Toronto, Jan 7 (IANS) A child could develop lifelong antipathy to fitness or sports if he or she has been humiliated by a physical instructor, according to a recent study.
Billy Strean, professor of physical education at the University of Alberta, said antipathy towards physical activity can be determined by either a good or a bad experience, based on the personal characteristics of the coach or instructor.

For example, negative experiences may come from a teacher who has low energy, is unfair and/or someone who embarrasses students.

During his research, Strean heard from individuals who opened up about negative experiences with coaches and instructors, some from many years ago.

One participant wrote: “I am a 51-year-old-woman whose childhood experiences with sports, particularly as handled in school, were so negative that even as I write this my hands are sweating and I feel on the verge of tears.”

“I have never experienced the humiliation nor felt the antipathy toward any other aspect of life as I do toward sports,” she concluded.

Strean hopes to raise awareness of such experiences so those who instruct children in sport will realise they have the ability to create either a fun and playful experience or an experience of humiliation.

Strean also found that participants had better experiences from minimally organised games such as street hockey, compared to the more organised activities, says an Alberta release.

He suggested that adults should try not to over-organise sports and allow the children to explore sporting activities on their own, with minimal rules and no scorekeeping.

These findings were recently published in Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise.