Last night I was watching Team USA win their first gold ever in women’s volleyball. I had been wondering what had happened to Sue Enquist after she retired from being UCLA’s softball coach (winningest coach, 11 NCAA titles). She’s now a mental health coaching consultant. She consults to many top travel and Team USA programs including travel baseball. She is part of the Team USA volleyball coaching staff. I found a video about her work last night.
She said from the time kids start playing through becoming professionals if they don’t want to talk about the game there’s a reason for it. It’s called stress. Don’t force the conversation. Wait for them to talk about the game.
Even some world class athletes suffer from major pre game anxiety. It’s ok. What is important is how they respond to anxiety and get through it. Bill Russell (Celtics) claims he threw up before every major game he played. He won eleven NBA titles.
Players from travel through college were asked, “Do you wish you parents would cheer more, cheer less or not at all?” The top pick was not at all because a majority of parents cheered or yelled too much.
Never coach from the stands. There’s a good chance it conflicts with what the coach is telling the player.
Never compare players in the stands, especially to yours. Aside from possibly embarrassing yourself you could embarrass your player if word gets back to the team through a parent.
How you behave and what you say at games could affect your relationship with your kid for the rest of your lives.
A couple of other recruiting items she mentioned was don’t go to a showcase/tournament expecting to be discovered. Make contact with the coach personally or through your travel coach ahead of time. Coaches arrive with their list of about twenty players they came to see. It’s possible to be discovered. But, it’s unlikely.
Most recruiting services are rip offs. They make absurd claims. UCLA is one of the top softball targets in the country for top players. Enquist said it was very common to find out she had never heard of people in services who claimed to know her personally.
The most important recruiting tip she said is to get an honest assessment of your ability and potential from an expert. When looking at college programs make sure you’re looking in the right places (known on this board as fishing in the right pond).