Advances In Providing Athletes Feedback Through Tech

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There are some scary statistics regarding athletes dropping out of youth sports. Every coach knows the long list of reasons why athletes need to keep playing sports but do we really understand the reasons that athletes stop?

Through research, I discovered that 70% of kids drop out of youth sports by age 13.

Included in the top 4 reasons why athletes drop out is that they have a lack of confidence in their ability to play the sport.

It all comes down to data retention.
Think of the last meeting you were a part of.
Really stop to think about what exactly was said…

If you were handed a blank sheet of paper, how much could you write down with specifics?

If you are like most people, the paper would be pretty empty. Now add in adolescence, peer pressure, bullying, social media, etc., to the mix.

Until recently, there was not much a sports organization could do to help this.

Now with tech solutions such as SkillShark, sports organizations can evaluate athletes using their mobile device or tablet instead of using pen and paper. By making this one simple change to the process, the organization can now quickly and easily provide a report card complete with suggestions and videos all aimed towards improving the child’s ability and have a more enjoyable time playing. All of this will raise the athletes’ confidence level and in turn, increase the chance they return to play the sport the following year.

Advantages of Technology in Sports

The ancillary benefits of improving athlete retention in sports also include the increased chances of developing social skills and having higher grades while decreasing the chance of falling victim to negative social circumstances like drugs and alcohol.

In short, any coach who is focused on athlete development now has the technology available to make the lives easier for all involved instead of living with the status quo of using pen and paper.