Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Does Reducing a Kid to a Number, Rank, or Value Help – or Hurt – Future Development?

Does Reducing a Kid to a Number, Rank, or Value Help – or Hurt – Future Development?

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Dec 04, 2018

No Comments

One player runs a 4.5/40.  Another player throws a 94mph fastball.  And a third player is the #17 running back in the country.  In all three of these examples athletes have been reduced to a number/ranking/measurement, and while this might help better discriminate talent, are there times where we over-rely on numbers and stats at the expense of the overall impact and talents when appraising student athletes?  Some student athletes I work with have told me about the pressure they experience trying to improve upon their ranking, as well as their frustrations that their value seems to be reduced down to a simple number rather than their overall worth to a team.  All this begs the big question: Are we helping, or hurting, student athletes by quantifying their value down to simple numbers?

What numbers tell us…

Numbers, rankings, and statistics certainly provide value, and in many cases they help us with efficiency, time management, organization, and hopefully better overall decision-making.  Statistical experts will tell you, however, that numbers don’t always paint the complete picture, and sometimes numbers and rankings can be misleading.  Furthermore, stats can sometimes lead to self-fulfilling prophecies (positive and negative) for student athletes —  what this means is that it’s possible a student athlete with a high ranking tries even harder in the future (a good thing), but another student athlete with a lower ranking might falsely assume he’s not very good because of the ranking, and consequently not try much in the future.

What numbers don’t tell us…

While numbers can be helpful, they don’t provide the full picture, and sometimes numbers can omit important information.  For example, a batting average tells us how many hits per at bats for a baseball player, but it doesn’t tell us about the player’s motivation, focus, resiliency, or ability to play well in the clutch.  A batting average also doesn’t tell us the quality of pitchers the batter faced, the types of fields he played on, the quality of the fielders playing defense, or whether any unusual personal problems (i.e. trouble with grades) contributed to his average.  The point is that statistics can certainly be an important tool to consider when evaluating talent, but many human characteristics, playing conditions, and other outside factors may not be easily quantified.

Final thoughts

Student athletes these days are constantly being measured, whether it’s grades in the classroom or rankings in sports.  While it is important to use measurements to help kids develop and grow, it’s also important to recognize that many important skills are missed by statistics.  Additionally, rankings can contribute to self-fulfilling prophecies, where otherwise talented kids might put forth less effort simply because they see that their ranking isn’t very high (coincidentally, this effect can also work in reverse if a kid plays harder because he or she is measured at a high level).

drstankovich.com

 

 

athlete, enhancement, measurement, mental, performance, psychology, sport, statistics, toughness

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • June 5, 2023 What is Happening to Recreation Youth Sports in America?
  • May 23, 2023 Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • May 16, 2023 Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • May 10, 2023 Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • May 4, 2023 Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids

PREVIOUS POST

Making Sense of Drugs Types, Users, and Complications is No Easy Task Today

NEXT POST

The Top 5 Reasons You Should Understand How Stress Impacts Wellness & Success

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Boys Sports , Coach , Coaching , Confidence , Focus , Girls Sports , Leadership , Leadership and Role Modeling , Mental Toughness , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sports Leadership , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sports

Tags

athlete, enhancement, measurement, mental, performance, psychology, sport, statistics, toughness

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • What is Happening to Recreation Youth Sports in America?
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓