Parents have a big influence on the type of player their child becomes. Parents have powerful emotions generated through their involvement with their children, which can be both positive enablers and negative barriers.
These will have wide-ranging and long-lasting influences on those young players. Parents need to look at the “big picture” issues and responsibilities, and not fall into making the common mistakes which abuse this power.
 
Top 10 mistakes
 

1. Taking their child’s sport experience too seriously, and not mixing in the appropriate levels of fun and recreation.
2. Expecting perfection in their child.
3. Living vicariously – as though they were taking part themselves – through their child’s sport experiences.
4. Making negative comments about other children, parents or coaches.
5. Having an unrealistically overblown assessment of their child’s talent.
6. Contradicting the advice and guidance of their child’s teachers, trainers and coaches, leading to the child being confused and torn in loyalties.
7. Failing to realise when their child is developing their skills rather than being competitive.
8. Failing to see the value of sports lessons as preparation for life itself.
9. Not realising that their child can learn valuable sport and life lessons even when they lose.
10. Labelling their child a choker or other name.