Great powerpoint for raising athletic and unathletic children in sports. Healthy parenting within the context of sports and athletics.

1. DEVELOPING A HEALTHY VIEW OF
YOUTH SPORTS..STOP THE
MADNESS!

2. Where are we now...
The Good:
Many opportunities for our youth
Broad range of ability-appropriate activities
Great opportunities for socialization, healthy competition, physical
development.
We want our kids active!
The Challenges:
Parents/coaches looking from the top down i.e. professional level
“Red Shirting” of youth
Praise/Support based on athletic/academic success not emotional
social
Kids are in adult-mode too soon
Wide variety of coaching philosophies and styles
Skill and competition have bled in to play
Sports can be exclusive

3. The Current Landscape...
Youth sports
Recreational aspects are lost - viewed as a means to
an end
Early Specialization - where are the 3-sport athletes
today?
Structured play is the new norm of physical activity
Competition at a young age is intense/pressure-filled
Participation is not just local - travel is expected
Youth sports participation is in decline...BURNOUT!

4. The “Athletic” Culture
“SUCCESS” is mis-defined by most.
Many times the parent definition collides
with a child’s definition
Winning and being the best is not a
feasible concept with youth..or healthy
starting point for parenting
Individual success has a greater
emphasis than team success
We live in a broken world with high rate
of family issues
Lack of men in the lives of
children..parental erosion
Money, Fame, and Attention...drives the
culture

5. Do we have some athletic cultural
concerns?

6. HELP!
What is a parent to do?
Get a life..how much emotional energy do
you invest in your child’s “regular” life?
Be a guide and a mentor. Let talent/desire
guide their age-appropriate activities
Set time for creative play...unstructured
play. Allow athletics to be their choice
Give them athletic space and freedom to
have input in decisions about their intensity
Resist “specialization” at an early age
Travel sports...don’t rush it
Be proactive in setting athletic boundaries

7. Goals for your active child...
Develop them as “Coachable” in life
Listening Skills
Positive Risk Taker
Leader / Confident
Compassion
Team Player
Self-Motivated
Composure in Training
Develop Discipline
Self-Starter
Willing to put themselves in challenges
An on/off switch
Seeing Positives in Life
Healthy Relentlessness
Detail Oriented
Ownership

8. Developing the athletic family....
Healthy Unhealthy
Vary activities and pressure Rank winning as a high priority
Model poise and support Specialization
Separate home and athletics Push weights and conditioning too early
Make family the center Parent motivation vs. child motivation
Allow emotional output Stifle emotional output
Create a working vocabulary Create a pressured vocabulary

9. Who is your support system?
Parents are ALWAYS the primary influence. A coach
is a secondary support...NOT a primary support..
Red Flags Positives
Screamer/scrimmager Enthusiastic and positive
Motivated to advance himself or his child All-inclusive
Poor organization Role model
Lots of standing around Organized and predictable
No communication Knows the sport
Avoids parents Builds in fun
Black and white (inflexible) Outlined expectations
Commands respect Is respected

10. We are 24/7 Role Models...If we want the athletic culture
we better be able to manage it in a healthy way!

11. Basic Concepts in Healthy Athletics
SPORTSMANSHIP-TOUGHNESS-COMPETITION-WINNING

12. SPORTSMANSHIP
Must be at the front end of all development
Is a pattern-building development
Strengthened by modeling, family structure, repetition
Consists of...control, humility, courage, respect,
fairness, reaction to setbacks, values, compassion

14. TOUGHNESS
Need to understand how to teach this in a healthy
way...confidence, knowledge,controlled aggression,
and experience.
Stress is the barometer for parents and teaching
toughness
Practice positive feedback, allow meltdowns, give
time before discussing, don’t micro manage emotions

15. COMPETITION
Does not need a scoreboard...it is innate for kids to
compete in any activity that involves others
Is a progressive learning skill...starting small (counter-
cultural)
Is a life skill and applicable to many
environments...should be taught this way too
Competition can be individualized in order to not
negatively affect others

16. WINNINGLike competition, winning is a progressive skill...don’t
wait for a problem! (shared frustration vs. directed
frustration)
Important to teach the value of enjoying others
succeeding
Spread the wealth and create shared success
activities
Too much success early is ticking bomb
Individualize winning for the highly competitive child

17. So how do you manage?
Again...family is number 1 (not revolve around sports/coaching)
Look for signs of burnout in your children
Find amateur role models and avoid polarizing professional athletes
Create a network of “like-minded” parents (on both teams)
Know the game, know the rules...teach the rules
Dad...chill out/game face..keep yourself in check
Build in no-sport weekends and/or days
Downplay games.....Up-play practice
Encourage a variety of experiences
Discourage sports cliques...players AND parents!
Accept/support good coaches be professional about dealing with concerns
Timing of communication important with both athlete and coaches
Love/Affection have nothing to do with performance

18. Being a good
sports parent
is easier than
you think!

19. Kurt W. Faust
Walk Strong - Men's Outreach Coordinator
Offensive Line Specialist
President S.T.E.P UP
kurt@coachstepup.com
(989) 488-0741