Sports for Your Child

Many youth players don’t realize how the power of their minds can benefit them when it comes to sports.  Obviously, if the mind is focused, a player can achieve much more than when it isn’t.  Any player with ‘athletic ADD’ is going to have problems whether they are trying to hit a baseball/softball with a bat, catch a football, or score a goal in hockey, basketball, soccer or lacrosse.   Please note that I’m not referring to kids who have ADD, but kids who don’t focus when they’re playing sports.

As many East Indian gurus have told us there is a monkey in the back of the mind that is always trying to distract us.  A player must focus and refocus to stay in the present and prevent emotions from taking hold.

It is also true that both winning and losing can be mindsets.  To transition from a losing mindset to a winning mindset, the whole team has to be focused on every play.  It requires steadfast alignment of the collective thinking of the team that they can win.  They must stay focused throughout the game and think about the outcome after the game is over.  If players are focused on the outcome then they aren’t in the moment.

We’ve all seen teams with big leads lose games and that happens because the players aren’t thinking in the present.  This is true for all actions in life and it’s certainly easier said than done, but coaches and captains need to be aware of the power of the mind.

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Winning coaches understand that they need conditioned, strong athletes to win.  When you watch your child practice and you see that the coach is having the kids do pushups, run laps or run sprints just understand that they’re doing that to get the team in tip-top shape.

If you have a football player for a son, you should be aware that when they get to high school, weightlifting becomes an integral part of many days.  It’s important for your child to pack on muscle if they’re going to be able to endure the physical pounding that is a part of football.

What if your child plays another sport like: soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, golf, rugby, softball, wrestling, volleyball, badminton, ping pong, etc? Did I say ping pong?  They should do anything that will make them stronger, have more endurance and realize greater speed.

Working hard can make up for deficiencies.

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How do you play with your four year old child?  If you’re reading this article and you have a young one, chances are that you either play or you’re considering playing with them.

These will be some of your fondest memories when they’re older and no longer need you as a play companion. Trust me . . . I miss those days.

When you first introduce your kid to sports, start them off with baby steps.  In other words, before you throw a baseball to your three year old girl, try rolling a tennis ball to her.  As your kid becomes increasingly athletic you can elevate the challenge.  If you start early enough, they should be catching a football or baseball, with a glove, by the time they’re four or five.

When you work with them on skills, teach them advanced tricks right away.  For instance, when they run, teach them to step out with their first step.  This will help with their speed, as most new high school athletes tend to take one or two steps in place before they get going.

I know several ex-baseball players who started their boys out by teaching them to hit and throw lefty even though they were right-handed.  This increased their value as they got older.

Also, don’t put huge expectations on their tiny shoulders. You can talk about college and the pros when they’re older. If they do come to you with lofty dreams of grandeur let them enjoy it for a little while, but make sure they ultimately understand how stacked the odds are against them.  Here’s a statistic you can tell them; one in 52,000 high school basketball players make it to the NBA.  Out of the players who make it to the NBA, at least half are out of the league within five years.  You need to bring them to reality so their dreams aren’t eventually crushed.

We’re interested in your opinion on this subject.  Please feel free to comment.

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