I’m sure I’m opening myself up to comments like, “his kid must suck” and things of that nature so I will tell you that my kid is slightly above average, plays on an average team and loves to play despite the pressures of the current environment. But he does recognize the pressure and despite his mental toughness sometimes resents the atmosphere for what is only a game. Early signs of burn out. He’s only 12.
Nice post. I coach 12 year olds and try very hard to keep things fun, although we have pretty intense practices (that doesn't mean red-faced screaming, just little downtime and try to minimize goofing around). It's a lot of pressure on the bottom of the roster who are improving, whether it's little things like suprise popcicles or ending practice with a fun contest, it seems to work. For the first time, we had a our last tournament in July and all the kids just wanted to know when practice started back up again. My point is that you can't forget what a wonderful age that is because they can accomplish more as athletes but are still KIDS. Heck, watch the Duke coaching clinics and listen to how hard Danowski tries to end his practices on a fun note. Not sure we as parents and coaches should ever stop making sure the experience is fun.
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