Athletic Transferable Skills are skills learned in sports that can be used (or transferred) to other areas of life outside of sport — like in the classroom or future careers. These skills are invaluable life skills that kids often learn by being committed to a sport (or team), but in too many cases kids fail to identify and use these skills because they erroneously think:
a) the skills have little value off the field, or
b) the skills are not unique and that all kids have mastered the same skills that they have learned through sports
Athletic Transferable Skills help kids in 2 very important ways – first, they are tangible skills that work well across settings (for example, setting life goals works in the same fashion as setting sports goals). The second way they help kids is by giving them the confidence they need when encountering new life situations and realizing they have talents and abilities to help them through the situation successfully.
Athletic Transferable Skills that Work!
Just about any skill a young athlete learns through sports can become an Athletic Transferable Skill, including goal setting, working with teammates, focus, motivation, problem solving, multi-tasking, resiliency, communication skills, conflict resolution, plus countless more. For many kids, sports might be the only place they learn these skills, making it that much more important that parents and coaches do a good job pointing out Athletic Transferable Skills and how they can be used beyond the sports world.
Do your part
If you are an agent of influence over a youngster involved in sports, be sure to have regular, ongoing conversations about the skills learned in sports and how they can be applied to life. For example, if you see a student athlete has confidence in pressure situations in sports, yet lacks confidence when preparing to take a test, ask how the sports confidence can be transferred to the classroom? Brainstorm ideas together and help the child apply the skills he or she has already learned.
For more information about Athletic Transferable Skills check out Sport Success 360!
www.drstankovich.com
