Last month I appeared on Ultimate Sports Parent Radio (www.youthsportspsychology.com): Helping Young Athletes Envision Who They Want to Be (click on Sept. 15, 2010 podcast or click here to listen). Hosts and youth sports experts Lisa Cohn and Dr. Patrick Cohn focus the show on the mental game.
Lisa and Dr. Cohn are the founders of The Ultimate Sports Parent (website) and Kids' Sports Psychology (a members-only website), which also center on the mental game. Both of these sites are terrific resources for sports parents and young athletes.
I feel like the mental aspect in youth sports is often overlooked. Many of us tend to get wrapped up in training and coaching and physical aspects in athletics. Yet the truth is that the mental game can often make or break an athlete.
If you have a few minutes, click to Lisa and Dr. Cohn's sites to learn more on this topic.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Disgusting Punishment for a 6-year-old Football Player
A father punished a 6-year-old child for not paying attention during football practice. This makes me sick. He actually made the child run over a mile. Honestly, I couldn't believe it when I heard it.
You can read the article here. According to various articles, the child was forced to run approximately 1 mile. I'm certain that if the police felt strong enough to arrest the father, then this punishment was not appropriate.
Please remember that youth sports are simply youth sports. Kids, especially at age 6, should be having fun and learning to enjoy the game.
Kim
You can read the article here. According to various articles, the child was forced to run approximately 1 mile. I'm certain that if the police felt strong enough to arrest the father, then this punishment was not appropriate.
Please remember that youth sports are simply youth sports. Kids, especially at age 6, should be having fun and learning to enjoy the game.
Kim
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Bye, Bye, LeBron! Hello ______?
You have to face it, Cleveland Cavalier fans, LeBron James is gone. Now what? You will persevere (at least I certainly hope you will).
I have a strong belief that excellence breeds excellence. Although the fact remains that LeBron is gone, there were, and still are, many other players that makeup the CAVS team.
Who were (are) they? My guess is that many of you don't know the names of the supporting players. Well, it's their turn to shine. King James is gone, so there is no longer a shadow.
This concept also applies to youth teams--there are always "stars" and supporting players. Terrific. Everyone has a role. And everyone will likely improve by playing with better players.
If your child is tired of being in the shadows of a star, please remind him or her to persevere. Teams change daily--players improve, players come and go, coaches come and go. Life goes on. Encourage your child to look towards the future because he or she might be tomorrow's star.
I have a strong belief that excellence breeds excellence. Although the fact remains that LeBron is gone, there were, and still are, many other players that makeup the CAVS team.
Who were (are) they? My guess is that many of you don't know the names of the supporting players. Well, it's their turn to shine. King James is gone, so there is no longer a shadow.
This concept also applies to youth teams--there are always "stars" and supporting players. Terrific. Everyone has a role. And everyone will likely improve by playing with better players.
If your child is tired of being in the shadows of a star, please remind him or her to persevere. Teams change daily--players improve, players come and go, coaches come and go. Life goes on. Encourage your child to look towards the future because he or she might be tomorrow's star.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
High-Level Youth Sports are Expensive...
Unfortunately, most high-level youth sport programs have extraordinary costs. And this is often a disadvantage for young athletes who can't afford proper training.
Hockey, figure skating, lacrosse, soccer, dance, swimming, and other sports can cost anywhere from $500 per year to more than $10,000 per year, including travel. This is nuts and there's not a lot you can do to avoid it.
NHL blogger Alan Adams discusses this issue further in the following article: Brian Burke: Money, Parents Hinder Youth Development.
I'm a huge believer in free-form sports. You know what I mean--playing kick ball outside in the yard or meeting at the park for a pick-up soccer or basketball game. Yet at some point high-level coaching and training and organized competition is necessary for young athletes who desire to persevere and progress in a sport.
If you can't afford the costs of high-level programs, what should you do? Well, I only recommend pushing the financial limits only if your child desires to persevere. There are sponsors, scholarships, and plain good will out there. You'll have to talk to coaches, parents, local program directors to find a potential route to success.
Progressing in youth sports is not always an easy path on the pocketbook. If your child is determined, driven, talented, and bugging the hell out of you to participate in a sport, then I encourage you to search for ways to help your child succeed. Just do it!
Hockey, figure skating, lacrosse, soccer, dance, swimming, and other sports can cost anywhere from $500 per year to more than $10,000 per year, including travel. This is nuts and there's not a lot you can do to avoid it.
NHL blogger Alan Adams discusses this issue further in the following article: Brian Burke: Money, Parents Hinder Youth Development.
I'm a huge believer in free-form sports. You know what I mean--playing kick ball outside in the yard or meeting at the park for a pick-up soccer or basketball game. Yet at some point high-level coaching and training and organized competition is necessary for young athletes who desire to persevere and progress in a sport.
If you can't afford the costs of high-level programs, what should you do? Well, I only recommend pushing the financial limits only if your child desires to persevere. There are sponsors, scholarships, and plain good will out there. You'll have to talk to coaches, parents, local program directors to find a potential route to success.
Progressing in youth sports is not always an easy path on the pocketbook. If your child is determined, driven, talented, and bugging the hell out of you to participate in a sport, then I encourage you to search for ways to help your child succeed. Just do it!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Girls, please toughen up...
Your twelve-year-old daughter runs across the field with her arms flapping and and swinging, holds up her lacrosse stick, and misses the ball. Yikes!
I'm fired up after seeing this scenario over and over again in a real-life youth lacrosse games. Perhaps I'm wrong, but as I see it, parents are babying their daughters too long.
Dads, I know you get out there and teach your sons to run, throw, and catch a ball at very young ages. But what about your daughters? Oh, my. Are you keeping those girls in the kitchen?
Your daughters are just as capable of learning athletic form and strategies as your sons. Even at young ages, there are travel teams in soccer, softball, and other sports that available for girls or boys. And I've seen young girls demonstrate just as much talent and good form as the boys. Go, girls!
Let's face it, many of us go easier on our daughters. There is no need for twelve-year-old girls to run around a field in a beehive like a bunch of preschoolers. Girls are not any more fragile than boys.
Please encourage your daughters to participate in sports with good form and with some strategy.
Sorry that I'm ranting, but I thought some of you could use a pep talk.
Kim
I'm fired up after seeing this scenario over and over again in a real-life youth lacrosse games. Perhaps I'm wrong, but as I see it, parents are babying their daughters too long.
Dads, I know you get out there and teach your sons to run, throw, and catch a ball at very young ages. But what about your daughters? Oh, my. Are you keeping those girls in the kitchen?
Your daughters are just as capable of learning athletic form and strategies as your sons. Even at young ages, there are travel teams in soccer, softball, and other sports that available for girls or boys. And I've seen young girls demonstrate just as much talent and good form as the boys. Go, girls!
Let's face it, many of us go easier on our daughters. There is no need for twelve-year-old girls to run around a field in a beehive like a bunch of preschoolers. Girls are not any more fragile than boys.
Please encourage your daughters to participate in sports with good form and with some strategy.
Sorry that I'm ranting, but I thought some of you could use a pep talk.
Kim
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