It’s all about Grassroots Coaching -Chapter 7 / Partnering with Parents

Joe Smith, Gary’s father, is not going to be standing on the free throw line in the last second of the game with two chances to first tie and then win the basketball game. Clara Jones, Sara’s mother, is not going to be standing at the top of the snow ski slalom course as the start buzzer beeps. Gary and Sara are in the arena. It’s their game - how do Joe and Clara  help them play it?

Clipboard Notes

The Team: The Kids, the Parents, and the Coaches are ALL members of the Pack.

Being a member of the Pack for Parents simply means joining up with their Kids and the Coaches, so that these Kids have a joyful, productive, successful, life experience.

Parent Roles: Parents are spectators and support people - those are their correct roles, and they must learn how to be responsible, caring, experts in those roles.

This is so critical that we must simply do it.

After Game Comments: “Coach Ted told us to remember the things that we did right and to hang on to them and then my Mom and Dad both told me, “I am proud of you!  I love watching you play!” There is amazing power in that statement and there are many ways of saying it.

Coaches and Parents Encouragements: Give your athlete/child a chance to explore as many sports as possible. Otherwise, you may never know where her greatest abilities and interests are.

There may come a time when Linda is really showing her deep love and aptitude for gymnastics and then you can help her focus on that skill.

 “If Angie, our daughter, wins her tennis match, we will stop on the way home and have ice cream. If Angie loses her tennis match, we will stop on the way home and have ice cream.”    — Parents Paul and Grace Martini