As a parent who coaches youth sports teams, and being a former competitive athlete myself, I know it can be challenging to find that balance between serious practice and game time, while keeping space for young athletes to just have fun playing the sport. Coaches, parents, and players each have important roles to play during the season.  

Coaches: teach and mentor the players.

Parents: be your child’s biggest cheerleader.

Players: learn as much as you can about the sport while having fun.

And if you are a parent and coach like me: remember to transition back into Mom or Dad once the game/practice is over.    

I searched the NPL catalogue and found these books and videos to help everyone have the most success in their roles this season. 

Raising Empowered Athletes

Raising Empowered Athletes: A Youth Sports Parenting Guide for Raising Happy, Brave, and Resilient Kids by Kirsten Jones, a former D-1 athlete in her own right, helps answer questions parents have about youth sports. Such as, is my kid old enough to start sports? Is my kid getting enough playing time?  Should we work on skills outside of team practice? As well as others.  

A must read for parents whose kids are new to playing team sports.

Take Back the Game

In Linda Flanagan’s Take Back the Game How Money and Mania are Ruining Kids’ Sports- and Why it Matters takes a deep dive into how the youth sports industry makes competitions seem necessary, is it really? Flanagan’s research helps parents make informed decisions when choosing what organizations their children play for.  

Kanopy to the Rescue

If watching videos are more your speed, check these out.

The Psychology of Performance. Episode 17, Burnout and the Need for Recovery

And

The Psychology of Performance. Episode 22, Talent: A Developmental Process

Looking for More

Here is a previous blog post I wrote focusing on the coaching aspect of youth sports. 

Coaching Youth Sports | Nashville Public Library