How to Prevent a Workaholic Culture from Ruining Youth Sport

Gymnastics & Parenting Articles

How to Prevent a Workaholic Culture from Ruining Youth Sport

By TrueSport
Unfortunately, workaholism is a term that’s no longer reserved for adults, and our experts are finding that young athletes and student-athletes can easily fall into this trap too.

6 Ways to Use Small Moments to Teach Respect

By TrueSport
Many parents mistakenly think that setting rules like ‘respecting your elders’ is enough when it comes to teaching kids and teens about respect. But what exactly does respect mean, and what does it look like in the real world? As with many things in life, the best way to teach respect is by modeling the behavior rather than just talking about it.

9 Ways to Help Athletes Cope with Anxiety Around Tryouts

By TrueSport
As a coach or caregiver, it’s easy to forget the anxiety and nerves that come up for athletes around team tryouts. Or maybe you have an experience of your own that you remember and shudder about decades later! But how do you hold tryouts and make the right selections for your team while still helping athletes navigate those nerves?

8 Easy Tips for Talking to Young Athletes About Physical Differences

By TrueSport
From a young age, it’s important that your athlete understands that not all kids are going to look the same or have the same abilities. This diversity can be tricky for very young athletes to grasp, but starting the conversation about physical differences early can help your athlete develop into a mature, caring individual.

Top 3 Things You Might Hear on the Sideline and How to Respond

By TrueSport
If you’re the parent or caregiver of an athlete, you’ve probably heard it all on the sidelines: cheering, critiquing, armchair quarterbacking, arguing, cursing, and muttered insults. While plenty of parents and caregivers are respectful fans, some adults simply don’t behave well in the stands.

Lessons in Trust: Helping Young Athletes Compete Well

By TrueSport
Worried about your athlete’s wellbeing but not sure how you, as a parent, can help? Maybe your athlete has asked for more space, or maybe a coach or trainer has policies about parents’ involvement. There should be boundaries, of course, since athletics also help kids develop a strong sense of self and independence, but as a parent, you still need to monitor their overall health and wellbeing.

Why and How Athletes Should Set Non-Sport Goals

By TrueSport
Many young athletes enjoy setting and working toward sport goals, whether it’s achieving a personal best in competition or just doing a certain number of free throws at each practice. While goals around sport performance are important, non-sport goals are equally critical to a young athlete’s well-being.

6 Goals to Keep You Going After Life in Sport

By TrueSport
Life after sport—or more specifically, life after organized sport—can feel scary. If you’re heading to college and not planning to play, or you’re dealing with an injury or upcoming surgery that has you sidelined, it can feel like you’re adrift. And that’s why setting goals outside of sport is so important for your overall well-being.

How to Adjust When Perseverance Doesn’t Lead to Success

By TrueSport
At a young age, we’re taught that perseverance and hard work lead to success. And we all have seen the success-through-struggle stories of professional athletes who faced great adversity but persevered, eventually making their way to the world’s greatest sport stages. But what about all the other athletes who kept persevering without ever realizing their goals?

9 Ways to Overcome Rejection in Sport

By TrueSport
Rejection can make you question your identity, question your love for the sport, and question your own capabilities. But you can overcome it if you’re able to harness the power of perseverance in a positive way.