How to nurture your young athlete

Introduction

Millions of parents have children in organized sports. Most of them learn difficult lessons along the way as their youngsters navigate the maze from recreational-level activities toward more demanding pursuits. By following these general guidelines, parents can make the journey more rewarding. As this video underscores, parents need to take a constructive approach with young athletes.

By: Jeff Gordon

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Tips & Warnings:

Make sure your young athlete is having fun. Make certain they enjoy their sport. Keep them in good team situations. Don't overlook the social aspect.
Seek consistency in the teaching. Don't let your young athlete get conflicting instruction from the team, personal instructors and camp leaders. In any sport, the mechanics must become second nature. Adjusting mechanics is OK. Changing them constantly is not OK.
Learn all you can about your child's sport. Understand what the coaches are doing. Support their teachings. And if you get involved in the teaching, know what in the heck you are talking about.
Learn the difference between "sore" and "injured." A serious young athlete will get sore. You want them to battle on. That builds character. But never allow a young athlete to compete while injured.
Don't treat a sports program as a babysitting service. Stay as involved as possible so you know what is going on.
Support all the kids and the support the program. Be a team parent, just as you ask your youngster to be a team player.
Treat opponents with class. Demonstrate good sportsmanship. Be a good role model.
As young athletes mature, allow them to chart their course. Guide them, of course, but realize this ultimately is THEIR quest. They must want to do it. They should not compete just to please you.
Don't yell at your kid for screwing up. Offer support. Go get an ice cream cone. Then have a more constructive talk the next day, after their emotions settle. Ask them what happened. Listen.
Don't let your kid loaf. There are many things young people cannot control in sports -- but they do control effort.
Don't subject your young athlete to a "screamer." There is no place for this in civilized society. They are plenty of quality programs that don't allow coaches to verbally abuse kids.
Don't get caught up in the athletic scholarship chase. Only a tiny percentage of young athletes get major college scholarship offers -- a many of those teenagers would prefer to just be a college student, not a college athlete. If earning an athletic scholarship is their dream, help them pursue it. Just make sure it's not YOUR dream.
Accept that other kids will have more pure athletic ability than your youngster. Hard work can close that gap, but only to a degree. Live with that. Stay focused on helping your youngster be the best they can be.

Step1

Understand the purpose of youth sports. Children enjoy competing, making new friends and being part of a program. The benefits are many: physical fitness, discipline, personal commitment, resilience, teamwork and responsibility to the group. The ultimate goal is personal development, not a college scholarship or bragging rights for mom and dad. Focus on the process, not the bottom-line production.

Step2

Develop a realistic assessment of your athlete and steer him or her to the appropriate competitive level. The sport shouldn't be much too easy or much too hard. Youngsters develop at different speeds. Their timetable for physical maturation varies. Their passion, motivational level and competitiveness vary. Every kid is unique. Some kids push themselves too hard, others are apathetic.

Step3

It is OK to push your athlete in a constructive fashion. Young people should be challenged. This is how they grow. The same rule should apply to any activity: If you are going to do, it do it right. Give your best effort. See the season or the year all the way through. Respect the group and the leaders.

Step4

Early on, allow your athlete to play multiple sports. The variety allows them to develop all-around athletic ability. Why put an 8-, 9- or 10-year into a year-round "select" program and exclude other sports? Later, athletes can focus on one sport if they wish. Don't allow your athletes to burn out on a sport before they really hit stride.

Step5

Stress good nutrition. You don't need to go overboard and put children on a highly restrictive diet, but promote healthy eating. That can make a huge difference as young athletes train and grow.

Step6

Fitness training can make a big difference, too. Pre-puberty training should focus on speed, agility and the core muscles. Hold off on serious body building until the athletes mature physically. And be wary of training supplements. Do you homework. Consult your doctor.

Step7

If you decide to place your youngster in a year-round "select" program, do your homework. Find the best program to help your athlete reach full potential. Success is important, of course, because it rewards effort. Stay clear of programs that stress winning over the development of each child in the program. Avoid coaches who put their ego gratification ahead of what is best for the kids.

Step8

Don't live vicariously through your youngster's athletic progress. Set aside your ego. Seek growth your child, not a high trophy count.