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 / Holding Kids Back in School for Athletic Advantages: Good or Bad Move?

Holding Kids Back in School for Athletic Advantages: Good or Bad Move?

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Jan 21, 2020

No Comments

The trend to hold your child back in school to gain athletic advantages has picked up momentum in recent years, but is this a smart move for families?  To be clear, these are kids who would otherwise advance in grade because of adequate academic marks, but are held back in the same grade simply to grow physically and have a greater chance for sport success (and hopefully an eventual college athletic scholarship).  In some cases these calculations may pay off, but in many more instances the decision to improve sport skills through school grade repetition simply doesn’t provide the return on investment.  If you are currently entertaining questions around grade repetition for sport success, there are a number of important points to consider before making a final decision.

The pros and cons of holding kids back for athletic advantages

As with most decisions in life, there are both potential advantages and risks when it comes to holding your child back in school simply for physical growth opportunities.  In a best case scenario the extra year might allow your child to physically catch up to his or her peers, leading to greater self-confidence and measurable athletic improvements on the field.  Still, even in these examples there are no guarantees that the child will earn a future athletic scholarship, or even have an opportunity to walk on to a college team (statistics show that only about 5% of all high school students advance to college sports).  From my own experience working with families who have tried to boost their child’s chances for an athletic scholarship I have found the results to be negligible, at best (and in some cases have caused unforeseen problems).

On the other hand, there appear to be a growing list of serious concerns to consider if the decision to repeat a grade does not work out.  For example, some kids are bullied and ridiculed by their peers, often viewed as cheating the system through unsportsmanlike means.  Another set of problems that can occur include a greater chance for sports burnout, and/or experiencing a stagnation of skills due to playing lesser competition rather than advancing with the original peer group class.  A third concern relates to academic problems that can arise when asking kids to repeat classes they have already successfully completed yet are required to do over.

Final thoughts

The decision to hold your child back in school for athletic advantages is not one I generally recommend, and the times I have been open to the idea have been when the child truly could benefit academically from the decision, and/or is noticeably smaller physically and could use the extra year to mature.  Still, even in these examples I always reiterate that if the goal of this decision is to increase the chances for a college athletic scholarship, the odds of that happening are incredibly remote.  Support and encourage your kids, provide fair opportunities, and help them compete as hard as they can along with their natural classmates — if it’s in the cards for them to succeed in sports, they probably won’t need an extra year repeating a grade anyway.

drstankovich.com

academics, education, grades, mental, psychology, school, sport

  • 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

Advanced Technologies Raise Big Questions Relating to Sports Cheating

NEXT POST

The Top 5 Ways to Improve Critical Thinking

Category

Amateur , Athletic Counseling , Athletic Department , Burnout , Communicating with Coach , Confidence , Eligibility , Off Field Issues , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sport Transitions , Sports Culture and Society , Sports Parenting , Uncategorized , Youth Sports

Tags

academics, education, grades, mental, psychology, school, sport

  • 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™

↓ ↓