No abstract

Exemplary sport psychological studies on youth sports are highlighted in an effort to demonstrate the state of the art relative to conducting youth sport psychological research. Five key questions for moving the field forward are then discussed. These include (a) How can the professionalization of youth sports be curbed? (b) Does youth sport participation influence long-term physical activity and health-enhancing behaviors of participants? (c) Does youth sport participation influence the mental health of children and youth? (d) What does effective coaching look like for children of different ages and in different sport contexts? and (e) When, under what conditions, and how are life skills developed in youth sports and do these life skills transfer beyond sport? In addition to delineating each of these questions, the rationale for why each is important to address is conveyed as well as recommendations for the best ways to address the question moving forward.