#9 Adapt Every Season:
Next season won’t be the same as the last. And next season won’t be the same as the following season. And change is painful for the parents, the players and the coaches. But it is guaranteed that there will be different dynamics, different coaches, players unexpectedly rotated to new positions, support players moved into starting roles, stars becoming support players, and new parental personalities in the bleachers every season. So your son played quarterback the last three years? And that is what you paid money for and he focused on at summer football camp? Understand that the coach may move your student-athlete to a different position based on “what is best for the team.” Offensive and defensive schemes will change based on changing personnel. Adapt. No team in history needed 23 quarterbacks.
Adapting also means preparing your student-athlete to be mentally tough, confident and resilient when asked to play a key role next season. This is where kids really stumble if not mentally prepared to move from a supporting role to a starting role. We spend a lot of time talking about how to handle getting “benched” but not enough time talking about moving from the bench to the field. And the increased expectations and pressure can be tough to handle if not prepared in advance. This is why it is so important to spend time this offseason working on dealing with unexpected change, developing skills for overcoming adversity, and handling worst case scenarios.
And it really doesn’t take a lot of time or a big set up - just ask simple questions along the lines of “If X happens, how will you handle it?” and “If problem X comes up, what areas do you have control over and can change?” Maybe watch Apollo 13 together and use it as a springboard to discuss working under pressure, adapting, improvising under imperfect conditions, and not quitting when adversity hits unexpectedly.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #8 Better Sports Parenting
#8 Focus on Better football Parenting:
Commit to reading three sports parenting books before summer football camp. Isolate three areas you need to improve upon before next season. Some ideas might include general game knowledge; bleacher behavior; safety & concussion management; co-parenting with your ex; or youth sports psychology. Not sure where to start? Ask your student-athlete what went well and not so well last season. Research topics online and then reserve those books for free through your public library system. Education doesn’t get cheaper than that. Little known fact – your library can bring in almost any book nationwide from other public library systems. So if there is a book you want, chances are your local library can bring it in for you. It’s free education…so be patient with delivery times.
These are three books I always recommend for sports parents: Nurture Shock, Po Bronson; Top Dog, the Science of Winning and Losing, Po Bronson; and Getting to Yes, Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, Roger Fisher. Also consider joining USA Football, (www.usafootball.com) the national governing body of youth football – a great resource for game knowledge and safety tips.
And remember the three key roles – players play, coaches coach, and parents provide support. You don’t need to be an expert on reading defensive coverages or wide receiver tree routes. Your job is to help your student-athlete learn how to lead, follow, win, lose, commit, and how to get back up for the seventh time after getting knocked on their backside again, again and again.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #7 Academics & Recruiting
#7 Academics & Recruiting:
Grades count. College football coaches want to
see talent, character and academics. And as scary as it sounds, colleges now track and accept non-binding verbal commitments from kids that have not played a single down of freshman football.
The competition is fierce so don’t provide recruiters any reason to cross your son off their watch list based on academics. Understand the difference between the “overall” GPA which includes puff classes and the “core courses” GPA which focuses on math, science, English, foreign language, etc. There are 16 core courses that must be completed in 8 high school semesters and as of August 2016, a 2.3 GPA will be required in those core courses to be eligible for an athletic scholarship to Division I and II schools. Also, while both Div I and II require a total of 16 core courses, the two divisions have different core course requirements – this is key if your son is on the bubble between Div I and II.
Football parents need to be very familiar with the NCAA academic eligibility requirements well before the freshman year because core courses start the freshman year of high school.
Check out www.eligibilitycenter.org for NCAA core course tracking tools and further information.
Follow Brian on Twitter @ZeroOffseason
Grades count. College football coaches want to
see talent, character and academics. And as scary as it sounds, colleges now track and accept non-binding verbal commitments from kids that have not played a single down of freshman football.
The competition is fierce so don’t provide recruiters any reason to cross your son off their watch list based on academics. Understand the difference between the “overall” GPA which includes puff classes and the “core courses” GPA which focuses on math, science, English, foreign language, etc. There are 16 core courses that must be completed in 8 high school semesters and as of August 2016, a 2.3 GPA will be required in those core courses to be eligible for an athletic scholarship to Division I and II schools. Also, while both Div I and II require a total of 16 core courses, the two divisions have different core course requirements – this is key if your son is on the bubble between Div I and II.
Football parents need to be very familiar with the NCAA academic eligibility requirements well before the freshman year because core courses start the freshman year of high school.
Check out www.eligibilitycenter.org for NCAA core course tracking tools and further information.
Follow Brian on Twitter @ZeroOffseason
Monday, January 6, 2014
Sports Psychology Podcast for Sports Parents
Highly recommend the "Sports Coach Radio" podcast for parents of student-athletes interested in sports psychology - 1 hour interviews with top sports psychologists, Div I and Olympic coaches.
www.sportscoachradio.com
www.sportscoachradio.com
Sunday, January 5, 2014
NCAA Football: National Letter of Intent Signing Day Countdown
Congrats if your son has options for where to play some college ball next year. Keep in mind that "verbal commitments" are not binding so if he has already verbally committed to a school but still on the fence, he may change his mind and sign with another school without penalty.
However, after your son does sign a letter of intent, that is a binding agreement - your son is then committed for a full academic year in exchange for an athletic-based financial package from the school. So pick wisely. If your student-athlete gets cold feet after signing, absent a release from that school, he may attend another school, and receive financial aid, but must sit out of all sports for a full academic year!
NCAA Football National Letter of Intent Period: February 5th - April 1st 2014.
For more information, review www.national-letter.org
However, after your son does sign a letter of intent, that is a binding agreement - your son is then committed for a full academic year in exchange for an athletic-based financial package from the school. So pick wisely. If your student-athlete gets cold feet after signing, absent a release from that school, he may attend another school, and receive financial aid, but must sit out of all sports for a full academic year!
NCAA Football National Letter of Intent Period: February 5th - April 1st 2014.
For more information, review www.national-letter.org
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Football Parents Resolutions for 2014: #6 Bad Game Protocol
#6 Bad Game Protocol:
Create space between a bad performance and any post-game life lesson. Let the sting wear off before offering up constructive ideas for the next game. Too many times I see parents replaying their son’s mistakes after a game before they even get to the car. Wait a day or two before having that conversation – the player will be less defensive and more receptive. Ask open-ended questions in areas the player has control over and can improve upon like effort, attitude, intensity, concentration, and being a good teammate. Even elite athletes are “off” their game some days and must rely on effort and grit until they get back on track.
There are also two pre-game conversations on this point that sports parents should routinely have with their student athlete: (1) players must rely on effort and attitude when they are off their game. Knowing this ahead of time allows players to relax and transition into effort mode without crumbling during the game when things go wrong (and stuff will go wrong, guaranteed); and (2) discuss specific possible “worst case scenarios” with your student-athlete and how they will respond. Working thru worst case scenarios before hand and understanding it won’t be the end of the world can reduce game-day anxiety.
Having these pre-game and post-game routines is an effective way for sports parents to support their student-athletes.
Create space between a bad performance and any post-game life lesson. Let the sting wear off before offering up constructive ideas for the next game. Too many times I see parents replaying their son’s mistakes after a game before they even get to the car. Wait a day or two before having that conversation – the player will be less defensive and more receptive. Ask open-ended questions in areas the player has control over and can improve upon like effort, attitude, intensity, concentration, and being a good teammate. Even elite athletes are “off” their game some days and must rely on effort and grit until they get back on track.
There are also two pre-game conversations on this point that sports parents should routinely have with their student athlete: (1) players must rely on effort and attitude when they are off their game. Knowing this ahead of time allows players to relax and transition into effort mode without crumbling during the game when things go wrong (and stuff will go wrong, guaranteed); and (2) discuss specific possible “worst case scenarios” with your student-athlete and how they will respond. Working thru worst case scenarios before hand and understanding it won’t be the end of the world can reduce game-day anxiety.
Having these pre-game and post-game routines is an effective way for sports parents to support their student-athletes.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Football Parents' Resolutions for 2014: #5 The Black List
#5 The Black List:
Sports parents should know that Coaches talk. Coaches know the toxic, problem parents and keep them on radar. Football feeder systems and coaching connections run from flag up to high school varsity. And then from varsity coaches to college recruiters. If your son is skilled and in the rare position of being scouted by college football programs, you should work hard to be in a position where the coach wants to help you help your son earn an athletic scholarship. If a busy high school coach has five kids getting recruited, and a certain parent did nothing but create conflict for coaches the last 7-8 years, that head coach won’t see the problem parent as a priority when other parents were more supportive to the team concept.
With 1.4 million kids playing high school football and only 700 + college football programs available, the funnel of opportunity narrows quickly for athletic scholarships – don’t let parental bad behavior or ego cost a student-athlete a scholarship that they worked so hard for over many seasons.
Sports parents should know that Coaches talk. Coaches know the toxic, problem parents and keep them on radar. Football feeder systems and coaching connections run from flag up to high school varsity. And then from varsity coaches to college recruiters. If your son is skilled and in the rare position of being scouted by college football programs, you should work hard to be in a position where the coach wants to help you help your son earn an athletic scholarship. If a busy high school coach has five kids getting recruited, and a certain parent did nothing but create conflict for coaches the last 7-8 years, that head coach won’t see the problem parent as a priority when other parents were more supportive to the team concept.
With 1.4 million kids playing high school football and only 700 + college football programs available, the funnel of opportunity narrows quickly for athletic scholarships – don’t let parental bad behavior or ego cost a student-athlete a scholarship that they worked so hard for over many seasons.
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