Any parent who has a child participating in sports can do a lot to help their young athlete achieve their goals. The parents should adopt a supporting role, not a coaching role. For the child it is not important how much their parent knows but it is how much they care. With this in mind there are many things a caring parent can do to help their child.
Keep them Safe
Children are not the same as adult athletes; they are growing. This means that they can have more and different injuries than adults. Furthermore children grow and physically mature at different rates; it is important to avoid mismatches amongst the participants.
The keys to preventing injury are the same for everyone. Ensure that the child is in good condition and properly fit to play. If the child is sick or fatigued it may be a day to sit the game out. Ensure that the sport is properly organized with coaches and officials help prevent injury due to the lack rules or their reinforcement. Be sure that any equipment is adapted to the size of the athletes and is proper fitting. There is a good chance that last years equipment may now be too small. Go through a proper warm up before starting a game.
Healthy Lifestyle
Any athlete will have better performance if they pay attention to nutrition and sleep. A teenager that is growing and training needs to have enough nutrition to meet the needs of grown and exercise. A balanced diet with limited fat, lean protein and complex carbohydrates is key. Probably the most significant factor is ensuring proper hydration; water is the drink of choice and be sure to have an adequate supply before, during and after play.
The amount of sleep an individual needs can vary, usually between 6 and 9 hours. It has been shown for the growing child, for both learning and sports the key element is reproducible sleep. Setting a consistent sleep schedule is paramount. Adjusting sleep by as little as an hour later has been shown to effect performance.
Stress-free Sports
The three strongest determinants of stress in the young athlete are apoor past performance, fear of mistake and parental expectations. A certain degree of stress is normal, but when it deters either performance or enjoyment it needs to be identified and corrected. If an athlete is aware of increasing stress levels both the child and parent need to find means to control it. Most often this involves relaxation techniques, self-talk or visualization and pre game rituals.
There are a number of universal traits for all parents, they love their child, they are proud of them and want to support them. But when it comes to their child they are also not objective and it is normal that every parent feels their child is special. All these feelings are correct, so it is important to be aware of them and not unduly increase the stress on the young athlete.
Finally even when an athlete does show early potential do not push them too prematurely into a single sport elite program. With all youth the first priority is to ensure a proper education and a well-rounded adult. Let them explore different sports. If a child show a certain affinity to a sport let them develop their skills and most importantly their love for the sport before anything else.