The game is active. Children in the field; You are excited but you don’t know what to say. But even if you do, will they listen to you? Surely they did. Most kids are well aware of what you do and say on the sidelines. Some children even complain when their parents socialize too much and don’t pay attention to games.
Children rely heavily on the external feedback they receive from adults. A child’s perception of himself stems from the reactions of parents and coaches. Even just a few comments from the sidelines can determine whether a child’s experience is positive or negative. This is why it is important for parents and coaches to learn how to provide encouragement and feedback .
It seems that it doesn’t matter how a child plays parents and coaches say ‘good game’ or ‘good game’. Positive energy and attitude is a good thing. However, you have to be careful in directing it.
Children are not stupid. A child’s ability to judge what he’s doing increases with age and he knows when you’re screaming fake compliments. Children value honest comments that are constructive and don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Children want to improve their skills and value good information. Good constructive comments and positive feedback also show your child that you know what’s going on, and that you’re paying attention.
For example, put yourself in their shoes. What do you want to hear? Let’s say you just sanded and re-stained your mother’s antique chest. It’s awful and you know it, but everyone tells you how beautiful it looks. Either they are lying or they don’t know what they are talking about. This may be polite, but deep down it’s very hard to appreciate.
How to Encourage Players
When you’re on the side, you have to remember that it’s not just what you say, but how much. It’s easy to get excited and you have to balance your enthusiasm. You have to be aware of how much you are cheering from the sidelines. Your child isn’t the only one listening to you, and over-enthusiastic parents can be very embarrassing.
To give encouragement you need to separate effort and result. The boost does not depend on the success of any given game. If a child misses a pass you focus on effort not success or failure. It’s not that the players can’t make mistakes. They can and will do it. Encouragement has nothing to do with ‘right game’ or ‘wrong game’. That’s construction.
Right and wrong is also a difficult thing to judge. You can’t say what’s on a player’s mind. You can’t see what players see. There are many variables involved as the ball just rolls across the field. The bottom line is it’s hard to say if something a player did was wrong. Fixing mistakes or playing style takes time and evaluation.
A team will lose the ball and regain control constantly during the game. You could say football is a game of constant success and failure. You can make choices about which ones you choose to view.
There may be times when the coach can explain a particular situation where he or she wants the parent to shout something out. For example, during a corner, the coach may want all the parents to tell the players “Mark Tight!” or “Stay with Your Check!” Make sure you talk to the coach about it. You don’t want to say things that go against the coach’s plans.
This is one page of the 44 page Soccer Guide For Parents. I hope you found the rest of this guide useful!
