Your child is playing, what should you be doing?

PARENTAL MATCH DAY JOB DESCRIPTION: The parent’s primary role is to de-stress their child.

Why?

• Stress Increases Muscle Contractions
• Stress Decreases Fluid Movement
• Stress Impairs Judgment
• Stress Reduces Problem Solving Skills
• Parents, remember that athletes perform best in a calm relaxed mental state.

PARENTAL PRE-MATCH JOB DESCRIPTION:

• Equipment preparation & nutrition/hydration requirements
• Warm up routines (Primary/Secondary Strokes) and imagery
• Keeping the player away from other players and parents
• Discuss styles of play, strengths and weaknesses instead of the opponents past success
• Emphasize the importance of executing the correct shot the moment demands
• Quality preparation is a life skill. It is the foundation for success.

PARENTAL MATCH TIME JOB DESCRIPTION:

Charting or video taping your child’s match provides valuable insight for future training. It also is provides an opportunity to positively channel parent’s/coach’s nervous energy during a match. (Players are very adept at reading their parent’s/coach’s emotions {i.e. non-verbal communication} while playing.)

Benefits of Match Analysis:

• Strengths and weaknesses in stroke production
• Implementation of strategies and tactics
• Actual causes of errors
• Dissecting the opponent/opponent awareness
• Movement, spacing and fitness
• Emotional control
• Focus control such as lapses in concentration
• Between point and changeover rituals

PARENTAL POST MATCH JOB DESCRIPTION

• Assist your child in their static stretching, nutrition and hydration requirements.
• Wait an appropriate amount of time before discussing the match.
• Begin match analysis with an over-view of their positive performance goals with an optimistic tone of voice.
• If not present- replace “Did You Win?” with “Did you hit your performance goals. Did you execute the correct shots at the right times?”
• Remind your child to complete their match logs.

Remember to acknowledge your child’s hard work!