[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppw14JLIIkg[/youtube]
Are you prepared to help you child deal with life after sports when he or she one day faces the sport retirement transition (Sport Success 360)? While most people think that only professional and college student athletes have trouble when it comes to life after sports, the reality is that all student athletes, regardless of age, are at-risk when it comes to sports transitions – especially sport retirement (Positive Transitions for Student Athletes). It is important that you learn as much as you can about this unique transition, as well as help your child prepare to cope with the challenges that often come with sport retirement.Listed below are a few key sports leadership tips to think about for when your child faces this inevitable transition:
- Athletic identity – kids who develop an exclusive athletic identity (meaning all his or her self-worth is tied into athletics) are the most at-risk people when it comes to sport retirement. Interestingly, even if your child is only involved in little league or varsity sports, he or she may still be at-risk
- Athletic transferable skills – when kids overlook the significance of athletic transferable skills, they often feel as though they do not have the skills and abilities to be successful in other, non-sport endeavors
- Future planning – kids who only plan on “making it” to the college or professional sport level are at great risk for a number of psychological concerns if they don’t live up to their dreams
- Social support – sport retirement is a lot easier to deal with when you have social support (or people in your life you can turn to for help).
Sport retirement is an inevitable expericne for all athletes, and one that should be discussed and planned for long before the day comes to hang ’em up. For more information on this topic, including tips, strategies, and improtant talking points, please check out Positive Transitions for Student Athletes.
www.drstankovich.com
