70% of kids drop out of youth sports by the age of 13
Dr. Dan Gould, Michigan State University
The top three reasons kids dropout are adults.
Dr. Dan Gould, Michigan State University
There is no youth problem in youth sports,
there is an adult problem in youth sports.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
One of the worst things you can tell your child is that they are a “natural.”
Carol Dweck, PhD., author of Mindset
Praising a child’s performance is like watering the flowers.
It sounds good, like that’s what you’re supposed to do.
But when you water the plants, you don’t water the blooms and leaves.
To give a plant what it needs, to be most effective, you water the roots.
To help a plant, and a child grow, give them what they need at the root level where is really counts and where growth comes from.
The blooms, the performance, all stem from there.So compliment a child’s effort, not their performance. This is much more effective and gives them more of what they need at the root level.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Youth sports is one of the greatest contributors to child obesity.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
They say that sport teaches character.
I say we have too many characters teaching sports.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Sports doesn’t teach character. It reveals it.
Kirk Anderson, USTA
I can teach you 75% of what you need to coach a child in 2 hours.
The other 25% will take you the rest of your life.
Kirk Anderson, USTA
You can’t scream, yell or demean a child into loving tennis, baseball, soccer, etc…
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Love of the game is THE most important thing. You can’t get to the top on talent alone.
Benjamin Bloom, Developing Talent in Young People
One of the best questions you can ask your child is “who are you becoming because of tennis?” (or any other sport or thing they are involved in)
This gets at the heart of their motivation.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool, from Rose Snyder, Snyder Consulting
100% of successful kids have, at an early age,
a parent, teacher, or a coach that gave them
a love of the game or a love of learning.
Benjamin Bloom, Developing Talent in Young People
The secret to performance is self-motivated desire.
This is caught, not taught. Modeled, not demanded.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Self-motivated athletes are the best athletes.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
I will take a hard-working, motivated kid any day
over the “natural.”
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Always praise effort over outcome.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Your child’s success has more to do with PLAY than discipline.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
PLAY is not the opposite of performance, it is the foundation of it and a prerequisite.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
The opposite of PLAY is not work, but depression.
Dr. Stuart Brown, National Institute For Play
It is entirely possible to play tennis and not really PLAY.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Many of things that we used to by “accident” or on our own in pick-up games growing up turns out to be better for us than what we have in most organized sports environments.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
What used to be fun for an eight or ten year old, we adults have now turned into work.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
People perform best in zone.
The best way to have kids play in the zone
is to have parents shut up.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Parents should purposely miss their child’s game, match or performance every now and then.
“What if my child has their best game ever, and I’m not there?”
My response, “If your child performs the best they ever have and you’re not there,
miss another one real soon. If you are really there for them and their performance is truly your goal,
you may find that they perform better when you’re not there. Are you willing to do that?”
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool
Wait 24 hours before talking to your child about their last performance. Let them initiate the conversation.
Gary Avischious, CoachingSchool