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THE ELITE PARENT
It is by way of the positive environment we provide that parents learn and develop an different appreciation for the game that will allow everyone to enjoy the game for what it is… a celebration of skill, sportsmanship and perseverance through opportunity.
As such, here are some recommendations…
Understand Your Role As a Soccer Parent
The best way for you to understand your role is to first understand what your role is not.
You have hired us to coach. Don’t instruct your child, or any other players, during practices or games. What you are saying, no matter how logical it may sound, may be wrong or inappropriate, or it may contradict the coach and create an internal conflict for your child. Let the coach do the coaching.
You are NOT the referee. Let the referee call the game, and learn from what you see. Parents who yell at the referee distract and annoy the players. Worse, it can create a feeling in the players that they are not being treated fairly. They will then use that as an excuse for a bad game rather than looking to areas where they can improve their play.
You are NOT the player. Don’t live vicariously through your child. If you do you will be greatly disappointed, because your child will never play as good as you imagine yourself to be. Let your child enjoy being the best player he can be, and let yourself enjoy just watching him play.
Ex. Your daughter has the ball in front of the opposing team’s goal. Should you yell shoot? No. If she shoots and scores she will be rewarded for her actions and if she doesn’t shoot and has the ball taken away she will learn that next time she should shoot.
By following this outline, you will greatly improve your child’s soccer growth as well as your family’s overall enjoyment of the soccer experience. You will also make yourself a favorite parent among soccer coaches. This can often be a deciding factor if your child making it to the next level.