8 of 65

Help

Write now Print Email Article Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites Contact this writer

If competition is unhealthy, then why are there ratings for all of these Helium articles? Some might say because it is mostly adults writing them. If that is the case, how can adults learn to compete in healthy ways if not during childhood? The business world is full of daily battles. We all must learn to survive these battles, regardless of whether or not we win them all. If introduced correctly, competition is a necessary life skill and we are doing kids a life-long disservice if we do NOT train them in how to compete. What does healthy competition look like? Below are some "look-fors" that signal competition is being taught effectively.

Preaching Preparation- Any good coach, teacher, or instructor of any skill that involves competition should require their mentees to value preparation. As a coach, teacher, and college instructor for over 20 years, I would NEVER allow anyone under my instruction to discuss what they "were going to do to the competition". When the competition itself is the focus, you're asking for trouble. Instead, creating that sense of urgency that preparation, not the opponent, is the key, takes away the negative aspect of "hating the other side".
In addition, it is important to preach that one is always preparing for the toughest situation or opponent, regardless of who that turns out to be. This places the focus on the practice and drills, and self-correction necessary to be successful. Any game, concert, play, test, or performance of any kind should be viewed as a test of one's preparation, not value or worth. In this way, it makes no difference who the opponent is, but rather how well one has prepared.

Refusing to Reward Results- With the preparation groundwork laid, now the coach can instill the idea in learners that effort is what gets rewarded. How many times have we seen a coach or teacher criticize or even downright yell at a player because what they did led to a bad outcome on the scoreboard or field? This will only bring about overly cautious players in the future who are so afraid to make a mistake, they will fail to make plays they could have made, were it not for fear of failure. How many inventors or scientists or athletes had to fail numerous times in order to achieve the ultimate success? In baseball if one fails two out of three times at the plate, they are in the Hall of Fame. Rewarding the effort says, "If you are doing what you've been taught, to the fullest of your ability, I'm happy with you". It is just

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

more options

hide

Add your voice

Know something about Does competition help or hurt young people??
We want to hear your view. Write now!