Positive communication is the most important skill you can possess as a sports parent. Your communication style influences how much satisfaction your child derives from sports. Supportive communication can help your child develop self-confidence. Negative communication can hinder your children’s confidence. Young athletes enjoy sports less and tend to under-perform when their parents criticize them.
Parents need to choose words carefully in order to motivate children to improve and excel. A child might interpret a parent’s well-meaning statements as pressure or high expectations. If your child interprets your feedback as pressure, it can cause the child to be afraid of failing—which often causes her to play tentatively, without taking risks.
Check out The Ultimate Sports Parent website for more sports parenting tips.