Why be more grandparent?
Grandparents do not:
– Criticise coach strategies, the referee or the child
– Fail or succeed they don’t care – they just want to be there to cheer on their grandchild
Roles in Youth Sport
Players – Play
Coaches – Coach
Officials – Officiate
Parents – Support (clapping, smiling, encouraging, showing positive body language)
What to say to your child before and after competing...
Positive
Go and have fun, do your best, love you.
Did you have fun?
Did you enjoy yourself?
I loved your: movement, effort, attitude, sportsmanship, the way you moved your opponent around the court.
After the game / in the car on the way home resist addressing your child’s performance particularly if it didn’t go their way. Instead, focus conversation on what’s for dinner tonight, plans for the weekend etc. If your child wants to talk about their performance let them lead the conversation, your job is to be supportive and help your child focus on what they did well.
Negative
You should win this game, your opponent doesn’t look very good.
I cannot believe you missed that shot.
You were slow today.
I am not taking you to training if that is how you are going to play.
I am sure you’ll play better in your next game.
You should have done this and that.
Don't be this parent...
Conclusion
Parents - be more grandparent.
I hope this post was of value to you. I’d love to hear your thoughts, please do send me a message on Instagram (simonjamescoaching).
Thank you for reading.
Simon James
