Parents!
I am a huge advocate of parents in sport. We are warriors; we are the money, the taxi, the organisation, the time, the sacrifice, the power, the force, behind every child.
Behind every goal or medal there is a Dad who drove tirelessly up and down the motorway, there is a Mum who cancelled plans to attend an unexpected match, there is a family that sacrificed money, time, holidays, weekends away and social events, endless, endless amounts of sacrifice.
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Parents play an integral part in youth sport, their communication style and approach effects not only their child’s enjoyment of the sport but also their level of success. With youth sport on the increase the role that parents play is now regarded as the “critical ingredient in the achievement of an elite status in youth sport” (Knight, Little, Harwood & Goodger, 2016 p. 234) and parental behaviour is increasingly falling under scrutiny.
Research has shown that the parent/child relationship can be a predictor of stress level in the child athlete, effecting their level of sporting enjoyment and motivation. Past research has linked parental pressure to negative feelings in child athletes, including competitive anxiety, stress, and a lack of sporting enjoyment. Following a barrage of criticism, it is now clear that parents need simple evidence-based strategies to help them support their children throughout their sporting journey.
I want parents in sport to be honoured, adored, praised, and glorified! We get criticised for doing the wrong thing, but no one tells us what the right thing to do is. I have spent years designing a course that gives parents guidelines for every situation they will encounter in sport; it is easy to understand, easy to remember and easy to apply.
I hope that one day EVERY PARENT will step into the world of child sport feeling empowered, confident, and armed with SUPER-P.
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Reference
Knight, C., Little, G., Harwood, C. and Goodger, K. (2016). Parental Involvement in Elite Junior Slalom Canoeing. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 28(2), pp.234-256.
