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©2006 oldschoolsportsparenting.com Q: "I’m a coach and I’m getting all kinds of grief from parents because I run workouts all year. How can I respond?A: You’ll never win this argument with every parent. Some moms and dads still cling to the notion that a kid will "burn out" if he practices a sport year-round. It’s perfectly OK for him to practice anything else year-round – a musical instrument, video games, calculus – with no fear of burnout. But let a coach suggest that he put similar effort into a sport, and parents are ready to sue. Although you’re not likely to get unanimous support from parents, you can defuse their concerns a great deal by positioning your off-season workouts as an opportunity instead of a requirement. Challenge your players to use the off season as a time to fine-tune their skills, improve their depth chart position and demonstrate their commitment to the team. Emphasize that a lack of participation won’t result in punishment, but it could very likely cause them to fall behind others. Send the same message to parents. Remind them that many kids are passionate enough to want to work at your sport year-round. If their youngster doesn’t have that passion – or if he’s equally passionate about a second sport – that’s fine. But he has to recognize that, come next year, he could find himself a spot or two lower on the depth chart, behind kids who have surpassed his skill level during the off season. Above all, avoid becoming territorial about your sport. No coach has a right to penalize a multi-sport athlete on principle, alone. If the kid is talented enough to play other sports and still be better than the kids ahead of him in your sport, what’s the point of demoting or punishing him? Off-season workouts are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. |