6 Ways For Parents To Increase Their Enjoyment Of Youth Soccer
Parents whose children participate in youth soccer sometimes find themselves struggling to enjoy the game, outside of watching their children. If you happen to fall into this category, read on to learn more about the six best ways to maximize your youth soccer enjoyment.
1) Realize The Game Has Changed
Don’t let yourself become one of those “get off my lawn!” parents that constantly sits around, bemoaning the state of the game today. Guess what? Times change and the coaching strategies that your coach used probably don’t have the same effect on the kids of today. Dwelling too much on how the game used to be is an easy way to diminish your overall enjoyment.
2) Remember, It’s Supposed To Be Fun
Sure, the coach of the team may not be developing your child into a World Cup caliber striker, but their job is not to make sure that your child becomes the best soccer player in the world, it’s to make sure that all the children are having fun. Kids need to receive equal playing time and enjoy themselves.
3) Stop Yelling
While you might think you’re yelling makes you look like a more passionate parent, it is time to place yourself in the shoes of your child. Would you like to deal with a parent who felt the need to scream, shout and make a spectacle of themselves? Probably not, so cool it with the shouting and relax.
4) Quit Expecting Perfection
Parents who expect their children to emulate the passing skills of Premier League superstars are in for the rudest of awakenings. Watching great passing and superior ball movement is a lot of fun, but you should not be expecting this type of perfection at a youth soccer game. Check your unreasonable expectations at the door to enhance your enjoyment.
5) Don’t Place an Emphasis On Winning
Shockingly enough, parents tend to care about winning far more than their children do. Kids still want to win games, but they are not nearly as concerned as certain parents when their teams come up short. If you are one of the parents who lives and dies with the success of your child’s youth soccer, it is time for a very serious reassessment of your personal priorities.
6) Let Them Go
Every mistake your child makes is not a teaching opportunity or a chance to correct them. Let them make mistakes in the flow of the game and allow them to learn on their own. An adult who is perched on the sideline might understand the finer points of soccer more clearly, but children who are simply trying to learn their way and enjoy themselves do not always need these types of instructions.
Interested in having the tools to help your child get back on the right track? We’ve just finished our Play Better Coach’s Tool Kit for teams who join up Play Better! It’s such added value and will set you and your child up for success this season!
You can join the Play Better team today ! See this link for more information.
Better People. Better Players.
