
Right Moves: A LiiNK Center for Healthy Play Podcast
What is the Secret Sauce to Sport Readiness in our Youth?
There is a debate on when and how to develop sport readiness in our youth. The research is clear on how we as physical educators, parents, and youth sport coaches should address sport in children and adolescents, especially the relationships between outdoor play (recess), sport readiness, and sport specialization. Dr. Rhea sits down with former LiiNK PhD student, Dr. Kate Webb, to share her doctoral research on this very topic, introducing two very important fitness variables, muscular strength and neuromuscular control, and why a new set of fitness assessments associated with these variables are crucial for identifying muscular weaknesses prior to advancing into sport. This is a must listen for many different aspects of decision makers for our youth and why we need to consider the child’s needs first, not the competitive edge. Dr. Kate Webb is an adjunct professor for the TCU Kinesiology Department. She is also a fitness instructor for youth through seniors and a performance enhancement coach for youth through elite athletes. Her background is in public education, where she taught Biology and Physical Education, served as a head track and field and cross-country coach, and holds a principalship certification. With a PhD in Health Science, her research focuses on increasing movement opportunities for children and youth, as well as the benefits this movement yields for whole-child development. She is especially interested in free-play for children, and its relationship to appropriate and increased muscle strength and neurological development in childhood.






