Beyond Winning: Smart Parenting in a Toxic Sports Environment

Kim Payne · Luis Llosa · Scott Lancaster

Aug 2013 · Rowman & Littlefield

About this ebook

These days it seems everyone has a youth sports horror story—whether it’s about a tyrant coach obsessed with his team record that only plays the best kids on the team, or a parent who publicly berates his kid for not making a goal. But should it really only be all about winning? What about having fun, learning a sport, and developing athletic skills?

 

Beyond Winning with Whole Child Sports offers an alternative approach to teaching sports to kids. It deemphasizes short-term goals like winning and youth championships and discourages the introduction of adult-oriented, league-structured competition. Instead it emphasizes training techniques and coaching strategies aimed at improving core strength, balance, and creativity in aspiring athletes, using an age-appropriate four-stage timeline, based on a child’s physical, psychological, and neurological development.

 

Beyond Winning with Whole Child Sports provides frustrated parents with help in the form of advice and concrete solutions to common questions, and step-by-step instructions for helping young children develop athletic ability in an environment that’s less structured while encouraging athletic and personal growth. It also reveals how to avoid bullying, trash talk, and elitism.

 

About the author

Kim John Payne is a consultant, speaker, educator, counselor, and the author of Simplicity Parenting. Luis Fernando Llosa is an investigative reporter, writer, editor, speaker, youth sports consultant, and a co-founder of Whole Child Sports. Scott Lancaster has 20-plus years experience developing innovative youth sports programming (including 12 at the NFL) and is currently creating new national football and balance conditioning programs.