| 3/22/12 |
Without any other guidance, we handle our kid's sports activities the same way our parents did or the way we see other parents do. Most times, we get it wrong. With over 70% of kids quitting organized sports by age 13, our sports parenting skills are not something we often brag about. But, maybe we are lucky that almost 30% keep playing.
Being a good sports parent is not a natural skill. In fact, being a good sports parent often conflicts with natural parenting instincts such as protecting, educating, and supervising. Standing on the sidelines, we are forced to resist the urges to help and must watch our kids learn to act independently and become adults we wish them to be. Being a good sports parent is hard!
How do you know if you are a good sports parent? One simple test is if your kids are eager to go to practices and love the game. Although this sounds like a test that requires little parent support, it is a test that actually requires a great deal of parent involvement. A child's development is never a straight path of constant improvement. At various times, kids will develop quickly, slowly, not at all or even regress. Sometimes, kids will believe they are the best player on the team and at other times the worst player. Parents need to be there to help kids understand this process which is further complicated by growth spurts and hormonal changes. As in everyday life, kids in sports need positive parental education, guidance, and role models.
Visit www.OnGuardOnline.gov for social networking safety tips for parents and youth
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3/21/12 Today, we got a daily email from Leadership Wired and we think you can apply the lessons to cheer, volleyball, business, or life!
by John C. Maxwell
No one wants to feel invisible as they pass through life, yet we often get the impression that others see us as little more than a statistic. Our resume ends up in a pile, our performance reviews goes into a file, and like everyone else we get a raise every once in a while. We're referred to as applicants, employees, or human resources, and we sense our individuality being somewhat buried.
Jack Welch called this feel of anonymity "being in the pile", and he recommended thinking as the means of escape. Most people go with the flow, doing what's asked of them but not much more. In Welch's estimation, the key to elevating yourself in business is to go above and beyond expectations whenever you're asked a question or given an assignment.
As he writes,
"If you understand that the question is only the beginning, you will get out of the pile fast, because 99.9 percent of all employees are in the pile because they don't think. If you understand this principle, you will always be given more critical questions to answer. And in time, you will be the one giving out the questions to others!"
Thanks to one our favorite sites: Leadership Wired. |
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3/13/12 While parents help their child navigate and learn from the youth sports experience, coaches provide the instruction and supervised practice and game time that let kids learn and test their skills. Parents and coaches naturally complement each other in providing for the needs of young athletes. Parents provide the emotional, mental, and financial support. Coaches provide the structure and technical support. Together, they build better kids.
Parents do not always have a choice of coaches, but they always have the choice of keeping their child with a team. First and foremost, parents have the responsibility of making sure their child's coach is providing a positive and supportive environment. There are many teams and coaching styles and parents need to make sure that the coach is the right fit for their child. After verifying a coaching fit, parents should then:
- Expect professional conduct. Coaches are educators and parents should hold them to the same standards of conduct they would expect from any teacher.
- Support the coach and help their child get the most from the training.
- Communicate regularly and positively with the coach.
- Have their child ready and on time for games and practices.
- Inform the coach of any major life issues facing their child, such as health or family concerns.
- Avoid second-guessing the coach's decisions during games or practices.
- Never provide instruction to their child contrary to the coach's instruction.
- Wait 24 hours after any game or practice before discussing any concerns about particular events.
- Encourage their child to work with the coach. No matter the cheerleader or player's age, he or she should talk to the coach directly. Parents should avoid the temptation to step in and help.
- Express thanks to the coach for his or her efforts.
- Never criticise or demean the coach in front of their child.
- Help with team needs to free the coach's time for practice or game preparation. |
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3/12/12 Parents must balance their child's desire to have fun with their understanding that without hard work the child's enjoyment of the sport will diminish. Some positive ways parents can deal with this are:
- Support the coach's efforts to make practices fun.
- Show as much enthusiasm at watching your child practice as at games. If both parents go to games, both parents should consider going to practice. Remember, practices offer opportunities to express interest and support, not to be critical or corrective.
- Praise the learning of new skills and the improvement of existing ones.
- Pay attention to what goes on at practice and talk about the various drills afterwards. Ask what drills were the favorites and help explain the need for the ones that weren't as much fun.
- Allow extra locker room time for your child to visit with friends at practices.
- Be positive in the car ride heading to practice and avoid negative commentary on the way home from practice.
Parents need to help coaches as much as possible by encouraging their child to have a good attitude towards the practice. But more importantly, parents need to have their own good attitude towards practice so young players can enjoy going to practice to improve skills and to spend time with friends. |
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3/10/12 Before starting a game or practice, kids need to have their bodies ready with fuel and adequate rest. Unfortunately, trying to fix these issues just before game time won't work. Food takes time to digest before it can used as fuel. With too little rest or poor nutrition, a child's performance can vary considerably from past efforts.
During a game, a player needs lots of energy. To produce this energy, the body needs the right kinds of food. Foods high in complex carbohydrates contain energy that are easier for the body to use. Foods containing protein are essential for proper growth and development but are harder for the body to convert to energy. Foods high in complex carbohydrates include:
- Pasta - Breads - Rice - Oatmeal - Beans - Potatoes - Bananas
Although these foods are all good for producing energy, too much of a good thing can cause a player to feel sluggish during a game. Players and cheer performers should avoid eating a big meal too close to a performance or game. To be effective and to allow time for digestion, larger meals should be eaten at least three to five hours before a game. Within two hours of a game, players should have just a light snack that is high in energy (carbohydrates) and easy to digest.
After a game or performance, players and cheerleaders should eat a snack to restore lost energy and wait approximately one hour before eating a full meal. Excessive fatigue after a game may be a sign of improper nutrition before a game. |
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3/9/12 Successfully managing a kid's playing time involves a lot of tasks and activities. In the course of a typical season, a parent does many things, including:
- Praise and criticize - Comment, discuss and explain - Motivate - Set examples - Practice - Influence the type of sport - Influence team choices - Interact with other team parents - Suggest changes and improvements - Judge the quality of officiating - Judge the quality of the coaching - Judge the quality of the league programs - Judge the success of the team - Influence attitude - Focus or distract - Acquire and maintain equipment - Supervise rest, diet and conditioning - Provide transportation - Influence practice schedules - Mediate conflicts
There are positive and negative ways to carry out each of these activities and parents must understand the short and long-term consequences of their own actions. If the short-term goal is to make sure a child plays the best game ever, each activity is approached one way. If, on the other hand, the long-term goal is to make sure a child enjoys playing and continues playing as long as possible, a different approach is required.
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3/7/12 Games and practices are opportunities to build a kid's self-esteem. Esteem also provides a good acronym for the reasons why parents should attend.
E Enjoy the opportunity to watch your child develop. From the sideline, you can watch your child learn and apply skills.
S Share experiences and build memories with your child. Shared sports activities provide a bridge over generation gaps.
T Talk with other parents and players to build friendships and understanding.
E Encourage your child by paying attention and expressing positive support.
E Education yourself so that you can help educate or arrange to educated your child about ways to improve enjoyment or performance.
M Monitor the experience to ensure that you child is playing with teammates and coaches who share your commitment to your child's overall development.
For your complimentary copy of "Building All-Star Kids - Keep Your Kids Playing Longer and Better in Youth Sports" send us an email to Icupidshorts@gmail.com 9.95 value. You only pay Shipping/Handling $5
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3/6/12 Unfortunately, some coaches and leagues look at the high drop out rates and assume that the best approach is one that minimizes parental involvement. As in school, kids benefit greatly from positive parental actions. While sports provide a framework for learning, it up to the parents to make sure their child learns the needed physical skills and life lessons. Leagues focus on administration and coaches focus on teams. Only parents focus exclusively on their child's needs and can put everything into perspective.
To use professional sports as an analogy, parents are their child's managers. Parents help make sure their child is:
- Having fun
- Properly equipped
-Receiving good training
- Understanding the sport
- Approaching practices and games with the right attitude
- Not overdoing
- Learning life lessons
- Playing for as long as possible
For your complimentary copy of "Building All-Star Kids - Keep Your Kids Playing Longer and Better in Youth Sports" send us an email to Icupidshorts@gmail.com 9.95 value. You only pay Shipping/Handling $5
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3/5/12Managing Your Child's Experience
For most kids, sports are an organized activity. Urbanization and concerns about child safety leave fewer opportunities for kids to just go play. As youth sports become more organized, parents often feel an increasing need to get their money's worth and may inadvertently over-emphasize performance and skills development. These goals may not give kids the opportunity they need to have fun. Howev er, with the right approach, organized sports also provide the opportunity for parents to help their child navigate the experience and gain the fun, skills, and confidence to play longer.
For your complimentary copy of "Building All-Star Kids - Keep Your Kids Playing Longer and Better in Youth Sports" send us an email to Icupidshorts@gmail.com 9.95 value. You only pay Shipping/Handling $5 |
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