There are no 7 year old champions,
There are no sporting super-stars at 9 years of age.
There are no “great” athletes at 11 years of age.
Recently a sporting parent said something to me that I wanted to share with you. I promise you - NONE of this is embellished or made up.
“Wayne. I need your advice. My kid plays sport and he’s great at it. Everyone tells us that he’s a champion. I want to help him be the best. So I’ve set up a training track at home and I make him train on it every day. The other day I got angry at him because he wasn’t doing it perfectly. That’s what his problem is. He often starts training really well and does it perfectly then he loses focus and starts making mistakes. I tell him “you have to stop making mistakes if you want to be the best”. What can I do so he stops making dumb mistakes?”
And the kicker…..THE KID IS SEVEN YEARS OLD.
This is - without doubt - the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard from any sporting parent in 30 years in this business.
Here’s what’s going to happen.
* The kid will never be a champion.
* The kid will quit by his mid-teens.
* The kid will grow up hating sport, training and worst of all probably his parents.
My advice?
Let him be seven.
Let him play.
Let him make mistakes.
Let him love it.
What would YOU tell this parent?
Wayne Goldsmith
