If I had not done particularly well and I was upset, my father would help me by asking me if I had done my best. If I answered yes, then he would respond my best is all I could do. He then went on to explain to me that in life there would always be someone better than me. My job in practice was to prepare to be the best I could be and then go out and do my best every time with the understanding that sometimes my best would not be good enough. However, that did not mean I was a failure or that I should stop trying my best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, conversations like the ones I had with my father are few and far between in today’s youth sports. As a coach of 30 years I have seen athletes leave sports sooner than they would have because of the car ride home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what is it about the car ride home that drives so many athletes from the game they love?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWell-meaning parents are failing to recognize the time after a game (or practice) is critical for their child. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nKids are physically and emotionally exhausted; yet parents choose to make the car ride home a “teachable moment” by commenting on the coach’s decisions or their child’s performance (or lack thereof).<\/p>\n\n\n\n