From clumsy and clumsy in sports to skillful
During childhood, between 7 and 12 years, there is usually a lot difference in sports ability of the boys. Within the same class, or group of friends, there are always some who stand out for how well they play everything and others because they do not give a footing to anything. However, these boys or girls clumsy, with proper performances, can become good athletes.
In schools, in teams, when doing sports or physical education, boys and girls are grouped by chronological age. But it happens that, many times, the physical and psychomotor development does not correspond with that age. Then the problem of clumsy or clumsy children appears.
Causes of clumsiness in sport
The causes of boys' clumsiness for sports could be summarized in two types. Some are genetic and biological causes, for which one child is more mature than the other and more coordinated.
Others are more social causes, such as a boy who has not had too many chances to play and run in open spaces (because there are not any in his neighborhood or because the street is not a good place); Maybe he has not had enough financial means to practice since very small sports such as swimming; or maybe he has created a complex (at home, on the street, at school) and has accepted that he is and always will be a clumsy.
An individualized sport
Boys and girls somewhat clumsy need a sport or physical activity something individualized and adjusted to their characteristics. The physical education class or sports activity that is carried out will have to be adapted to the best of the boy's abilities.
For example, different jumping heights are used depending on the level of each student. While some jump the colt, others jump a bank. Or, both in class and in games, you can group the boys into pairs of the same skill level. They can also do open exercises, that is, those in which the result depends on the participant instead of setting a goal that must be reached. Learning occurs and improves when the stimulus is adequate to their abilities.
For example, in families, siblings of different ages have always played among them. And they are the ones who establish certain criteria and rules so that everyone can participate and do so according to their possibilities. This is the idea that should prevail in dealing with the boys a little more clumsy.
The expertise of the Physical Education teacher
The performance of the parents with the physical education teacher is very important as soon as the boy or girl's clumsiness is detected. There are concrete cases in which causes of clumsiness they are due to more serious problems, psychological, physical, learning, etc. They require more expert help than the teacher's.
In other cases, batteries of tests can be made to establish the psychomotor age of the child and then consider coordinated actions in the school, in the family and in their games. There are many test batteries, such as the Ozeretzki tests and the Guilmain adaptations. They are based on the fact that a boy, at a certain age, should be able to perform certain exercises: balance, eye-hand coordination, etc.
How to find the sport that is best for you
It is very difficult for a boy or girl to do everything wrong. The possibilities of movement (and therefore the motor skills) are very broad. So you have to look for and highlight what is your strong point, within sports activities. For example, if you are a kid with obesity, you will have more possibilities in throwing exercises or in fighting games. The most puny guy probably stands out the most in flexibility games.
There are many cases of boys who refused to run or play sports until they found an activity in which they excelled. From then on, they do not care about being clumsy in other sports and practiced them. The final result is that they end up improving a lot, reaching to surpass many companions. Many times, the clumsy child at seven is a good athlete at twelve.
Motivations to practice sport
There is two types of fuzzy guys: some who do not assume it and are inhibited and apathetic; and other more social who, despite everything, try to play everything. When a boy accepts his limitation and makes an effort, we have taken a giant step to deal with his clumsiness. There are cases of boys with orthopedic legs who play football, like one more, with their friends.
The Mothered, fuzzy guy advances a lot. Starting from his level (very low) he improves more easily than that boy who has very developed skills. In addition, colleagues and friends also value this improvement and encourage you if they see that you accept their limitations and struggle to overcome them. You can almost say that they admire you. These types of motivations among friends and colleagues are the ones that work best.
For example, a boy or girl who brings out outstanding gymnastics, can get to admire his clumsiest partner, because in flexibility, for example, he exceeds and gets more points. If we find his strong point, the clumsy boy is motivated and begins to improve more quickly than his peers. It is a fact that around the age of twelve or thirteen, such large differences have been greatly minimized.
Reward the effort
For a clumsy boy it is important that both parents and teachers emphasize above all their personal improvement, their effort. For them it is easier to improve. It may be more difficult to reward effort in other subjects or activities, but not physical or sports.
There are more or less skillful boys the same as there are more or less intelligent boys. But in the physical education class or when doing some sports activity we can value the effort, the interest, and demand individually. This way of acting has surprising effects in overcoming clumsy children. Over the years, it is surprising to see that these types of children are increasingly scarce.
The duty to play
Children at these ages should play, with all the force that the verb must have. It is a very important age in the acquisition of motor skills. There is the real problem that in the cities and in certain neighborhoods, the street environment is not the most favorable: lack of playground, traffic, insecurity ...
We will have to make up for these deficiencies with ingenuity, but we must make it easier for our children to play. We can use very varied material that exists in the market, such as rackets, gliders, "indiacas", kites, boomerangs ... The importance of the family is capitalized: weekends can be used to go outdoors or open spaces, or to practice sports, or to play with children. Another possibility is sports clubs.
Ricardo Regidor
Advice: Juan Manuel Gómez. Diploma from the INEF. Teacher of Physical Education in Primary and Secondary.
