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It's that time of year again! Children will be out of
school with plenty of time on their hands for summer sports. Included
in this issue are some guidelines for summer safety and we tackle
the topic of coaching your own children.
Martin Short and
Sandra Short
Coaching Section Editors
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| Coaching and Summer Safety |
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Here are a few articles that we found that may be interesting
to you. The first article deals with Exercise
and the Heat. Dave Wisner discusses five areas: weather conditions,
clothing, fluid replacement, heat related injuries and illnesses
and practice planning.
It is crucial that all of us stay hydrated while we participate
in summer activities. The Gatorade
Sport Science Institute offers excellent information on the
science of hydration. Go here to learn about sweat, why water
is not enough, and view their articles on hydration research.
Here's another article
on food and drink while playing sport. It has great references.
Lightning!
When should you call off the practice or game? Lightning strikes
claim the lives of about 100 people each year, and even more people
are injured. You can take several steps to lower your risks.
What about sunscreen? Make sure you wear it. Why? Find
out here.
A little extra on general playground
safety.
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| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please
email one of the following Coaching Section Editors: |
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| Coaching Your Own Children |
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Your 10-year-old daughter's soccer team needs a coach,
and you're thinking of taking the job. Of course, you know it would
be a lot of work, but it would give you special time with your daughter
each week, and you like the sport. Should you go for it?
Many successful athletes, such as Tiger Woods, Cal Ripken, Jr.,
and Venus Williams, were coached by their parents and seem to have
great relationships with those parents today. But before you envision
yourself as the next Earl Woods sharing in your son's every victory,
make sure you know what you're getting into. These surefire tips
from sports-parenting experts, including veteran parent-coaches,
will help you make the experience a winning one for everybody. Read
the full article here.
First, should you coach your own child?
Before rushing into coaching your child, you should honestly examine
your motives, says Linda Bunker, a professor at the University of
Virginia's Curry School of Education and co-author of Parenting
Your Superstar. Do you want to perform a needed social service?
Or are you trying to live vicariously through your child? Do you
want to enhance your daughter's athletic experience and make sure
she gets good coaching? Or are you simply concerned with how much
playing time she gets? If you're seeking to gratify your ego or
to give your child an unfair advantage, take yourself out of the
running immediately. Read
more...
There are so many excellent articles to help you in these special
circumstances. Heres a few articles that have excellent advice to
make your coaching job easier.
It is not unusual for a parent who coaches to have one or more
of your children on the team. This presents a unique set of circumstances.
You are burdened to not show favoritism towards your child and to
not become overly critical of your child's performance. Read
more...
Here is another great
article about coaching your own child from USAHockey. Applicable
to all sports of course.
And, a few more links for you to consider.
Coaching
your own child.
Coaching
your kid.
Coaching
your child in youth sports |
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There are thousands of camps all over the United
States for you to become involved with. Whether its helping with
the camps in a coaching capacity, or recommending camps to parents
there are a number of websites that can make your job easier.
Check out this site for America's
largest camp network.
The Sports
Camp Federation is also a good place to look. Their goals
include: (1) Increasing Sports Camp participation by connecting
coaches, parents, and athletes. (2) Being the definitive resource
for camp directors and coaches. (3) Making Sports Camps easier
to find through our comprehensive online directory. (4) Bringing
together Sports Camps, manufacturers, sponsors, athletes, and
their families. They offer a FREE membership for coaches.
Remember to check out your local university as well. They probably
offer a number of summer camps and may need coaches to help run
them!
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| Parental involvement in sport and what coaches can do to
ensure positive experiences |
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How involved should parents be in the lives of young athletes?
A moderate degree of parental involvement is important as it communicates
interest and support to the child. Children’s perceptions
of parental support and involvement in physical activity have
been identified as positive predictors of enjoyment, participation
in physical activity, and continued participation in youth sports.
The problem arises when parents become too involved in the lives
of young athletes. When parents are over-involved, athletes often
feel that they have relinquished control over their decision to
play sports. Athletes that feel that they have little say or control
over their decisions to play sports typically report less interest
in sport, lower levels of enjoyment and satisfaction, and a more
prone to drop out of sport. Read
more!
As a youth sports coach or administrator what can you do to
encourage positive parental involvement? First, it is important
to create an atmosphere that puts the interests of the child before
the interests of winning. A parent orientation meeting should
be held to inform parents about their roles, your philosophy on
youth sports, and your goals for the season. In his book ‘Successful
Coaching’ Rainer Martens provides some useful tips to help
you organize a parent orientation meeting. Read
more!
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| Getting the most out of sport. |
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Tips
for parents and coaches from psychologist Robert Smith.
Notable Quotables
"Stop trying to perfect your child, but keep trying to perfect
your relationship with him."
- Dr. Henker
"Don't be discouraged if your children reject your advice. Years
later they will offer it to their own offspring."
- Source Unknown
"The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents
obey their children."
- Edward Windsor
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