, even around the block or in an oval is fun. It's: Do as I do and have fun with me! Secondly, he mus educate and initiate the health and wellness information of why he does this exercise. It may start with asking the child: "Do you want to be a s big, like your mom... or your aunt? or, "Do you want to be like that guy who walks with a cane, all bent and weak?" At a young age, it is easy to have kids visualize some of their heroes on TV or movies, in sports, etc. A father should inject these pictures into the minds of his kids. So, it's either an inspiration or an aversion (as what the psychologist refers to as negative) approach.
The key is visualization of what if you do? or what if you don't? Consequences should be picturized and not just sermonized because kids don't listen much to lectures, only to stories, real or fantasized. Remember, this is the I.T. age of graphics and animation.
Next, the father way actually bring his kids to a footrace, where he may even be a participant. This will give his children the feeling that Dad is serious about running. And most young kids, Dad is their hero when it comes to sports. I know of a 10 year old who, aside from playing basketball, took up running with his dad because he witnessed his dad and his ninong finish a 10K run, and he thought that was really tough and for the machos!
Mirroring and modelling behavior are two important aspects of conditioning the minds of the young people to go for the sport and enjoy it. This is the reason parents, especially the dad, should enjoy doing the sport, painting a positive picture of triumph, achievement and fun and not appearing like it's too much of a sacrifice: groaning with pain after a run or complaining of aches and pains.
Training the minds of kids to take up a sport is not a sprint, it is a marathon; just as reaching top shape does not happen overnight. In order to develop you must work as hard as you can, and commit every bit of your spare time training.
Athletes are made and not born because the people who work hard to get there, will get there. Even if you are born with "good genes" this does not guarantee success. For example, if I was born a great runner, but I never worked hard and I spent all my off seasons home drinking beer instead of training, do you think that I would ever aspire to go to the Boston Marathon?