For those parents who have a teen or multiple teens that excel in sports it can be hard to push your teen without pushing too hard. Most athletes need the support of their parents whether it is saying the right thing after a bad game or getting up to drive your athlete to an early practice. At some point your teen might ask you to help them step up their game in a variety of ways. Support your teen to the best of your ability and admit if you do not know the answer to a problem they are having. The following are tips to help your teen take their game to the next level.

Define How To Get Better Daily

Sitting down with your teen to define the strengths and weaknesses of their sport is important. If an athlete does not understand what they need to improve then it is difficult to put together a training program. This is not going to happen in a week or two so setting up a few month program can be the best course of action. For a basketball player a 3 month program could be broken down like this.

Weeks 1-3: Working on explosiveness and jumping ability with strength training.

Weeks 3-6: Working on the non-dominant hand dribbling and finishing around the basketball.

Weeks 6 to 9: Work on post moves and ball fakes.

Weeks 9 to 12: Jump shooting and set shooting. Working on shot form is priority.

This would be a reasonable program as it does not require working on too much during one period. Perfecting small details of a sport can lead to big time results.

Regular Healthy Meals

The main help that parents can be is in the way they prepare food for their athlete. Eating in an unhealthy manner can lead to poor recovery, unwanted weight gain, and overall sluggishness. Take the time to meal prep during the week as well as an athlete could be hungry immediately after a practice. Visit a nutritionist if you are not sure how to feed your athlete as there is plenty of conflicting information on the internet.

Morning Workouts Help

The ability to have a small home gym can be the perfect place to build strength in your teen. Some of the leaner athletes might feel embarrassed if they do not have experience lifting weights. This can lead them to do too much too fast leading to injury or practicing with poor form. Dumbbells can be used nearly anywhere if you have a flat surface and rubber protection mat. Getting in a morning lift or getting to the gym to work on a spin move in the morning helps improve an athlete as getting twice the reps during a day will yield real results.

Let The Coach Do Their Job

Letting the coach do their job without questioning them and having a good time at competitions is necessary. Those parents that push too hard or embarrass their teen by yelling at the coach can lead your teen to start resenting the sport. The most important job that you have to do is to be a parent and allow the coach to implement their seasonal plan.

Parents who are supportive of their teen’s athletic goals can bond with their teen over a sport. Let your teen see how great they can be with your help!