Reading Continued

Finished up "Until it Hurts" over the break. The author seemed to really want to express the fact that what he did and what many tend to do seems to be wrong. He does kind of say that youth sports coaches (volunteer or professional) normally do things not that benefit the kids. I think his interview early in the book said a lot though. He was talking about club volleyball and how many burnout young, but the college coach he talked to admitted that he recruited mainly out of the club system.

I think that youth sports does need to look at what they are doing and evaluate what they are doing. Is there ways to make it better for the developing athlete? Parent Coaches are always going to have trouble. Even a professional coach at my former club asked the question about how to coach their own child because she recognized the problem with the situation. The idea that the parent is not the extension of the coach, but the caring and always supportive one, while the coach is positive yet critical to help growth. A young athlete needs both, but if a parent is the coach, it is hard to play two roles at the same time. As a professional coach, we may end up with this problem, and I still don't know a good answer on how to do both.

I also recognize his observation of how parents have become involved and have seen the competition aspect added to recreational sports. Club sports are designed for competition as it is designed more for kids who have began to enjoy the sport at the recreational level and want to reach to be their very best. I have seen these beginning level sports leagues try to one up the club level by making their league more competitive, and ultimately losing their recreational design. These are the leagues that we are beginning to miss in some sports and in some areas. I know club swimming has tried to create more environments where both are available within a club, and I think that it is successful with some slips along the way (but nothing is going to be perfect).

All in all, this authors cautionary story does bring forward some things to consider, but definitely over generalizing youth sports. Each sport has its pros and cons and each program or team has its pros and cons. Some people are able to successful with one program or sport and others will succeed with another.

Now I am starting on Mind Gym. So far it is enjoyable. Somewhat redundant at times, but I really enjoy a lot of the context of the book.