Keeping Athletes in the Sport

It doesn’t matter what sport your child chooses, at some point she will come to you and say that she wants to quit. It’s perfectly normal! Everyone has a bad day, everyone has a rough patch, and as a coach or a parent, it is your job to help your athlete get to the root of the problem, create a coping strategy, and get through the down time.

I was talking with a Mom today whose daughter had a rough practice recently and decided that she was done with her sport. The Mom was caught off guard and began questioning who wanted it more, her or her daughter. Now I know the little girl very well and know that not only does she have a lot of talent, she is also somewhat immature and doesn’t have the coping skills to deal with things when they get tough yet.

Since it is very likely that this is a phase and the athlete is just going through an adjustment of being in a new training group, I suggested that Mom make a deal with her daughter – stick with practice until the end of the month, after all, they have already paid for it. After each practice, the athlete needs to tell Mom one positive thing about the practice. At the end of the month, they will discuss whether it is time to try a new sport or to keep going.

I have a feeling that by the end of the month, all will be just fine. I have seen this situation play itself out hundreds of times over.

I also saw a good article today at the CBS site called 9 Tips to Keep Young Athletes in the Sport. The article recommends:

• Keep workouts interesting; use age-appropriate games and training to keep practice fun.
• Take time off from organized or structured sports participation one to two days per week to allow the body to rest or participate in other activities.
• Permit longer scheduled breaks from training and competition every two to three months while focusing on other activities and cross-training to prevent loss of skill or conditioning.
• Focus on wellness and teaching athletes to be in tune with their bodies for cues to slow down or alter their training methods.
• Encourage the athlete to play on only one team during a season.
• Don’t increase weekly training time, repetitions of exercises, or distance by more than 10% each week.
• Encourage the athlete to take at least two to three months away from a specific sport during the year.
• Athletes, players, and coaches should learn about appropriate nutrition and fluids, sport safety, and avoiding overtraining.
• If the athlete complains of nonspecific muscle or joint problems, fatigue, or poor academic performance, be alert for possible burnout, which may include physical symptoms like fatigue and lack of enthusiasm about practice or competition.

These are all very sound tips, too!