Abstract

The present paper is framed in a wider research carried out with children and girls of between 10 and 14 years of the island of Majorca about the habits of sport practice. In a more precise way, it will be analyzed which are the reasons for beginning, maintenance and/or abandonment of sport practices among the group of population before mentioned. For that, 2661 boys and girls of Majorca were interviewed. The sample was obtained from a polietapic sampling. The instrument used was a questionnaire of own elaboration. The results show that the friends are the main reason for initiation to the sport practice and that who begin and maintain the habit to practice sport mainly makes by diversion and leisure. The studies and the boredom are the main reasons for abandonment. Gender marks some differences in relation the habit to practice sports in the preadolescence.