- Be positive
- Catch them doing it right. It rubs off. If you complain about them not being in the starting lineup, they will do the same.
- Be realistic
- They should be far more concerned with their current trajectory than with their current results. Everyone on the team will have a role and encourage them to be the best they can be in that role.
- Don’t knock the coaching staff
- How can you expect your child to play to their fullest if all they hear from you about the coach is negative? Support the coach’s rules, philosophies, and playbook.
- Support the other players
- Treat each player as if they were your own. Don’t dislike a player because of variables outside of their control.
- Don’t be a know-it-all
- Be a learn-it-all.
- Invest in developing habits
- Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.
- Have an awareness of your child’s social interactions
- Say “please” and “thank you.” Teach them how to be coachable. Can they embrace feedback and learn how to use it to grow?
- Be unselfish
- Don’t use the sport for the wrong reasons. Let them play because they love the game.
- Don’t baby your child
- Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.
- Don’t live your life through your child
- You had a chance to be young. Let them have their own journey.
