July 25, 2013
Responsible Sports believes youth water polo should be a fun and educational experience for your child.
While boys and girls learn the great game of water polo, they also learn life lessons in teamwork, perseverance, discipline, and overcoming adversity. Liberty Mutual Insurance created Responsible Sports to support volunteer youth sports coaches and parents with tools and resources to help our children succeed both in and out of the pool.
Parent / Coach Partnership
Research shows when we as parents support our children's coaches, athletes learn more and will have a better sports experience.
Developing an effective parent / coach partnership is the first step. Consider these suggestions to help kick-off your partnership:
- Recognize the Coach's Commitment
Coaches commit many, many hours of preparation beyond the hours spent at practices and games and often times do not get paid. Try to remember this whenever something goes awry during the season.
- Make Early, Positive Contact
As soon as you know who your child's coach is going to be, consider introducing yourself, let him or her know you want to help your child have the best possible experience. Meeting the coach early and establishing a positive relationship will make conversation easier if a problem arises during the season.
- Fill the Coach's Emotional tank
When coaches are doing something you like, let them know about it. Coaching is a stressful job, and most coaches only hear form parents when they have a complaint. A coach with a full Emotional Tank will do a better job. Remember PCA advises truthful and specific praise to truly fill an Emotional Tank.
Your child is trying to concentrate amid the action of a game and do what the coach asks. A parent yelling out instructions does not help. More often than not, it confuses the child, adds pressure and goes against the coaches' instructions which could undermine the player-coach relationship. Do your best to resist the urge to yell instructions from the stands.
Learn more on ResponsibleSports.com/WaterPolo
