July 15, 2013
Brought to you by the Liberty Mutual Insurance Responsible Sports program
During the water polo season, your children will spend more time with their coaches than with any other adults, except you, their parents. It's important that you as a Responsible Sport Parent have a completely open, honest, trusting relationship with your children's coaches. Here are a few ways to help bring about a quality parent-coach partnership.
Prepare Your Children to Work Well With Coaches.
In addition to the basic manners and respect that makes for functional families and schoolrooms, remind your children that their coaches are in a unique position. Your conversation with your children might include explaining that their coaches have to work with a lot of different players and parents, and that means a lot of personality types.
Stay Mindful of the Coaches' Commitment.
Your children's coaches have made a commitment that involves many hours of preparation beyond the time spent at practices and matches.
Make Early, Positive Contact with the Coach.
As soon as you know who will coach your children, contact those coaches to introduce yourself and offer any assistance you may provide. This outreach may be the single most important thing you do in establishing a true partnership.
Fill the Coach's Emotional Tank.
Too often, coaches hear only from parents who have complaints. Filling the coaches' Emotional Tanks with specific, truthful praise positively reinforces them to continue doing the things you see as benefiting the youth athletes.
Don't Put the Player in the Middle.
You wouldn't complain to your children about how poorly their math teacher explains fractions, so hopefully you would avoid sharing your disapproval of a coach with your children. Doing so may force the child to take sides, and not necessarily your side!
Let Coaches Coach.
It can confuse players to hear someone other than the coach yelling out instructions. Also, your instructions may counter the coaches' strategy and tactics, undermining team performance.
We know this advice is not always easy to implement. There will be the occasional disagreeable official's call or wishes for more playing time for your child. But drawing from these ideas can help you keep your child's youth sports experience in perspective. In turn, that will help you maintain a positive parent-coach partnership, and that will help the Responsible Coaches in your children's lives serve their greatest purpose.
