Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / 4 Important Questions for Sports Families this Summer

4 Important Questions for Sports Families this Summer

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | May 22, 2018

No Comments

With summer sports just around the corner it’s time for parents to sit down with their young athletes and begin mapping out the summer sports schedule.  Some of the more common questions include what sport(s) to play, what competition level to experience, and how much time and commitment sports will take up?  It behooves parents to explore these questions as the difference in getting it right versus wrong is often the difference between incredible life/growth experiences versus sports burnout, frustration, and missed opportunities.

4 big questions to answer

While there are many important questions to examine when preparing for summer sports, I have found that the following 4 questions may be the most important as they apply to summer sports:

  1. How many sports to play?  These days, it’s not uncommon for kids to play 2 and sometimes 3 different sports at the same time.  Before signing up to multiple sports in the same season, be sure to know exactly what you are signing up for, as well as the implications of not being 100% committed to each team.
  2. How to balance sports with other family interests/activities?  A summer travel league experience can quickly eat up most, if not all of your family free time.  With weekend tournaments becoming commonplace, it leaves little time left over for family vacations and other fun experiences.
  3. How to balance sports with other life experiences for your child?  If your child is booked solid with sport obligations, what non-sport experiences will he or she miss as a result?  Are there other academic, social, art, or music events that will be impossible to do because your child’s sport schedule is so intense?
  4. Time and money costs?  Experiencing a busy summer sports schedule usually results in challenging time and money costs that parents don’t always recognize right away.  If you are budgeting be sure to take in to account gas, hotels, food, and equipment costs, as well as lost time as a result of traveling to different cities and watching games from the stands.

Preparation is the key

There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to how many sports your child should play, the level of competition, or the miles he or she will travel to play against different competition.  From my experience the biggest variable linked to the level of success a sports family will experience has to do with one thing: Preparation.  Families who take the time before summer to examine all the various commitments, costs, and obligations relating to summer sports are the ones who generally make the healthiest and best decisions, and their overall experiences are successful as a result.  Conversely, families who rush into summer sports without thinking through the questions presented here run a much greater risk for over-committing to activities, struggles to live up to responsibilities and expectations, and experiencing sports burnout.

Final thoughts

Yes, these are different times than when you were a kid involved in youth sports, and summer can present the biggest challenges with so many opportunities available to kids today.  Make sure to learn as much as you can about the sports available to you this summer, and then sit down with your kids to go over the pros and cons.  Like the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and this is especially true when it comes to setting up a summer sports schedule.

drstankovich.com

burnout, parenting, psychology, schedule, sport, summer, travel

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • March 22, 2023 Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • March 20, 2023 Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • March 14, 2023 Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • March 13, 2023 3 Important Tips for Today’s Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • February 26, 2023 The Most Important Sports “Ability” Might Surprise You

PREVIOUS POST

Morals & Integrity are Out the Window as Sports Gambling Profits Rule the Day

NEXT POST

What Are the Implications of NFL Policy to Address National Anthem Protests?

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Balance , Boys Sports , Burnout , Girls Sports , health psychology , Leadership and Role Modeling , Parent Training , Prep , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sport Specialization , Sports Leadership , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Uncategorized , Youth Sports

Tags

burnout, parenting, psychology, schedule, sport, summer, travel

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • The Psychology Behind Breaking Bad Habits
  • What has Happened to Free Play and Recreational Sports for Kids?
  • The Importance of Efficiency Applied to Success & Productivity
  • The Most Important Sports "Ability" Might Surprise You
  • Accident Prone & Forgetful? Poor Stress Coping May be the Reason
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓