How To Help Your Child Succeed At Sports
Â
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D.
Â
Â
          Sports play a huge role in our society. What are some of the things that
Â
parents can do to help their kids to enjoy sports and to succeed at sports?
Â
1.
Â
           Do what you can to make sure that your child is having a positive experience
Â
with coaches and with teammates. The wrong coach can turn a kid off
Â
 to a sport or to sports in general. Similarly, conflicts with teammates
Â
 and peer pressure can make sports quite unpleasant. You need to help
Â
 your child work out these interpersonal issues, and in some instances, you
Â
 will need to intervene or intercede on his or her behalf.
Â
Â
2.
Â
    Try to determine if your child seems better suited for team sports or
Â
for individual sports. Some kids love the camaraderie of team sports.
Â
Others enjoy competing on their own. And of course, some kids like both.
Â
Â
3.
Â
     Your children learn a lot by watching and by observing you and your
Â
spouse. Be sure to model good sportsmanship, grace, gentleness and
Â
integrity on and off the athletic field. We have all read the horror stories
Â
about violent sports parents who are out of control on the soccer field,
Â
the baseball diamond, in the basketball gym or at the hockey rink. If you
Â
Â
behave inappropriately at these venues, your children are apt to do the same
Â
thing.Â
Â
Â
4.
Â
Â
       Lots of kids have difficulty managing the busy schedules which
Â
include games, practices, travel, cross training, family activities and
Â
school work. In many instances, the parents and their kids are spread
Â
quite thin and are quite overwhelmed.
Â
  Help your child to find a balance and make sure that they do not have
Â
too much on their plates.
Â
5.
Â
   Â
      Be aware of burn out.  If your child has lost some of his her
Â
enthusiasm and his or her performance has declined, your youngsterÂ
Â
may be burnt out. Talk with them and see if they need a break, a new
Â
challenge, a different approach to their sport or a new sport.
Â
Â
6.
Â
    Is your child an elite athlete? Elite athletes often show mature talent and
Â
exceptional drive earl on. I counsel many athletes who
Â
fall into this category and they usually report loving their sport at an
Â
early age. They love practice and they usually can compete successfully
Â
with kids who are a few years older than they are.Â
Â
Â
Â
 7.
Â
       If your child is an elite athlete, you will discover that the age of
Â
specialization has now crept into sports. While there are some children
Â
who can excel at several sports, most top athletes focus on one today.
Â
    In addition, baseball players don’t just get a baseball coach. They get a
Â
second base coach, a hitting coach and a pitching coach.
Â
Â
                                                             8.
Â
          If your child wants to achieve a high level of success at sports,
Â
it is important the coach, the youngster and you have a good working
Â
relationship.  I frequently intervene to help everyone to get on the
Â
same page.
Â
                                                             9.
Â
          Expect to have different coaches and trainers during the course
Â
of your kid’s athletic career. This is normal. Be open to switching because
Â
different coaches teach different things and they call all have a positive impact
Â
on your youngster. If you and your child and the coach are in constant
Â
friction, something is wrong and it needs to fixed.
Â
Â
10.
Â
       Many young and talented athletes are clueless about the mental
Â
aspects of their sport. For example, I counseled a very talented tennis
Â
player who knew zero about the strategy of the game and less about
Â
her own psychological strengths and weaknesses. I was a bit shocked
Â
at how weak her mental skills were, since her mother owned and ran
Â
a successful tennis facility.
Â
         Similarly, I have seen hundreds of very talented young golfers
Â
who can hit the ball great on the range but who fall apart on the course.
Â
         Likewise, many baseball players with great swings can not hit in
Â
game conditions because they think very poorly about the game, the
Â
count and about themselves when they step up to the plate.
Â
         If you want your child to excel at sports they need to learn to
Â
understand the strategy as well as the internal mental aspects of
Â
their sport. Â
Â
11.
Â
        Do whatever you can to teach your child to be relaxed, confident, focused
Â
and optimistic on and off the court. Show them how to manage the successes
Â
and the setbacks.
Â
Â
Â
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a Psychotherapist and the Founder of www.StayInTheZone.com. He is the author of a new book, Get Into The Zone In Just One Minute and many other programs for athletes, parents and coaches.
He can be reached at info@stayinthezone.com
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â