Like all sports, extreme sports can be good for you. These activities help strengthen your muscles. Staying active can boost your mood. And being an athlete teaches hard work and discipline.

    Some experts also say extreme sports have an added benefit. Sandra Whitehouse is a psychologist at the Child Mind Institute. She says humans are wired to want to take risks. And extreme sports can teach teens to take risks in a healthy way.

    For example, let’s say you sign up for a rock climbing class. It’s guided by expert coaches. You wear a helmet to protect yourself. You scale a huge wall with support from a rope. Now you’re getting that rush you crave in a safe setting. And you’re building confidence in yourself too.

    All sports can be good for you. They help make your muscles strong. Staying active can boost your mood. And being an athlete teaches hard work and discipline.

    Some experts say extreme sports have an added benefit. Sandra Whitehouse is a psychologist at the Child Mind Institute. She says humans are wired to want to take risks. And extreme sports can teach teens to take risks in a healthy way.

    Let’s say you take a rock climbing class. It’s guided by expert coaches. You wear a helmet to protect yourself. You climb a wall with support from a rope. You get that rush you crave in a safe setting. And you build confidence in yourself too.

    Like all sports, extreme sports can be good for you. The activities help strengthen your muscles, staying active can improve your mood, and the life of an athlete encourages hard work and discipline.

    According to some experts, extreme sports have an additional benefit. Sandra Whitehouse, a psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, says    humans are wired to want to take risks. And extreme sports can teach teens to take risks in a healthy way.

    For example, let’s say you sign up for a rock climbing class. It’s guided by expert coaches. Wearing a helmet to protect yourself, you scale a huge wall with support from a rope. Now you’re getting that rush you crave in a safe setting—and you’re developing self-confidence too.

    Still, experts warn that extreme sports can be extra dangerous for young people. Why? Teens’ brains are still growing. This can make it harder to weigh risks. Many young athletes are quick to try a new skill. They are less likely to think about what could go wrong.

    Taking risks can also feel addictive. Trying a new trick floods your brain with a feel-good chemical called dopamine. If you succeed, you crave more of it.

     The problem is, extreme sports aren’t always supervised. Young athletes often practice on their own or with friends. As a result, there’s no coach to stop them from rushing into dangerous stunts before they’re ready. This can lead to serious injuries.

    As for Ollie, he was lucky to recover from his injury. Now he knows his limits. And sometimes it pays off. It may have even helped him win a World Cup event last year.

    “I decided to play this one safe,” Ollie said after the big win. “And it worked out so well.” 

    Still, experts warn that extreme sports can be extra dangerous for young people. Why? Teens’ brains are still growing. This can make it harder to weigh risks. Many young athletes are quick to try a new skill. They are less likely to think about what could go wrong.

    Taking risks can also feel addictive. Trying a new trick floods your brain with a feel-good chemical called dopamine. If you succeed, you crave more of it.

     And extreme sports aren’t always supervised. Young athletes often practice on their own or with friends. There’s no coach to stop them from trying stunts before they’re ready. This can lead to serious injuries.

    Ollie healed from his injury. Now he knows his limits. And sometimes it pays off. It may have even helped him win a World Cup event last year.

    “I decided to play this one safe,” he said after he won. “And it worked out so well.” 

    Still, experts warn that extreme sports can be particularly dangerous for young people. Why? Teens’ brains are still developing, which means young people sometimes have difficulty assessing risks. Many young athletes are quick to try a new skill but less likely to think about what could go wrong.

    Taking risks can also feel addictive. Trying a new trick floods your brain with a feel-good chemical called dopamine. If you succeed, you crave more of it.

     The problem is, extreme sports aren’t always supervised. Young athletes often practice on their own or with friends. Without a coach standing by to discourage them from rushing into dangerous stunts before they’re ready, these athletes are at risk for serious injuries.

    As for Ollie, he was lucky to recover from his injury. Now he knows his limits—and that knowledge can be extremely valuable. It may have even helped him win a World Cup event last year.

    “I decided to play this one safe,” Ollie stated after the big win. “And it worked out so well.”