Sports clinic, values formation for youth

Summer is here. Parents and guardians look to enrolling their kids in so-called summer camps and sports clinics to make the summer more interesting and productive for their restless children.

Hundreds of such camps with varying orientations are organized all over the country: from purely commercial ventures to free barangay-based sports programs put together by civic clubs. A quick look at these camps’ programs show that they concentrate primarily on teaching purely technical skills to youth whose ages range from six to 15.

In the case of basketball, children are taught the fundamentals of shooting, defense, dribbling, etc. If children take up golf, they will be taught basic things like the grip, the stance, the swing, the follow through, etc. If the kids are exposed to martial arts, the first lessons will consist of how to keep one’s balance, the offensive and defensive stances and so forth.

Teaching basic technical skills is important to maximize enjoyment of the sport and even to prevent injury to oneself while playing the sport. However, camp organizers and sponsors will be performing a valuable service to society if they use these opportunities, where they have the undivided attention of the youth, to impart universal and human values even before the first session on technical skills is held. In fact there must be continuous emphasis on these values all throughout the course.

By providing for values formation, not only will camp organizers be serving society, they will also add value to the camp and thus create some product differentiation. Fact is, when you become a teacher or perform the role of teacher (and people who conduct clinics are, in the final analysis, mentors), you cannot escape from teaching values. This is most especially true in education and youth sports where the primary concern should not only be imparting knowledge and skills but also inculcating desirable attitudes and values.

Even if one were to teach purely vocational skills like dressmaking, basket weaving or even vulcanizing, one has to teach ethical business practices like, giving the customer true value for his money, using genuine raw materials ensuring product safety, etc.

One of the basic values that clinic organizers could present creatively, is respect for the rule of law. Everyone should agree this value is essential for nation building.

This particular value can perhaps be most appreciated if one were to imagine a sporting event where the playing rules are disregarded and the officiating officials are ignored and are unable or unwilling to enforce the rules. The natural result of all these is chaos.

And herein lies the beauty of sports. There are precise playing rules that are known in advance by participants and breaking them merits instant sanction and punishment from the officiating officials. The rules apply to every player without exception. Sport therefore promotes the noble principle of a level playing field and equality in the eyes of the law.

Instant sanction without exception is another norm in the playing field. You commit an infraction and you can’t hire a lawyer and go to court. You are penalized right there and then, unlike life in the real world where crime is unpunished very often. The fundamental essence however of this aspect of sport is that it teaches the youth that it is wrong to cheat and to break the rules.

No one is born with the instinct to cheat. Watch children play by themselves. They do not cheat and probably do not even need a referee. Cheating in sport usually occurs when adults start to meddle in children’s play and impose their personal belief that the most desirable reason for playing is winning since victory brings extrinsic and material rewards such as medals, trophies and, in many instances, financial remuneration.

Dangling rewards before children as incentives stems from the belief that children can be encouraged to excel in sports by giving material rewards and there is no harm in offering money to reward their achievements. One sports psychologist who disagrees with this way of thinking is Dr. Rainer Martens, author of the book, "Joy and Sadness in Children’s Sports":

"Research suggests that under certain conditions, the use of extrinsic rewards (money, ribbons, trophies) may undermine the intrinsic motivation of play. For most children it is the intrinsic rewards that initially attract them to sports." But although children begin playing for intrinsic rewards, they soon discover a world of extrinsic rewards awaiting them in adult-organized sport programs.

"Over a few years, young athletes are weaned from their intrinsic motives and addicted to the pursuit of gold and silver. By the time they reach their teens, they no longer get high on sports alone. They now demand "medallic uppers" as a boost. And then after addiction to extrinsic rewards of sports. Many youngsters discover the extrinsic rewards are gone.

"Only the gifted few go on to find increasingly larger rewards. Those who are less gifted must undergo withdrawal. Some youngsters will rediscover the intrinsic rewards of sports participation, but others will find the withdrawal so painful that they never participate again. And a few are never able to satisfy their habits. These are society’s athletic addicts who never really know the full satisfaction of sports."