What is your Top 3?
The three things that every parent needs to hear.
Leave your comments below and let me know.
I’ll make sure that the people who need to read this, will…
– Brian
What's Your Top 3?
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Kids should be offered
1. A variety of activities to choose from: Team sports, individual sports, other physical activities ie, rock climbing. If they don’t like one find another.
2. Education: ‘we are doing this becuase….’ NOT ‘just do this…’
3. A balanced diet, offer a choose of foods, allow the bad stuff as well, and don’t make big deal when unhealthy food is eaten and don’t refer to it as a treat. Then kids won’t be pushed towards them.
1. FUNdamentals! Enjoyment of physical activity & the building of healthy habits (movement & nutrition!) through PASSIONATE, QUALIFIED, COMPETENT coaches
2. Variety! Multisports exposure to ensure holistic development.
3. Coach education. Coaches who are continually pursuing good practice and constantly updating and reviewing their knowledge base.
1. Parents need to set the example for their children by making exercise a priority in their own lives and invite their kids to exercise with them. Kids follow by example, whether it is positive or negative. They want to spend time with their parents why not exercise together.
2. When it comes to sports… Do not live through your kids success on the field. Parents can be too intense to make even the best athlete lose his or her desire to play, if the parents take the fun out of it.
3. Limit technology in your household and get the kids outside. The less they play outside the higher the obesity and lethargic attitude of the kids. Energy creates energy. Don’t give them a choice after all you are the PARENT.
Not an easy task because there are so many but here are my top 3 things I want every parent to know:
1. If you want your child to be active, then it’s important that you are also active. Lead by example and make being active a part of your family’s daily lifestyle. This also inlcudes the development of sound nutritional behaviours from a young age. Get your child involved in the process. Children learn best by doing.
2. Provide opportunities for your child to enjoy free unstructured play everyday. Resist the urge to always be tell them how to do things and let them explore and discover things on their own. They will surely surprise you with what they dcome up with.
3. No matter what activities your child enjoys doing, allow them the opportunity to have fun. Fun should be the priority. Allow them to get involved in various activities that they enjoy doing and allow them the opporunity to try new things and take risks. Gently lead your child if necessary but don’t over direct or force them to do things they aren’t interested in doing.
Thank you.
David
http://www.AthleticFoundations.com
1.Every parent need to know that every school all across america do not provide enough fitness activity for their child. 2. Every parent should spend at least 30minute of daily time with there child doing some type of recreational activity. 3.Majority of all kids are over consume with eating fast food on daily average.
The top three things that Parents need to know…
1) Your child is still a child. He is not going to look or act like a professional athlete. Give him or her time to develop both on and off of the field. Motivating and encouraging are good, pushing too hard more times than not will do the exact opposite of what you want to happen and that is drive them away from all athletics.
2) Their weight begins and ends at home. 2 hours per week with an overweight child is only a piece of the puzzle. They need to eat well at home and be active there as well. Don’t be afraid to get them outside and to cook healthy.
3) Unless your child is at a Division 1 college they should not be participating in 15-20 hours of structured athletic activities in a week. I had a group of 10th grade females that during the summer were seeing me 2 days per week for 90 minutes. Those 3 hours were part of 16-18 hours of PRACTICE that they were involved in for the week. Needless to say the number of shin splints and sore knees was very prevalent and didn’t allow me to do what the parents wanted me to do in terms of training.
1) That most kids before high school and some in high school have never really been trained how to be athletes. they usually just go to practice with 12 to 30 other kids and coaches do not have the time to really go into depth about stretching, running, stances, foot placement, or any specific sports positioning.
2) To many kids do not perform well because they are worried about making mistakes, what the parents are thinking, and what there teammates are thinking. If they can just focuse in what going on inside the lines of the field they will play much more relaxed, and be more confident.
3) If your kid is the worst player most coaches will mot devote alot of time on them, so having someone train her/him specifically is a way to better their performance.
1) First and foremost, let your kids be kids. We all have to grow up to fast anyways. So let them be kids and enjoy doing that. Part of growing up is learning as you go, be there for guidance, but failure isn’t the end of the world, it’s just another learning experience.
2) Always be there to support them. They need to know that even when things aren’t going right that you will there for them. Try not to be the ” littlle league parent” so to speak yelling from the stands at everything and everone. Just let them know you are there to cheer them on.
3) Get them the the help they need to become better athletes, but on their terms. Camps and semiinars are a great learning experience, but only if you want to be there. So make sure they are excited about it also.
THree things parents need to know
1. Kids can not be trained like little adults….let them play. Give them guidelines and let them have at it. As Brian says, our bodies are smarter the us….they will figure it out.
2. This is the big one. I will use baseball for this point…If a child looks at their parent with fear after striking out instead of getting instruction from the coach then the child is no longer playing for the enjoyment of the sport. They are trying to please mom or dad. Young athletes should not have any added pressure placed on them by their parents, instead they should be encouraged, supported and cheered by their parents even when they are not at their best. Let the coaches coach and the parents support.
3. It doesn’t happen overnight. True prodigies do not exist. It took Mozart and Tiger Woods over ten years to master their art (From the book Talendt is Overrated). Pressuring your child to be great now will lead to frustration, injuries and a dislike for the sport. It is the parents job to seek out competent professionals to guide their children and then get out of the way.
As a baseball coach my number one thing would be :
Parents need to be aware that it is okay for you child to FAIL at something. Baseball is a game of failure. It is a great place for a young athlete to learn how to handle small failures. How to get up dust themselves off and try it again. Too often these days “it is someone else’s fault” and parents support thier child’s excuse making. It was the umpires faul;lt they struck out or the coaches. If the athlete learn how to handle these smal lfailures it will prepare them to be an Adult. I have seen and worked with many professional athletes who never? failed as a young athletre because they were always the best or strongest kid there and then in AA or AAA they start to really fail for then first time in their life and cannot handle it. It is all about learning to handle failure.
Parents need to know that:
1. Adults and organization are NOT necessary for kids to have successful games. I have seen four boys play for hours by making up a cross between tennis and lacrosse. (They only had two lacrosse sticks, so they used tennis rackets and had to “one time” the ball into the goal.) I have also seen parents ruin it for kids by bringing a whistle into a backyard football game and acting as a referee, and even worse as “all-time quarterback.” How will a kid ever learn to throw if you won’t let him? How will they ever learn to settle disputes if you won’t let them?
2. More importantly than what to eat, is what NOT to eat. How come we see Acai as the “Miracle berrry rom Brazil”or Chia as the “Miracle food from Mexico”, yet we never see “Happy Meals, the miracle food from the States?” You don’t have to go ultra organic crazy to provide healthy meals for your kids. Cut up fruits and vegetables for snacks. Use the drive through for your banking,not your meals. Your parents weren’t too busy to cook healthy for you, now it is your turn step up to the stove. In fact, if you put the whistle down and let the kids play, you’ll have time to provide healthy nutrition for your kids.
3. Talk to your kids about practices and games. You don’t have to coach them, but make sure they know you care about their well-being,not just whether they won, lost, hit a home run or scored a touchdown. Talk to the coaches as well, but don’t lobby them for more playing time for little Johnny. You are doing your kid a big disservice if you try to make everything right for them. Your kids will not learn, develop, and could get hurt if they are put into situations where they are not ready.
And, as a bonus: 3a: Get rid of the “Feel-good participation trophies.” Kids need to know how to lose, and lose with dignity. If their entire life is filled with participation trophies, they will have bitter disappointment later in life when they do lose. Remember, no one goes undefeated. Teach them to learn from the disappointments. They will be far better in the long run.
Dave Clancy, CSCS*D, RKC
1.) Fun
2.) Goal Orientated Fun
3.) Fun through variety
😉
Dave Gleason
http://athleticrevolutionsouthshore.com
The three things that parents need to know/remember:
3. Expose your children to as many activities as you can. I am in total agreeance with many of my colleagues who have stated this already. For me it goes back to the kids just aren’t doing enough on there own and once they like something, parents and (some coaches) have a tendency to lock them in to one sport. Let the kids play different sports and activities, even if they are different then the ones you played as a child.
2. Let you goals for you children be reasonable. Nothing’s worse than making your child feel bad because they’re not a starter or mad because they missed the game winner. This is where parents need to know and have a “real” grasp on the talent level of their children. Also learn what the coaches are expecting out of your children and teams. Make sure those goals are age appropriate. Not everyone is going to become a pro so they don’t need the pressure like they are.
1. Finally, the most important is to make sure the kids are having fun. As adults we know what it’s like to have a job that we don’t enjoy. Don’t place this burden on our kids. Whether the kids are out to be with their friends, lose some weight, or because they’re talented you will get much more out of the kids if you remember to keep it fun for them. I speak from experience this is not always easy, however you have to remember this is for them not for you.
I hope this helps someone because it’s through forums like this that makes us better coaches and parents.
1. Don’t expect results from your children if you have not put the time in with them to teach and sho them. Get invovled with them.
2. Don’t allow your children to be a one sport athlete and be honest with them about how good they are.
3. Have fun and make it fun. you will see greater results if they enjoy whatever it is thay are doing
1.Child development and well being before winning (fun, pressure free envinronment)
2.AS a coach do not criticize child personality, but his/her action and behavior
3.Kmowledgeable coach that is quality instead quantity of practice
Coming from my observations as both a parent and a youth coach:
1) Please allow children free time – unscheduled time to be kids. Overscheduling kids is the bane of modern existence and shuttling them around from pre-arranged activity to pre-arranged activity deprives them of the joy of childhood and the ability to learn by exploration and play.
2) Allow your children to play more than one sport. Don’t take their childhood away by focusing on making them the next ‘champion’. Let them have fun, and play purely for the joy of it.
3) Kids should not be trained the same as adults. Simple as that. Adults, however, should take some time to train like kids (at least the kids in the IYCA type of training).
1. Get their kids moving and as “unhooked” as possible from the dangers of sedentary culture. TV, internet, video games etc are draining the life out of kids. They should be climbing trees, helping their parents with chores, interacting with other kids and HAVING FUN!!!
2. Look into alternative sports as an option in regards to your children’s participation. sports like skating, snowboarding, biking, surfing etc are passion based sports that people do their whole lives where traditional sports are primarily done until college for most. Also movements that build character and agility at the same time…martial arts, gymnastics, parkour etc. Professional traditional sports have so many deplorable examples of what kids SHOULDN”T become. who do you want your kids looking up to..Kobe or Tony Hawk?
3. Let them try different options and find what THEY like. so many parents seem to get the kids involved in sports that are convenient to them(the parents) or are the thing to do but maybe a little “outside the box” thinking is in order.
3a. ban energy drinks and soda from the house. treat it like cigarettes.!
1 Encourage kids to participate in a variety of sports without any pressure of performance standards. Enjoyment is essential.
2. Watch children’s eating habits, because once fat cells are formed they stay with you for life.
3 Early development of co-ordination and balance is vital.
1. A variety of activities to choose from: Team sports, individual sports, other physical activities ie, rock climbing. If they don’t like one find another.
2) Kids should not be trained the same as adults. Simple as that. Adults, however, should take some time to train like kids (at least the kids in the IYCA type of training).
3) Allow your children to play more than one sport. Don’t take their childhood away ,Let them have fun
1. Parents need to teach the young athletes to look up to positive people in their lives right now and not these professional athletes, who play for only money, are never around their families, and are not good role models for the youth. 2. Make sure if you sign your kids up to play sports, they are doing some sort of balance type training because it might not be the childs fault, but through my experinces with sports, the uncoordinated kids either hurt themselves or others. 3. There are other ways for your child to develop social skills and a fit lifestyle besides playing a sport or being on a team. Some sports are too competetive for some, some play all year long, the injuries, the burn out ect.
Attention parents;
First and foremost, your child needs to exercise! Free play is great but rarely available, at least
that’s the case where I live. Most parents in my area are living in neighborhoods with only a couple of children on any given street who don’t seem to get outside much, either do to busy school schedules or a fear of having no supervision and safety issues. Parents, you can sign your child up for an activity like youth fitness camps, sports camps or even a specific sport that will give you the knowledge that they are safe and most likely getting the proper instruction they need.
Secondly, be sure to give your child a good example of healthy living. What I mean by this is to
get out and do things as a family as often as possible. A simple walk around the neighborhood is a good start and that just may bring the attention to hesitant neighbors to get out and play with your child or get together and exercise as families.
Lastly, I would add to my number two by saying enforce healthy nutrition by example, and force if needed, I’m kind of kidding there but, I do believe that parents can make a profound impact on how a child will develop their eating habits when they are older by what is available to them when they are young.
To sum it up in order, I would say get the child out and moving, personally being an active role model and setting a standard towards nutrition by doing it yourself. I feel that these are important and should be looked at as one solution not three seperate ones.
I actually work with an adult marathon clinic in a retail setting, but maybe some coaches might find this useful…
1) Patience – It takes time to develop.
2) Stay in your training zone – Always trying to push the pace leads more to injury than success.
3) Keep endurance for endurance sake – It’s not how fast you run, or how many reps you can do or far you can run at one time, it’s how fast you can recover to do it again. The key is in recovery.
Make sure kids drink plenty of water. There is no substitute.
Make sure kids drink plenty of water. There is no substitute. Make sure they are getting enough rest. Make sure they are having fun and learning, not being forced to play or exspected to be perfect.
1)Identify what your child/chldren’s sporting abilities are both physically and mentally,what sporting attributes they posess,and a sport that they enjoy. 2) Seek out a coach/trainer who can teach them basic’s properly(must be recomended). 3)Give good parental support by being there when they need you.Keep it simple.
1. Slow down.
2. Lead by example and teach why something is important.
3. What small steps can you make today to improve yours and your child’s nutrition and water consumption? Then see what else you can do continue to improve.
-Liz
http://FamilyFitnessGuru.com
There can be any number of things people focus on for the importance of their program. Three that I feel are up there at the top are:
1) Do the things the coach ask the kids to do make sense fundamentally.
2) Is the young athlete having fun being there participating.
3) Does your child come back from their session and have things to show you of what they did.
1. That cooperation, a connection with nature, and self-discovery are every bit as important and necessary as competition (which is also important)
2. That sleep and nutrition are equal partners with education (discovery) and athletics (play) in a child’s life
3. That it is ok for your child to experience negative emotions, as long as it is about learning from those negative emotions and not dwelling on them.
1. Give children realistic expectations and goals.
2. Let children know it’s ok if they don’t always win. Losing/Failure is an option that teaches children how to cope with L.I.F.E. The “win at all costs” mentality that our society has placed on children has deep psychological repurcussions. Teaching children that sports is like LIFE teaches them socialization, adapability, develops their self-esteem, gives them awareness, how to deal with challenges, coping skills, and that THERE CAN be DIGNITY even when dealt setbacks. The psychology of a young mind is so fragile and if influenced positively can help a child to develop into a healty, productive adult. We need to make a concerted effort to just let kids be kids, let them learn by playing.
3. Educate our legislatures, politicians, educators, and parents that physical activity is extremely important for not only developing a healthy body but the strong correlation physical activity has on childrens cognition and learning ability. Teach how important good nutrition combined with daily physical exercise can enhance a child’s learning capacity.
1) Parents are responsible for making their children obese, not poor genetics. I’ve never seen a child shopping for groceries.
2) If children ask for a particular food item it usually is high glycemic and they will tend to throw fits to get it. My house it is mac and cheese, ice cream, and juice etc. Don’t buy it, don’t have it available in the house, and trust me they won’t steal the keys and hop in the car to go buy it
3) The solution to the childhood obesity issue is simply knowledge and good parenting. It takes 7-14 days to establish a new norm in the life of a child. If parnets want to change the life of their child, two weeks is a small price to pay to release a child from the shackles of childhood obesity.