If you are the parent of an athlete who has ever felt like you were between a rock and a hard place, this is for you.
This was a conversation I just had yesterday with a dad who is trying to balance being a coach and a dad.
He is trying to battling a ton of challenging thoughts:
"Am I pushing my son too hard"
"My son says he wants to be the best but his actions are far from it. Do I take tournaments away? Do I punish him for lack of effort, poor attitude?
"What do I do? I feel like I am failing at this."
When all else fails, bring in a 3rd party. Seriously. Here's why...
The 3 of us hopped on an Alignment Call yesterday.
It is a session I facilitate with parent and athlete to ensure everyone is on the same page, everyone understands and is committed to the game-plan, and it allows me to get a better glimpse into the relationship dynamic to see where parent has blindspots (this dad is amazing- humble, coachable, eager to be the best parent he can be).
It. Was. Awesome.
The Outcomes:
- The son walked away with a 4 day a week, 40 minute personal practice plan which included skill development and fitness
- The son felt good about it because it wasn't "dad" telling him to, but rather his Mindset Coach asking him what he thought would be a good game-plan. He created it, I affirmed it, he committed to it.
- Dad didn't have to stress about balancing the "dad hat" and the "coach hat"
- The son realized that his attitude and effort had been sub par. I asked him questions that helped him come to these conclusions on his own (of course, I was prepped by dad in advance with some history). He committed to tangible changes in his practices on the court.
- Dad and son learned about Ultradian Rhythms and how no person can do anything at FULL effort and potential for more than 60-90 min before needing a reset. They introduced "45 Min Reset Points" where after 45 minutes of focused, intense practice, they would put 5-7 minutes on the clock where the son could do whatever he felt like doing to reset his energy and focus (this works for anything- work, sports, etc.)
If you are the parent of an athlete who wants to be better, who wants to get to the next level, but needs some extra motivation and direction (not from mom or dad) you may want to apply for our Mindset Performance Program.
If you are a parent who is trying to be an effective coach while also avoiding messing up your personal relationship with your son or daughter, you definitely will want to apply.
