Give your child unconditional love, support and encouragement.

This is by far the most important step youth basketball parents you can take.

When your child participates in youth basketball, at any level, they need to know that they always have your love, support and encouragement. Win or lose.

It’s so easy to get caught up in making sure they do everything right or that they always win – the game, or scrimmage or contest. This is definitely the wrong approach to take. We have to remember as parents that our children are participating in youth basketball to have fun, to be with their friends and to compete.

Youth basketball parents have to remember that their most important role is to provide them with unconditional love, support and encouragement. By doing this, you are giving them the freedom to truly enjoy the game that they love!

There are some great books that focus on parenting and youth sports. Please check out our page on Youth Basketball books and videos to find out more on this important topic.

Tip #2 For Youth Basketball Parents:
Do not pressure your child.

To me, this is an obvious one! However…we’ve all seen the parent that is “riding” their child from the minute the game or practice starts to the very end.

In this parent’s eyes, their child cannot do anything right on the basketball court. Now don’t get me wrong here, I believe when a child participates in a sport, they need to do things the right way (that is – the coach’s way). Are they going to do things right all the time? Of course not!

Everyone makes mistakes, in life and on the basketball court. As a parent, this is a perfect opportunity to teach your child and help them grow and improve their game. Adding extra pressure only makes their mistakes seem worse and often insurmountable.

This is the last thing we want with our children!

I’ve had my times when I’ve put extra pressure on my kids while they were participating in basketball or other youth sports. But when I step back and look at the big picture, I realize that this pressure is only hurting them. What I’ve learned to do is turn their mistakes into a teaching and learning experience – without adding any pressure.

Here’s an example for you: My son dribbles down the court and tries to make a behind-the-back pass to his teammate – but the pass goes out-of-bounds. Now instead of yelling at him and saying things like “What kind of a pass was that?!” “What are you thinking?!” “Get your head in the game!” I would simply take him aside after the game and say, “Now instead of trying to make that unnecessary pass, what could you have done different?” He would then think about it and say something like, “Well, I guess I could have just thrown a chest pass or bounce pass instead.”

As simple as that sounds, it is seldomly done. Most parents get on their child as soon as they make a mistake – and then the chance to teach and learn is ruined.

So please do yourself and your child a big favor – do not pressure them. Let them have fun and learn the game at their own pace. Your pressure will only hinder their progress and enjoyment.

Enjoy!
Runnin’ Rebel Basketball
Rich Morency
morency2@hendersonelitebasketball.com