With the Games Based Approach to teaching sports, all aspects of the sport, from the basic skills to more technical moves and strategies, are taught in the context of fun, yet instructive, games. Players practice skills with creative exercises. The Games Based Approach differs from more conventional methods of instruction, characterized by lining up and standing around, which relies on repetition.

The goals and benefits of the Games Based Approach include:

• It creates a sense of fun

• It enables the coach to isolate and focus on specific skills

• It allows the coach to teach to the strengths of individual children and improve the weaknesses

• It enables the coach to better control the group. As a result, discipline is not the focus of the practice

• It allows creative play within the practice

• It allows for versatility, from beginner to adult. No matter what a player's age or skill level, she can still benefit from games. And often, the games themselves need little adaptation across different levels of skill

• It fosters a positive learning environment and allows players to learn without the intense scrutiny of peers

• It accommodates children of all skill levels and personality types.

Additional Information: You can read more on this subject in; Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (HarperCollins 2006) by author and MomsTeam founder Brooke de Lench

Article Updated: July 6, 2006

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