Youth Team Sports Can Heal the Brain

The latest research on the impact of trauma and chronic/toxic stress on the developing brains of children suggests that playing youth team sports can heal a brain “wounded” or underdeveloped by trauma or extreme stress.

“Playing sports is a fundamentally healing experience. It’s relationship building, has got inherent relational rewards, and the activities are regulating. In so many ways, (playing sports) has these remarkable healthy potentials.” (Neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry M.D. Ph. D.)

Top international neuroscientist and researcher Dr. Bruce Perry (childtrauma.org) says the way to heal the trauma-impacted or stress-impacted brain is through activities that first regulate the (lower) parts of the brain that are impacted by trauma or chronic/toxic stress. By attuning to the needs of this part of the brain, once regulated, the individual can then more easily access the parts of the brain that help with growth and development.

Children who are impacted by trauma or deal with extreme stress may be frequently functioning in the part of the brain that deals with the fight-flight alarm state, which means they may be more emotionally dysregulated and aren’t necessarily thinking clearly. Playing youth team sports can help regulate that part of their brains.

“The brain loves rhythm.” The brain needs “patterned, repetitive, rhythmic, somatosensory activities to heal the brain…and team sports are infused with lots of them.” (Neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry, M.D. Ph.D.)

An activity that is trauma healing, including playing team sports, says Dr. Perry, requires 6 R’s. It must be:

• Relational (safe)
• Relevant (developmentally-matched to the individual)
• Repetitive (patterned)
• Rewarding (pleasurable)
• Rhythmic (resonant with neural patterns)
• Respectful (of the child, family, culture)

Playing team sports can meet all six of these trauma healing requirements.

“Patterned, repetitive rhythmic somatosensory activity…elicits a sensation of safety”, says Dr. Perry, which is needed for learning and developing. “Rhythm is regulating.”

“An example of repetitive intervention is positive, nurturing interactions with trustworthy peers (teammates) and (team sports) coaches, using patterned, repetitive somatosensory activities,” such as playing sports. (Trauma healing activities can also include other movement, Yoga, music, and drumming)

The inherent components of sports training and competition meets four of the six trauma healing needs. All the running, breathing, dribbling, throwing, and other parts of the team sports experience are naturally regulating to the developing youth brain. They are Relevant, Repetitive, Rewarding, and Rhythmic.

In addition, the collaboration and camaraderie between teammates, can be healing as well. (Many of us remember the special bonds and friendships we had with teammates!)

The first and last trauma healing activity components listed, Relational and Respectful are ones that can be influenced by the coach, parents, and other adults interacting with the child in the team sports environment. Playing team sports must be emotionally and relationally, as well as physically, safe for all of those involved. The level of respect of the youth athlete, their family and culture, should be unique to any other of the child’s activities.

Youth sports coaches, parents and administrators can be more purposeful and intentional to integrate simple brain-healing tools into practice and game routines.

Marty Wolner is a certified mentor trainer and trauma and stress impact coach for Lakeside Global Institute in Philadelphia, PA, providing trauma and stress awareness for sports organizations and teams, business professionals, continuing education for early childhood educators, professional development for K-12 educators, social workers, clinicians and college courses focusing on trauma and stress.

Marty is currently working with numerous sports organizations and youth mentoring programs to develop simple strategies to enhance social emotional learning in the sports milieu. It’s time to support brain-healthy changes in the youth sports culture!

The development of this training program for youth sports coaches, parents, administrators and athletes is an extension of proven strategies already being used in trauma-informed schools and other communities supporting the growth and development of children. These strategies for coaches, parents, athletes and administrators are research-based, featuring cutting-edge neuroscience research.