How does Ultimate Frisbee help develop self-confidence, self-esteem and character in children?
Many of us look back at our childhood and wish we had developed certain life skills, self-confidence or self-esteem as a child – or at least been shown the tools for these.
With the focus on education moving more towards experience – sports is a great way to learn, implement and experience the outcomes of the life skills it teaches us.
Let’s explore this more and share how ultimate frisbee helps…
1. Skill Development:
Over time and with consistency as children participate in ultimate frisbee, they acquire and develop new skills.
As they see themselves progress and improve, their confidence in their abilities grows. Mastering specific skills, such as throwing a disc – there are 6 types of throws – all requiring practice – but once they’re in the child’s armour, they are able to work through different situations with more confidence.
This sense of achievement goes a long way in helping children develop belief when they face life’s various challenges.
2. Goal Attainment:
Ultimate frisbee, like other sports, provides children with opportunities to set goals and work towards achieving them.
When they accomplish their goals, whether it’s scoring a point (or assisting in one), winning a match, or improving their skills or even how they approached a tight match situation – whatever their learning or the outcome is, it reinforces their belief in their capabilities because they see growth from where they started to where they are now.
This success contributes to an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem.
Relevant Read:
3. Positive Feedback & Recognition:
Let me clarify, when I say “recognition”, I am not speaking of fame In sports it’s the recognition from coaches, teammates and even opponents through acknowledgement of the child’s efforts, skills and sportsmanship that I’m speaking of.
This positive feedback encourages the child to be consistent – not to do so to just receive praise, but to see value in doing the right thing. It’s this that will help children develop a positive self-image and build confidence in their abilities.
4. Overcoming Challenges:
Ultimate frisbee presents challenges that require children to overcome obstacles and push their limits. By facing and working through these challenges, children gain a sense of resilience and accomplishment.
By navigating difficulties, such as recovering from a defeat or overcoming a physical limitation, it boosts their self-confidence and strengthens their belief in their ability to overcome adversity.
5. Positive Body Image:
Regular physical activity in sports can contribute to a positive body image.
This isn’t about vanity or looking good – this is about feeling good and comfortable in your own skin. Over many decades now, the emphasis on just the outward appearance has actually led to a decline in a positive body image.
But when a child is involved in a sport like ultimate frisbee, they become comfortable with their body and their physical capabilities. As they develop, strength, endurance and agility, they develop a sense of appreciation in their physical abilities, leading to improved self-esteem and a positive image towards their body – a sense of respect towards it.
Relevant Read:
6. Peer Support & Belonging:
Being part of ultimate frisbee which is not just a team sport, but a mixed-gender sport – it provides children with a sense of belonging and brings with it peer support.
They form bonds with their teammates, learn to work with the opposite gender which creates a supportive environment where they feel accepted and valued.
7. Emotional Regulation:
I have spoken about this in detail in this blog post:
But to share briefly, ultimate can help children develop emotional regulation skills through various situations encountered in sports whether it’s wins, losses and facing competition – children learn to work with their emotions.
They slowly develop resilience, the ability to handle pressure and because ultimate frisbee is a self-officiating sport, they also learn to control their emotional responses and work on fair-play – the most important aspect of this sport which we call, the Spirit of the Game.
This leads me to…
8. Sportsmanship & Fair Play:
Ultimate frisbee does this like no other sport because of the importance of fair-play and the importance of ethical behaviour.
With its rules and self-officiating stance – ultimate frisbee directs the player, in this case, children towards respecting rules, officials, opponents and teammates. It teaches them the value of integrity, honesty, respect and empathy – yes these are all heavy words, but these are also valuable character traits to help develop in a child on the field, which helps them off of it too.
9. Discipline & Responsibility:
Ultimate frisbee requires discipline and responsibility.
Children learn the importance of commitment, punctuality, and putting in consistent effort to achieve their goals. They understand that success in sports comes through hard work, perseverance and adhering to the responsibilities associated with being part of a team.
10. Leadership & Teamwork:
Team sports like ultimate frisbee allows children to develop leadership skills and learn the importance of teamwork. They learn how to communicate effectively, collaborate and work towards a common goal.
Ultimate provides children the opportunity to take on leadership roles, make decisions and motivate others within their team. Within this, they also learn to be supportive team-players and recognise the value of collective effort.
Now on to the last one…
11. Accountability & Self-Reflection:
All actions (and inactions) come with consequences and upon reflection of these we learn more and become more accountable.
We are responsible for exposing the children of our household to opportunities – we’re accountable for this, but seeing us, children learn too.
So, by bringing your child to play a no-contact, mixed gender, self-officiating sport and recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – as in bringing them to play ultimate frisbee, we are able to teach them how be accountable for their actions and reflect on their performance.
They learn to identify their strengths and weaknesses, accept responsibility and make necessary improvements. This self-reflective process helps children develop self-awareness, self-discipline and a forward thinking mindset.
All these aspects create personal growth and helps the team to grow too.
Ultimate frisbee brings with it the opportunity for children to discover their strengths, interests and passions and we look to work with them on this journey of theirs by creating a guiding, nurturing and a fun environment! Let’s not forget that joy is always an important ingredient 🙂
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We, School of Ultimate wish to work closely with parents to help children and young adults lead healthy lives by coaching the game in our sessions in Mumbai. We’ve begun sessions for kids and young adults aged 7-10 and 11-16 years old.
To know more, check out our About Us page or FAQs on our Coaching
