Teaching Players the Importance of Right and Wrong
Research shows that sports participation is actually eroding the moral reasoning of many athletes. The good news is that coaches can make a difference by coaching ethical toughness and by engaging athletes in dialog about ethics and sports. Anyone paying attention knows that there is an ethics crisis in sports. The media is full of [...]
A Parent’s Role in Character Development
Winning the game is not the responsibility of the parent. Only the coach and athlete can control that outcome. However, the parent has a key role in forming the attitudes and life lessons that their child will take away from youth sports. Jim Thompson, Executive Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance, discussed this crucial task [...]
How to Help Your Player Stay Positive
When a child is learning a new sport it can be easy for them to become discouraged. Sometimes this can lead to negative thoughts and feelings. The following is an excerpt from a conversation between Executive Editor TK Stohlman and noted child and sports psychologist, author and motivational speaker Dr. Darrell Burnett on the topic [...]
How to Be a Team Player
One of the key elements to team sports is the relationships of the team members. It is important to remember that the success of a team does not depend on one player, but rather the entire team dynamic. The following article provides critical ways to work together as a team. It’s natural to dream of [...]
How to Successfully Deal with Losses
Everyone wants to play on winning teams. Yet on any given day, half of all teams will lose or, at best, play to a tie. For parents of young athletes, dealing successfully with losses is a key factor that determines whether kids will continue playing sports past the current season. Before thinking about how to [...]
Sports Heroes: Not Always the Best Role Models
It is easy for kids to admire professional athletes who stand out in their sport. This admiration often takes the form of “hero worship” and gives kids someone to mimic in their path to adulthood. Just like their heroes, most kids can easily see themselves making the winning score or receiving the praise and lifestyle [...]
Good Attitude Is Key to Hockey Success
No one masters hockey. There is too much to learn and every game presents a new combination of challenges and opportunities. A positive attitude is essential to becoming a better player. Attitude is a combination of physical and mental approaches. A positive attitude is demonstrated in many ways such as: Giving maximum physical effort on [...]
Learning Life Lessons: The Reason for Youth Sports
The chances of a child’s playing college- or professional-level sports are better than winning the lottery but not by much. Though the dream of playing professionally motivates many young players, parents should be clear that the goal of youth sports is about building better kids, not about building a career. Kids active in sports are [...]
Should You Motivate by Paying for Results?
Kids begin playing sports to have fun, and fun is often all they need to continue playing well. Too many rewards actually undermines a player’s progress. Players will continue to play well because they love the game and enjoy the feeling of satisfaction that comes with improvement. A frequent mistake parents make with their young [...]
Handling Bad Calls – How to Help Your Player
Parents are going to see bad calls. Some of these calls will actually be bad calls, but most will just seem that way. Officials have a difficult job to do and cannot see everything that happens. Sometimes this is because they were not looking where the problem occurred. Other times they were not focused on [...]