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How the Student Athlete Can Avoid Stress

Athletics is a big part in the life of a kid. And, no matter what the sport they always seem to have a good time. Kids get to play in all sorts of sports from dodge ball and kick ball to tag, hopscotch, four corners and jump rope to more traditional and competitive sports like football, soccer, hockey and baseball.

However, in today's society there is a problem. More and more emphasis is being put on athletics then there was ten or twenty years ago. This is due, in part, by big money contracts as well as the decline in jobs and income. Families in poverty-stricken areas of the country rely on their children's athletic prowess to bring them up from the ghetto. This way of thinking makes children spend more time worrying about their performance than education - athletics being more of a "quick fix" solution.

Coaches sometimes push student-athletes because winning games means they get to keep their jobs and feed their families. Sports bring more money into the school than any other curriculum. A good coach will try to maintain a proper balance between pressure and the challenge of the sport. People need challenge in order to push themselves to improve upon the tools they already possess. Parents and Coaches can push their kids too far though by setting unrealistic expectations. After all, if it was easy - everyone would be playing in the NFL or the NBA.

Unfortunately, winning is not something every player can achieve. The only thing that the player has any real control over is how hard they play. Parents and coaches neglect this aspect of sports and fail to reward hard work.

Trying to juggle a busy athletic season with school is another stress factor. If you are a parent who likes that your child is active in a sport that is great unless their school work suffers. This can cause a tremendous amount of stress and both school and sports will both suffer in the end.

Being able to manage the stress of school and sports is not very easy to do. The best thing that one can do is to realize again that sports are not as important as schooling. You can get a degree and a great job by going to college. Sports should not be an emphasized over education because the likelihood of someone making it in professional sports is very slim.

The participation in various sports by young people growing up can have very positive long term effect. Self-esteem and discipline can all benefit greatly. However, sports have to be taken for exactly what they are "an extra-curricular activity". Support the important aspects of sports such as fair play and hard work if the child excels at it. Too many kids are lost in today's world because they placed or had placed on them a higher value towards sports than education.

Article Source: http://www.freeforallarticles.com

Scott Becker is an expert in the fields of health and nutrition and has written on a number of topics. Along with writing he is also an avid golfer and owns scottbeckerlive.com , a sports nutrition company serving the weekend athlete. You can go to healthfitnessvitamins.com for more information and to get your FREE copy of our Special Report "Sports Nutrition for the Competitive Athlete"