The Role of Parents: Successful and Happy Athletes

So, as keen athlete parents, we’ve all been there… sat trackside willing our young athlete to that win, time, height, or distance and wishing there was something we could do to help. Well, it turns out there are things we can do to help! 

It’s easy to assume that their journey involves just them and their coach. Wrong! 

Parents Play a Huge and Indeed Crucial Role.  

Improved athlete performance isn’t just down to the time they spend at…

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT’S IN THE PARENT PLATFORM

Realising that there was nothing out there for parents, we decided to create an information and support platform designed specifically for the parents of athletics and running athletes… it’s called The Athlete Parent Place. 

As a prominent member of your athletics club, we are sure you take great delight in seeing your young athletes enjoying the sport and, of course, succeeding! But we're pretty sure you also experience frustration when these talent…

Arriving at their local athletics club for the first time with their young, would-be athlete, parents can often be heard saying things like “my child’s a sprinter”, “my child’s a distance runner”, “my child’s a high jumper”, etc.  But, how can you know that if they've not had a chance to try something else? And how much of this certainty comes merely off the back of a school sports day win, or worse still, the parent’s own preference for an event?

Using ourselves as an example of how disastrous …

If your child is taking sport seriously at a young age, deprioritising their education may no longer be the smartest approach.

Striking a balance between school and sport is not easy. It starts with finding the right school, with the right teachers, and organising the daily commute between your child’s practice ground and their school premises. But what if your child struggles to keep up? What if they are an aspiring Olympic or elite athlete who trains every day, competes midweek, and travels int…

When your child first starts out in track and field, ‘kit’ will pretty much consist of some cheap trainers and the first pair of shorts and t-shirt they (or their parent) can lay their hands on. If your child is primary school age or maybe year 7, the chances are you might get away with this simplicity for a while, my advice: make the most of it!

Social comparison is the psychology term for the influence others have on an individual and, in the case of sports kit, this basically explains why your…

Have you ever stopped to consider the amount of time you spend sat/stood at your child’s athletics track and wondered whether that time could be used more productively? Well, it turns out there is something that you just might want to consider…

Becoming a coaching assistant, coach, or official has never been easier as England Athletics now put on regular courses throughout the year with many clubs contributing to course costs. For example, their "Leading Athletics" online qualification is "perfec…

I’m sure we’ve all seen it, the over-the-top parent at school sports day or the pitch/track side parent ‘coaching’ their kid (discussed in a later blog) … usually from a place of zero knowledge and clearly attempting to live out their own personal sporting dreams via their child. But have you ever thought about how you support your child?

A quick glance around during any competition will provide you with plenty of examples of who you DON’T want to be!!! To this date, I can still recall the intern…