Child development and Sports Introduction with Wesley Barresi from Gen-C-Sports

Introduction

My name is Wesley Barresi, born in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sports has been my life and, at times, I could even say my best friend. I spent most of my youth years playing every sport under the sun that was available to me and was gifted enough to play representative Cricket, Football, Tennis as well as excelling on both the athletics track and field teams. Having spent most of my seasons switching from one sport to the other, the time came to choose a particular sport that I felt the most love for. This all began when I was 17 as I turned professional and started playing first-class cricket in South Africa. I then moved to Europe to seek opportunities elsewhere and suddenly, within the space of a few years, found myself qualifying and representing the Netherlands National Cricket team. I did so proudly and to the best of my ability for over a decade, playing in several cricket world cups and against some of the best players in the world,until I recently (January 2021) formally announced my retirement from professional cricket.

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Questions about Wesley Barresi as a sportsman

How important was it for your development that you did multiple sports in your youth?

Looking back, I must give thanks to the opportunities and environments I had around me all through my years of school. Development is mostly taken care of easily while your body is working during your participation in a variety of sports.

How important is it to do multiple sports, so that you develop your broad motor skills?

I cannot stress the importance of this enough. In particular with our younger generation aged 4-10 years old. Development is the key to long term sports participation and if a child does not understand how to maneuver his/her body correctly the chances are they will not participate fully due to insecurities and a lack of confidence when executing skills. Simply said a child will not enjoy a sport if they cannot have fun and be engaged at the same time.

Why did you ultimately choose cricket?

Out of all the sports I participated in and yes, some I participated in at provincial level which is very decent, I just loved the challenges and the enjoyment more out of cricket. I also achieved more from cricket in general, so the decision wasn't too difficult.

You have also been into athletics which is an individual sport. Why did you ultimately choose for a team sport?

Cricket is a great combination of being both individual and team orientated so you get the best out of both worlds. You feel that you could win the game on your own every time but, in the end, you need contributors to be a winning successful team.

What is talent to you?

Talent is someone who can adapt quickly, absorb information and put it into action successfully almost immediately.

How important was fun in sport to you?

Fun is a word that is widely spread at every level but very difficult to manage at a professional level. You have fun when you are doing well at something & you have fun exploring new challenges and exercises. I feel that you have to embrace the moments and enjoy yourself more than just having "fun".

How were goals set within the Dutch team?

One of my most inspiring memories of goal setting was a poster of a mountain we were trying to summit. Each section of the mountain had either camps, fitness testing's, games, qualifiers and then the big one the World Cup. We managed to achieve it all climbing to the top of the mountain and make it through to the next phase of that world cup. Some story I must say and one I think of fondly. Goal setting needs to be a vision, something everyone in that room and can feel and put into their own perspective but with a view to accomplish the same goal.

How do you create team cohesion?

Honesty and openness - Two values that cultivate a powerful and motivating environment if understood correctly by all.

Every individual has a strength in a team and every team has another individuals to back up that strength if he or she may fail on the day. Accepting failure as a team and celebrating each other's successes together as a victory as a group grows team Cohesion. Even if it is an individual sport, there is a coach and support staff. Don't they WIN?

Which qualities should a good coach have?

Good Player management - Honest clear communication - Knowing your Athlete & their values and respecting that Relationship - Highly Energized and a Motivator.

In the Netherlands we mainly learn to think and talk about the content in training. In my study I actually missed learning how to connect and how to show empathy in retrospect. How did you experience that with your cultural background?

Personally, growing up it was all about nurturing the fun into sport and letting go. It gradually turned into mentoring where it became more specific, fine-tuned and cared for which in turn might be the difference between a sporting cultured background and one which is not.

Was there a sports psychologist at your association or the Netherlands team? Is There a Mental Learning Line in Cricket? (I think athletes should receive mental training in addition to technical, tactical and physical).

Unfortunately not but I would say that it should be on offer to all athletes. Your skills do operate naturally at a professional level, but the consistency and continuation of those skills need to be managed by the mental aspect for sure.

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About Gen-C-Sports

Why did you start Gen-C-Sports?

Gen-C-Sports is an idea which was initially created over 10 years ago with an emphasis on creating a cricket campus or academy, but, through years of coaching and mentoring young children and teenagers I noticed a few vital fundamentals were not up to general growth standards. Even though these kids were avid sports lovers already playing various sports such as football, hockey and cricket throughout the year, their basic fundamentals were out of place. This creates insecurities, low confidence, and self-belief in the exercises I had put in front of them. This was one of many important signs that led me to creating Gen-C-Sports by means of giving ALL children the opportunities and an environment to grow, develop and stay connected to sports.

What do you want to teach children and why do you think this is important?

Having started new roles as a Head Coach & Development Mentor for various sports clubs over the last 6 years, I've had the privilege of working with talented kids aged from 7-16 years old. It was clear then that basic physical development from Locomotive to Gross Motor Skills and even basic Cognitive skills were lacking in many of the kids I had been working with. Educating our children through development programs and slowly integrating them into sports introductory programs is what Gen-C-Sports is all about. We give children the environment to grow confidence within themselves by getting to know how to use their bodies correctly. Simply said, if we put a child into a sporting environment that requires a certain skill to participate freely, and that child does not know how to execute that skill because of development, that child will not have fun and will most certainly try to avoid participation meaning that eventually they will fall away from that particular sport. We are here to build a child's foundations and offer them the wonderful gift of sport.

Why is it that children today lack certain physical characteristics?

In my opinion there are two parts. Parents need to be educated and have a better insight into their own child's developmental progress, in particular between the ages of 4-10 years old. The second is schools - physical education should be ramped up and taken as seriously as the general educational curriculum is taken. Sports at schools are missing so development programs need to be the main source of physical education. Opportunities and sporting environments need to be on offer but sadly this is not the case. At present, parents and children have to seek out environments and opportunities via clubs, which that is not stimulating nor growing the numbers of general sports participation amongst young children. Going to a local sports club should be an add on to school sports participation, not the only option available.

How Important Is Giving Self Confidence to Kids?

Self Confidence is the most important attribute to focus on as a mentor when working with kids. It has a spider web effect in that through confidence comes many other powerful attributes. Enjoyment and fun are on full display when a child can contribute and participate freely due to self-confidence and belief.

How should coaches react when exercises go wrong and / or are performed incorrectly?

All coaching and child development environments need to be established correctly beforehand by making it age appropriate and easy to navigate no matter the age or level. You can have 3 different stations building up the same skill but at a different age or level making it easier for you to control and educate.

What programs do you offer to children?

We offer 2 types of development programs which are age centric as well as a sports introductory masterclass program to connect all kids from their development programs to a variety of sports on offer. This enables us to focus on the right age groups and to offer the right activities to get the best out of a child's true potential. Our programs are as follows - Neophytes 4-6 years old | Prodigies 7-10 years old | Sports Introductory Masterclasses 6-14 Years Old.

What sports do you teach children at Gen-C-Sports?

Gen-C-Sports has a mission to "Give children the gift of sport". We want to introduce every sport possible from Martial arts masterclasses to various ball sports. We believe there is a sport out there for every child to enjoy and excel at.

What basic skills do your staff need to meet and why do you think these skills are important?

We are not quite that developed just yet but, when we do hire staff, our HEAD mentors must have either been professional athletes/ coaches or should be current professional or semiprofessional athletes. Professional athletes are passionate about sports as it was their lively hood for a long period of their life and, as I mentioned in my own case, their best friend in a sense. This kind of passion and drive reflects on children and inspires them through the coaches/mentor’s energy, positivity and healthy active lifestyles. We will also offer young talented athletes the opportunity to come onboard and share their passion for sports by means of supporting our mentors through our sport's introductory masterclasses.