The best sports experience for your player
posted 9/10/2011 by YBA
YBA strives to ensure that the experience a player and their family has with the club is a memorable, enjoyable experience. Here are some of the philosophies that the club was established on and believes in. We try to follow these principles and more in an attempt to make YBA "The best sports experience for your player".
The best sports experience for your player
(Some excerpts taken from the book: “Parenting Young Athletes the Ripken Way: Ensuring the Best Experience for Your Kids in Any Sport” by Cal Ripken, Jr.)
I have a question for you. Do you expect your child to develop into a true athletic star-maybe even someday receive an athletic scholarship to play in college? Or do you feel that your younger child might be good enough to turn pro?
Or maybe you look at your child in a different way. You hope that your child finds playing competitive sports challenging and rewarding and along the way he learns about what sports has to offer - concepts like sportsmanship, team work, competition, commitment, dedication and sharing in the fun of playing with teammates and friends. If you think this way, you share the same thoughts as our YBA basketball club.
Sports are an opportunity to teach our children life lessons that help them succeed in the future work force and with bosses and colleges. We want to offer a positive life experience, and the very most important thing your child can get from sports is an opportunity to create friendships that last forever.
Here are some YBA tips for our parents.
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Make it fun: Did my child enjoy himself? Does he look forward to going to the games and practices?
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As a Sports Parent, do you fully accept that your childhood is over...and that your child has dreams of his/her own when it comes to sports.
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Have realistic dreams for your child, and above all, be careful to avoid putting too much pressure on him/her. In the long run, sports are more about the kids enjoying the experience and learning life lessons.
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Beware you are not living vicariously through your children.
How to talk to your child
“The praise sandwich”
“C’mon Sam, what were you doing out there?” “Why were you such a ball hog?” “Why didn’t you pass the ball to your teammates during the game?”
Those kinds of sharp comments will not foster the self confidence to want to improve.
My tip would be to wait till later that night or the next day and say...
“Sam, I have to tell you how great you were today (or yesterday) in the basketball game, it’s clear that your ability to dribble and shoot are really coming along very well. And let me tell you something else...If you ever get to the point where you not only dribble and shoot the ball but you can develop your passing skills to find an open teammate...well, Sam, there will be no stopping you on the basketball court. If you can develop both of those skills, you’ll be on your way to becoming a complete an awesome basketball player.”
Accomplishment + self confidence=
More Accomplishment + More self confidence
In the praise sandwich you talk to your child when you’re not emotional and you add something he needs to work on within two positive.
Speak to your child, other parents and coaches when you are calm and in control of your emotions. Emotional parents lose validity and often you say and do things that you will later regret or impact your child without you knowing.
How to develop a good relationship with your coach
If you have concerns about your child’s coach, always remember to approach him or her like you would your child’s teacher: with respect, civility and with your emotions totally under control. Avoid any angry confrontations and stay clear of any disgruntled factions of parents that may develop.
How to confront and then work through adversity is an essential lesson that every young athlete has to learn. As a parent, you provide encouragement, but it’s up to the child to push him/herself to the next level.
Proactively teach your kids about the lessons of sportsmanship, and how to behave appropriately, after they win or lose a game. When it comes to sportsmanship, always remind kids of the golden rule: Treat your opponents the way you’d like to be treated.
Remind kids that playing in the game is a privilege, not a right. And if they don’t behave properly, then they will lose that privilege.
Closing thoughts
When kids are in elementary school, they will often play a couple of sports during the same season. But as they reach middle school, they will find that it will become increasingly difficult to make a commitment to more than one team at the same time as commitment levels increase to competitive teams. Be careful that you are not accidently placing too many expectations on your child when it comes to sports. Otherwise, burnout may result.
In the early years, let your kids find and develop their own interests in sports. Be careful to not push them into sports that only you like.
If your child is drawn to basketball or another sport, take time to educate yourself about it. Most athletic skills transfer easily from one sport to another.
Before you sign your child up to a travel team, be sure to get all the costs and commitments that the team has.
Kids care more about getting to play in the game than anything else. So if a local team will meet their need, a travel team may not be the best choice.
Hard work alone will only take your child so far in competitive sports. He also needs to be blessed with athletic ability in order to get to the higher levels of sports.
Don’t get caught up in “Player Rankings”....Kids will develop and change over the years. Focus on a positive current experience that has challenges for your child to learn and grow from.
(Read this great article here)
Educate your child about nutrition and what your body needs and potential substances and supplements that can be dangerous. Listen to your child if he/she complains about a nagging injury. Most kids bounce back fairly quickly from routine bumps and bruises, so if they complain about a pain that wont go away, pay attention and get some medical help right away.
There are no hard and fast rules about holding your child back an extra year in school. Such decisions have to be made on an individual basis and the child’s best interest is what counts. Beware you’re not prolonging your expectations on your child and it’s for the right reasons.
