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Everything needed to know about BURNOUT as an athlete but for the PARENT
According to Tom Farrey, while children fall in love with sports early, ages 11 to 13 mark the highest age range for burnout athletes! Burnout is when a child experiences fatigue, lack of motivation to improve, inability to overcome stress, and disinterest in the sport. Over-involvement from parents is one of the leading causes of burnout in youth sports. While parents’ intentions are usually in their children’s best interest, they can adversely affect their mental and physical health.
Here are a few tips to decrease burnout with your athlete:
Parents must ensure that the team selected for their child is the best fit for their growth and development rather than the most elite team they could play on. Children who sit on the bench for an elite team experience burnout due to a lack of playtime. Parents also need to avoid being coaches themselves, as this creates a different relationship with the child. Critiquing every child’s move can lead to stress and anxiety, which ultimately ruins the child’s love for the sport.
It is essential to keep sports fun for children. A child’s burnout chances increase the more they play a single sport and the longer they play it annually. Parents must ensure their child genuinely wants to play the sport and not be manipulated. Tiger Woods loved to golf and persevered despite failure, whereas a child who does not love the game will not put in the effort required to excel. Parents must ensure their children have enough free time to relax and destress, as not everything necessary will be fun. A child’s time away from the sport could be all it takes to drive them back to it.
Communication between parent and child is crucial. Understanding the feelings a young athlete goes through is essential, as sometimes the biggest issue is not being on the same page. Parents must talk to their children to understand their experiences and preferences. Based on this information, parents can make decisions that benefit the child, such as allowing them to play another sport, avoiding specialization, and having a break from the same daily habits. Conversations with the coach can also help the athlete, as coaches may spot burnout qualities that parents might miss.
Once burnout occurs, there are few solutions to combat it. Prevention is the best solution to avoid burnout. Parents must tackle burnout head-on at an early age because it becomes challenging to solve once it occurs. In conclusion, it is essential to keep sports fun, avoid over-involvement, and communicate effectively to prevent burnout in young athletes.
Source:
- Hotels4Teams, “Youth Sports Burnout: The Role of Parents, Coaches, and the Child.” Hotels4Teams. Accessed September 1, 2021. https://www.hotels4teams.com/youth-sports-burnout-role-parents-coaches-child/.
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