Sports for Your Child

Whoa!  This is truly a sensitive subject!  I’m sure to lose some friends over this post.   

Certain parents love their children so much that they think they should get the most playing time on the team, whether they deserve it or not.  If this is you, I apologize for being so blunt with my statement. 

OK, you’re right, on a recreational team playing time shouldn’t be withheld from any player.  This post only addresses competitive teams in competitive situations.  If your child is on a “rec” team and they’re not getting playing time then talk to the coach.

My boys have been in both situations (lots of playing time and not so much) and I agree that it hurts to watch your child sulk on the sideline.  It’s no fun watching unless the player just wants to be on a team to hang out with the other players and say that they were a part of something.  I’ve watched my oldest son ride pine (sit on the bench), in baseball, on the 4th ranked team in the country.  When my youngest was just starting in football, he stunk up the joint and earned plenty of time watching from the sideline.  He was the most polite player on the team . . . on defense! 

I don’t fault those coaches.  When you’re playing to win, and you know that losing sucks, a coach will put his best foot forward every time.  In both of those situations, the downtime just served as a catalyst to incent my boys to work that much harder going forward.

As a caution to parents and kids when they get to high school (actually on any competitive team); don’t ask for playing time; earn it!  Chances are that if you ask for more playing time, you’ll spend more time on the sideline than you would have.  Would it be fair to take playing time away from the kid who earns it?  The answer to that question should be obvious!

As Mike Green, founder of The Sports Family Club, said very eloquently on Twitter “hard work and a desire that can’t be measured or created are the true differentiators of a pro athlete”.  This applies to athletes at any level.  The harder you work and the more desire that you have, the better you’ll be.  If you improve from working hard, you’ll get serious playing time.  That’s what it’s all about!  You’ll be proud of the playing time that you receive.  Oh, by the way, when you get playing time, make plays so that you continue to be in the mix in the future.

Best wishes to all players as they strive to achieve! 

Rich Rosdal Parents Parlor, Player's Panacea baseball, catalyst, caution, desire, football, hard work, high school, parents, Players, playing time, sports

This blog post is intended, mostly, for parents who are just getting their kids into tackle football.  There are certain suggestions that impact more experienced players or those who are switching teams as well.  

Youth tackle football practices will begin within the next month.  If your kids are new to tackle football, buying equipment is very exciting, especially if they’ve watched football on televison.  Don’t get ahead of yourself on buying the equipment though.  The first thing you should do is talk to your son’s football coach to find out what the team requires from it’s players. 

You will have some very important considerations:

The team colors can have an effect on some of the accessories that you purchase such as : helmets, gloves, and cleats. Your child’s helmet can be specific in color so find this out before you buy.  Also, helmets can have many upgrades, mostly in the area of protection from head injuries.  Gloves and cleats don’t have to match the uniforms, but if you have a choice why not go for a matching color.  Remember it’s not only important how they play, but they must look mahvelous (thanks, Billy Crystal).

The position your child plays can impact the shoulder pads that they wear as they get older.  If they are going to play a line position, the pads should be more protective.  At skill positions, players need to have flexibility in their pads so they can lift their arms up high for a pass.  As your kids get older, you should have a pretty good idea of their position, although this can change at any age. 

The coach of your team may have an arrangement with selected stores for your purchases.  If they don’t and you want to save money, you may want to check into a store that sells used equipment.  This is your choice, but I always error on the side of good protective equipment.  By the way, I’ve had good luck buying equipment online, in many cases you can save many and get more options. 

If you purchase visors for helmets, be aware that leagues may prohibit dark colors.  This is for the safety of your child because, if there is an injury the attending coach/caregiver will need to see your child’s eyes to make an informed decision as to how to care for your child.

Football is almost here.  Can you feel it!

Rich Rosdal Parents Parlor, Player's Panacea Child, cleats, colors, equipment, football, gloves, helmets, Kid, Players, purchase, shoulder pads, skill, uniforms, visor, youth

Too much talent?  We’ve seen this in professional sports many times.  A general manager stacks his team with many of the best talents in the game.  Observers expect those players to overcome any adversity and then the team doesn’t gel.  Every team must have team players to win.  If a team has too many stars and the players do not subordinate their egos, there won’t be team play.

Our summer lacrosse team has many players that have outstanding talent and our challenge as coaches is to manage the player’s “collective team thinking” as well their talents.  If we do this, the team can go a long way.  If we don’t accomplish this task, we’ll follow a long list of underacheiving teams.

We have our first summer team tournament this weekend and it will be interesting to see how well we do against some excellent teams.  More info on the tournament will follow after the weekend.  Enjoy your weekend, all.

Rich Rosdal Coaches Corner, Parents Parlor, Player's Panacea adversity, Challenge, coaches, ego, Players, Talent, team, tournament

Please remember, first and foremost, that your coach is a volunteer. Do they get something out of coaching? Absolutely. All coaches have a different payoff, but hopefully it has something to do with passing along knowledge and developing skills in all the players; including your child.

Unless you are or become a coach yourself, don’t expect to have a lot of input into the position your child plays. This is especially true in High School.

Imagine this: you’re the coach of a football team and have 25 players registered. From your group of players you have to fill all the positions with the players that you feel are best suited. You need strong players to put on the offensive line, so you look for the appropriate players that will fill those positions. You need fast and skilled players at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. You need a kicker as well as your whole defensive unit.

Filling out the roster is like completing a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes the pieces fit perfectly and sometimes you’ll have to play some players in positions where they are not perfectly matched. It shouldn’t be personal for the coach.

If your son ends up playing an offensive line position, and you want your child to be the next coming of LaDainian Tomlinson, realize that this is just one team on which your son will play. There’ll be many other teams in the future. All positions have good lessons and skills development that can help at any position. If, at the youth level, you feel that the coach has a closed mind about what your child can do on the field, find another team for the next year. Talk to your coach and ask them to be frank.

In high school your options are more restricted, unless you move or are allowed to transfer your child to another high school within your district. These are very tough decisions, at this age, because the next coach may not like your child at all.

At some point every player’s playing career ends. For some players it may last longer than others, but help your child to understand this and it will be less of a shock when it happens.

Rich Rosdal Coaches Corner, Parents Parlor Coach, Fast, Knowledge, Payoff, Players, Positions, Skilled, Volunteer