Steps for Your Child's Team's Success

The following advice was recently recommended to us:

1. We would like to gently remind parents about coaching from the stands. The players are at an age where they need to read and react to the play before them on the ice. They will become better players as they develop this skill.
2. We suggest curfew times on each specific game. If there is an early start, being in bed before 10pm the night before is probably the best for the kids.
3. We recommend that parents give coaches a say in planning events and outings for a team. Sometimes an event might be considered interferring with timing of a game, and this can lead to poor performance. When families have travelled far for a tournament, good effort is appreciated by the families, the children, and the coaches.
4. We suggest pre game arrival times and provide a countdown until the start of game to help the kids establish appropriate habits and start to focus. (Children need to prepare and get focused before a game.)
5. Establish a player oath saying something to the effect of: “I will always perform as best as I can, and I will always expect that my teammate will perform the best that they can”. Every child will make mistakes – kids getting down on kids is an unfortunate area of child development that will occur. Our responsibility as the adult is to set the example in our homes (or on the car ride home) as well as be present when situations like this are likely to occur. (After games: if an adult is present, the likelihood of a child putting down another child is less likely to occur. But in the event it does occur the adult can redirect the conversation back to the oath established.
6. Many teams have a lot of great qualities within the players and families. Meshing those qualities for a positive result is extremely tough. Parents and players need to trust and respect each other and the coaches.

Ultimately, we want our children to have success in athletics and success in life. Use this advice to guide them towards success.