Seven Things You Can Do to Help Your Athlete Have a Successful Educational Experience in Athletics This School Year
Athletics are a very valuable part of the educational process. Parents can be an important part of making participation in sports a worthwhile experience for their child. However, they also have the power to take away from the value. Following are some tips from a coach who is on the inside looking out into the stands.
- Remember that it's a game and kids are playing it. Let them have fun. Many players feel that they have to live up to unrealistic standards of other people. This creates unnecessary pressure that often makes them perform worse, not better. It also takes away from the fun. Often, the player's athletic achievement is more important to the parent than it is to the child. There is something wrong with that picture. You should not be angry or disappointed in your child for playing poorly, any more than you should be happy with them for doing well. Their sense of self-worth should not come from how good a player they are. It should come from how good a person they are.