Having taught youth for a great number of years, I have encountered a great number of skill levels in kids. A few of my students have gone on to play major league baseball and many were cut from their team. No matter their skill level, there is one sentiment that I try to leave with them – “I believe in you and I will be pulling for you.” That is one of the most important things that adults, and mainly parents, should say to their kids when they go out to play sports. Is it giving false optimism? No, because that doesn’t change my wanting to let them know that, win or lose, you are on their side. When they don’t play well – it is easy to follow up with, “Hey, it wasn’t your day” or “I know you will get them the next time” or ”Hang in there, you did your best.” This intimates to them that you still believe in them even if they failed.  Their self esteem is still enhanced even when they get cut from the team.  

Post from: Positive Parenting in Sports - Raising an Athlete

I Believe in You & I Will Be Pulling for You – Positive Coaching

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I often encounter kids that play baseball because their parents want them to. I can tell their heart is not in it and are only playing to please their parent. This is unfortunate at times, especially when the parent gets upset with the childs attitude. The problem is that parents may have waited too long to help the child develop a serious interest in that activity.
There is a reason children of professional and Olympic athletes follow in their parents footsteps. Kids of pro athletes grow up around the fields and locker rooms of theit sports playing parents. The point is that it is the personal experiences of being there that develops a love for the sport. It didn’t come from the kids watching the sport on TV or from playing the video game of the sport.

     You never know for sure when a kid develops a love for something but it can be sparked by a very simple event. I believe I can trace my son’s  love of baseball to age 3, when he hopped in a battting cage at my sports academy and was able to hit the ball from the pitching machine.
     Parents that want their kids to develop a love for a particular sport should attend games of that sport with their child from a young age. Seeing and feeling the electric and fun atmosphere of physically being at the games as often as possible may create the spark that develops the love of sport in the child. Of course, this does not have to be a professional game, but even a high school, college or sibling game of the sport. You never know when the spark will develop in your child and it cannot be forced on them later in life.

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• The Greatness Of Sports (bleacherreport.com)

Post from: Positive Parenting in Sports - Raising an Athlete

Love of Sport

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Coaching Youth Sports

Justify – Not a lot of words beginning with this letter. Of course, coaches and parents should always be judicious with their teams and kids when making decisions about athletics. But one of my favorite words is justify. Most kids stop playing sports not because they get burnt out but because they cannot justify working so hard when the results are not there. This is a justifiable reason for ending their relationship with a sport and one in which a player’s parents should understand even if the parents are disappointed that their child has decided to stop playing. Kids who end playing for this reason can be proud that they gave it their all and things just didn’t work out to continue playing.

Knowledge - Simply put, knowledge creates confidence and a lack of knowledge causes insecurity and a lack of confidence. I know this first hand – because my lack of knowledge of the fundamentals of baseball I often felt out of control when playing which lead to a loss of confidence and a scared feeling, even though I made it to the major leagues. Giving players the knowledge of how to play and how to do the mechanics of sport is the number one responsibility of a coach.  Coaches are teachers of sport and they should continue to learn about the sport they coach so they can continue to provide technical and strategic knowledge of the sport so kids can play with confidence and poise.

Post from: Positive Parenting in Sports - Raising an Athlete

ABC’s of Positive Parenting in Sports – J & K

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