Authored by Melissa Claypool.
Obstacles will occasionally challenge your child in recreational sports. The obstacle might be physical, mental, emotional, or sensory. For me as a child, the one skill that got the best of me was front tumbling. I was so nervous about it, and the year we had to include it in our routines was the year I moved on from competitive gymnastics to middle school sports. Before my daughter found her love for tumbling and cheer, she had her own challenges. Her obstacle was a pullover on bars in her gymnastics class. It was tough, but we can chuckle about just how hard it was now that we’re on the other side. Tumbling, ninja, cheer, and gymnastics can be very challenging, and as a parent and now coach, I want to take some time to encourage you to tackle these obstacles with proactive approaches.
You are investing in your child’s future through physical exercise.
According to the CDC, children need 60 minutes of activity a day. Once a week, Champions is able to provide that activity time to allow movement and physical growth for your child. However, sometimes young athletes aren’t able to see that all of the stations and activities they’re doing are working together to help them gain bigger skills. For example, four tumbling stations might all be parts of one big skill that will be put together later on. Help your child see through conversation and encouragement that the hard work they’re doing in class is helping them stay active, get stronger, and become ready to meet their goals, even if they can’t see the big picture yet.
Create a path to success together.
Is there a muscle group that needs strengthened or stretched to help your child with a skill? Challenge your athlete to stay focused on those muscles during practices, warm up, and cool down. And if you’re not sure which muscle groups need work, you can always ask their coach what might help them get there. If there is a safe place at home to stretch or strengthen a muscle group, work on it together. (However, after a few unfortunate dresser run-ins at my own house, I don’t recommend practicing skills themselves at home!) Is there a coach your child responds well to? Consider scheduling a private lesson or two with them to focus on the skill that is causing frustration. Is there a big skill, like a back handspring for example, that your child wants to learn? Smaller skills or drills that lead up to a bigger goal are called progressions, and it is important to understand the foundational skills necessary to get to the big ones. There are tons of progressions that can help strengthen the shapes that go into a back handspring and boost an athlete’s confidence leading up to it!
Maybe your child wants to explore another avenue of movement. As I mentioned before, front tumbling was not something that I wanted to continue with, and that’s okay. Talk with your child about the skill that they’re having trouble with and if it’s worth pushing through, of moving on from. Luckily, Champions has so many amazing programs offered every day of the week! Discuss signing up for a trial in another program to see if that sparks more interest. Did you know you can trial up to three recreational programs in a season for just $15 per trial? This can be a great way to hone in on what your child really loves, or what they might not, and build on that together.
Hitting obstacles can be a great opportunity to learn coping skills together.
In the past, I was a PE teacher. During that time, half of my job (if not more) was teaching coping skills like breathing techniques, how to stay calm when stressed, or how to respond to a situation with calmness and clarity instead of reacting. If we find it hard to properly cope with life as an adult, imagine how much harder it can be as a child. Check in with your child to see what coping strategies they’re learning in school to apply outside of the classroom, and where you might need to fill in the gaps!
PositiveDiscipline.com and BlueZones.com are a few sites with helpful resources for teachers and families if you need a place to start. I also keep books by Stephanie Malia Krauss on hand; she is a solution-focused author with decades of experience with children.
We do not get a handbook for bringing up these children. One of my favorite quotes is from Andy Andrews who said, “Remember, the goal is not to raise great kids; it’s to raise kids who become great adults.” This applies in all areas, including sports. They are learning so much about becoming a great adult when they are in recreational sports. So when they hit an obstacle, stay strong. Whether it’s front tumbling, a pullover, or any other challenge, the learning is part of the journey toward growth in both ability and mindset. You’ve got this, and so does your child, so keep cheering them on!