How to get them hooked on sports from the age of 13?

BarcelonaIn many cases, children reach adolescence with a sport under their belt. They started practicing it as children, in elementary school, and if it's a team sport, their commitment to competitions and their peers guarantee continuity during this period of change. But what about those who haven't played a team sport or regularly? If they haven't shown interest as children, it's hard for them to get hooked on a team sport at thirteen or fourteen. But this is neither impossible nor should it limit the highly recommended and necessary practice of sports. Miguel Ángel Méndez Pérez, a professor of health sciences at the UOC, is very clear about what families should keep in mind to achieve this goal.

The four pillars

First, he recommends "leading by example." For Méndez Pérez, it's very important for teenagers to see that their family environment, but more specifically their father and mother, are active. "They don't need to run marathons, but they do need to be able to participate in a sport that conveys a positive attitude toward physical activity."

The second point also doesn't forget that technology can be an ally, in this case. "Screens are often criticized, but we have to remember that teenagers are digital natives, and we have to focus technology on their benefit," he emphasizes. "There are physical activity apps that organize challenges and routines, group workouts, and others," the professor specifies, acknowledging that these are very "motivating" ways to get them hooked on sports.

Third, he also advises setting personal and achievable goals. "Not all young people have the same interests or physical abilities, nor do they have the same amount of time," Méndez Pérez recalls. Therefore, he believes that it is up to them to set their own goals to encourage greater adherence to sports practice.

Finally, he also highlights the importance of living in areas with a "varied and quality" sports and physical activity offering so that they can find appropriate activities, especially those designed for adolescents, that help them build their sense of belonging and identity, and thus work on the social component of sport.

Beyond football and basketball

Opening up the range of possibilities when it comes to practicing sports is an essential tool to get teenagers interested in practicing them, and that also means leaving mainstream sports like soccer or basketball behind and letting them try other disciplines like dance, martial arts, spinning, gym-oriented activities, or other balance-building activities like surfing or skiing. "There's no adolescent profile who can't enjoy anything," says Méndez Pérez. That's why he advises not giving up on it and letting the young person try everything within their reach so they can find what motivates them. In this sense, the expert points out that motivating young people is a "collective" task and finds it difficult to work without a supportive environment. "In a harmful environment, with poor nutrition and bad habits, it's difficult to find motivation," the professor laments.

Talking about the benefits at home

The WHO indicates that 70% of adolescents do not engage in the minimum recommended amount of physical activity, and obesity rates in Spain are already skyrocketing. Aside from the resulting physical problems, when young people are not sufficiently active, they can suffer psychological problems. "It's proven that a lack of exercise produces psychological and developmental effects," warns the professor.

Therefore, he recommends explaining to young people that, like diet and nutrition, "sport is health and should never be abandoned in life." It's good to know that not being sedentary and having some conscious discipline is beneficial. "It shouldn't be indoctrination; you have to find the motivation," insists Méndez Pérez.