Does your athlete love to practice? Do they beg you for more time on the field or in the gym or training center? Or is your child whining about another practice session? Do you take them to train on their own and watch them sulk and merely go through the motions? Both scenarios are common; often alternating between when an athlete is struggling or progressing quickly. Encourage your child to find time for extra training with the intention that practice make progress. Progress alone is motivating and may be the key to inspire more practice of your child’s own free will.

Coaches work with athletes to introduce new skills and improve skills already learned. If an athlete has a lesson and doesn’t practice before their next lesson, it’s unlikely their coach will see improvement in the skills they worked on. Practicing reinforces what they learned in their training sessions. There will be more opportunity to learn new skills when an athlete shows they have retained the skills they learned previously. If no progress has been made, more time is spent reteaching and working on the same skills. Practicing and progressing will enable athletes to move forward more quickly and to get excited about new skills and levels.

Saving with Practice

Training sessions and lessons become costly and are expected as your athlete advances and becomes more competitive. They will need to work with coaches to prepare for events and meet the challenges of higher levels. Higher advancement requires the need for even more practice time. If your child isn’t motivated to work independently, you may add lessons to increase their involvement in their sport. With this approach, you could find the costs increase to levels you are not able to sustain. Practicing is a less costly way for your athlete to make progress when coaching expenses are at the top of your budget.

The Voice in Their Head

When an athlete is competing, their coach is not following them to remind them how to perform. Athletes need to develop self-talk. During practice sessions, athletes recall advice their coaches gave during their lessons. They’re able to recall the correct technique that made a maneuver easier or better. They develop a dialogue with themselves, giving them the opportunity to find ways to stay focused, positive, and less anxious under pressure. It helps to get athletes out of their head when they are worried about their competitors or aren’t feeling confident about themselves. Focusing on technique and their coaches’ reminders will enable athletes to stay the course and get through an event successfully.

Persistent Resistance

If your athlete truly refuses to practice despite recommendations from their trainers, practice sessions with their friends, or encouragement from you, a conversation regarding their interest in their sport would be important. There may be other reasons they are protesting practice. These are issues that can be addressed and likely fixed with a tweak of your child’s schedule or suggestions from the coaches.

• They feel they aren’t progressing even when they do practice.
• Practice sessions may conflict with a different after school or weekend opportunity they would like to try.
• They want more free time or feel over scheduled.
• They may be intimidated by more advanced athletes training around them, and the practice sessions make them nervous.

On the other hand, if your athlete absolutely does not want to put the time in on their own because they really don’t like the sport, it is time to consider moving on to a different activity. Forcing them to stay in a sport they do not enjoy has negative consequences including lower self-esteem and missing the chance to find what they are actually passionate about.

Once your athlete realizes that practice makes progress, collaborate on a schedule that works for your athlete and your family. Training should build confidence and promote motivation. It is possible to increase your child’s time with their sport while keeping your family supportive and stress free.