The Hidden Potential of Physical Education Programs

By Alex Slezak – M.Ed, YFS, YSAS, HSSCS

There is something so untapped and enormous in the world of youth fitness that could change everything. Currently, this giant is lying dormant, waiting to be awakened, and when it does, watch out!

What is the sleeping giant I’m talking about? I’m referring to our schools’ physical education programs.

Think about this for just one second: Could you imagine having access to every child in one school? How about every child in a state? How about every child in the nation? That is exactly what physical education programs have: direct access to youth and their parents across the entire nation.

There are some great physical education teachers and programs working right this very moment, but we need more. Many more. These great individual teachers and programs are the spark we need to awaken the giant. They are acting like the small group who starts the wave in a crowded stadium. That initial action catches on and a local groundswell turns into the whole stadium doing the wave. This is the kind of action we need in physical education programs across the world. We need to champion those great individual teachers and programs to let their passion and work catch on like wildfire and awaken the sleeping youth fitness giant.

If you are a fitness professional who owns an Athletic Revolution or other youth training business, you might be thinking, “I don’t want to awaken this giant because it is going to take away from my business. Right now, I am offering what the school is failing to provide.”

For those of you thinking like that, I believe the exact opposite will happen. Could you imagine if we had more youth and their parents interested in fitness and athletics? Could you imagine if a physical education teacher who already works 40+ hours each week knew IYCA-certified coaches to whom they could direct youth and their parents? Finally, could you imagine the positive impacts, well beyond anything monetary, that a robust resurgence in physical education would provide? I can imagine some bigtime positives like fit youth better prepared to learn, lower healthcare costs with future generations, and even the social and emotional benefits of a physically active lifestyle, and that’s just the beginning!

I hope you are starting to see that the sleeping giant in the youth fitness industry is physical education. Nowhere else can you reach so many kids and parents and affect such major change. Is that not the real reason why most of us got into working with youth to begin with?

Now that I told you what the sleeping giant in the fitness industry is, keep your eyes open for more articles because I am going to tell you exactly how to awaken it in your local community to get the wave started.

Alex is a physical education teacher and operates a tennis & fitness training business in Pittsburgh, PA. You can learn more by visiting his website at www.AlexSlezak.com.