50 Things you can do to help your child achieve in sport

by Wayne Goldsmith & Helen Morris

1. Love them unconditionally
2. Support their coach
3. Accept they cannot win every time they compete
4. Allow them to be a kid and to have fun
5. Help them to develop as a person with character and values
6. Turn off as a sporting parent - don't make sport the one and only topic of conversation at the dinner table, in the car, etc
7. Don't introduce your child as "This is my son/daughter the swimmer" - their sport is just something they do -it does not define them
8. Don't do everything for them- teach them responsibility and self management
9. Reward frequently for success and effort but make them small, simple, practical & personal things - not CD's, £20 just for playing sport.
10. Best of all reward them with what they really love.......your time!
11. Be calm, relaxed and dignified at competitions
12. Accept that progress takes a long time - 7-10 years after maturation in most sports for any athlete to achieve their full potential
13. Believe it or not kids can learn to pack their own training bags, clean their own kit, fill their own water bottles- teach them and encourage them to take control over their own sporting careers. A little manual work and helping out with household chores are important lessons in developing independence
14. Don't reward champion performances with junk food
15. Skills and attitude are important things - don't waste money buying the latest and greatest equipment and hope to buy a short cut to success
16. Encourage the same commitment and passion for school and study as you do in sport
17. Avoid relying on "sport foods" or "sports supplements" - focus on a sensible, balanced diet which includes a variety of wholesome, healthy foods
18. Allow your kids to try many sports and activities
19. Don't specialize too early. There is no such thing as a champion ten year old winger or opening bowler
20. Junk food is ok occasionally. Don't worry about it
21. Praise qualities like effort, trying hard, attempting new skills and similar values rather than winning
22. Love them unconditionally - (worth repeating)
23. Have your "guilt gland" removed - this will help to avoid phrases like "I've got better things to do with my time" and "Do you realize how much I have had to give up for you to swim". Everyone loses when you play the guilt game
24. Encourage activities which build broad, general movement skills like running, catching, throwing, agility, balance, co-ordination, speed and rhythm. These general skills can then have a positive impact on all sports
25. Encourage the occasional "downtime" - no school or sport - just time to be kids!
26. Encourage relationships and friendships away from training, competition and school work - it's all about balance
27. Help and support your child to achieve the goals they set, then take time to relax and celebrate and enjoy their achievement as a family
28. Never use training as a punishment - i.e. more laps, more training
29. Do a family fitness class - yoga or another sport unrelated to their main sport. Everyone benefits
30. Car pool! Get to know the other families then in turn you can allow your child to be more independent by doing things with other (trusted) adults
31. Attend training regularly to show you are interested in your child's effort and the process rather than just the win/loss of the outcome
32. Help raise money for the club: even if your own child is not involved in the target of the fund raising
33. Tell your kids you are proud of them for being involved in a healthy activity
34. Volunteer your time to be on the committee
35. Volunteer your time to help out at training and competition but......try not to work directly with your own child. This helps teach your kids the importance of "team" - where working together and supporting each other are important attributes
36. Even if you were an athlete or a player, and even if you are a trained coach, resist the temptation to coach your own child. It rarely if ever works
37. Be aware that your child's passion for a particular sport may change
38. Also be aware that skills learnt in one sport can often transfer to another sport
39. Accept flat spots-times when your child does not improve. During these times encourage participation for fun, focus on learning and help them develop perseverance and patience - two life skills that will help them throughout their lives
40. Believe it or not, kids are unlikely to die from drinking tap water
41. Cheer for your child...................appropriately. Don't embarrass yourself or them
42. Make sure each week includes some family time, where you do things and talk about family issues - not about sport
43. Take a strong stand against smoking and drug use (both recreational and performance enhancing)
44. Set an example with sensible responsible alcohol use when your kids are around
45. Don't look for short cuts like "miracle sports drinks" - success in sport comes from consistently practising skills and developing an attitude where the love of sport and physical fitness are the real "magic"
46. If one of your kids is a sporting champion and the other kids in the family are not so gifted, ensure you have just as much time, energy and enthusiasm for whatever they are doing
47. Eliminate the use of the phrase "well what we did when I was playing"
48. Encourage your kids to find strong role models but try not to let this decision to be based on sporting ability only. Look for role models who consistently demonstrate integrity, humility, honesty and the ability to take responsibility for their own actions
49. Encourage them to learn the qualities of leadership and concepts like sharing, selflessness, team work and generosity - sport teaches life lessons
50. Don't compare the achievements of your kids to any other kids - good or bad. It only creates barriers and resentments between young people and the world can do without more of that.

The above was written by the two people named to help parents of sporting children.