How do I get my child to be more aggressive in sports?
Most times, when people hear us use the word aggressive, they wonder if we’re promoting negative behavior. When we talk about getting your child to be more aggressive in sports, we are talking about getting your child to be more assertive in sports. That is, exerting more effort during a game.
One thing many wonder about is if it is possible to get an otherwise timid child to be more aggressive in sports. One thing you should know is that a child can learn to be aggressive when he is coached, his skills are continually developed, and he has a model. Some kids come with an aggressive mentality as part of their personality, while others just have to learn this trait. Even timid children can become more assertive by gaining the type of confidence sports can bring.
Why do I want my child to be aggressive?
You should consider this question and answer truthfully. Before you push your child to assert themselves in a game, you should ask yourself what is to be gained. For a young child of let’s say 6/7 years of age that’s playing basketball, continually pushing him/her to go after the ball might prove to be more detrimental than beneficial. At this level, more emphasis should be placed on children of this age on just having fun and learning the basics of the game.
For an older player, i.e., a kid who has been playing for a few years and is into a competitive sport, working on how they can be aggressive is more realistic. However, putting too much pressure on your child ruins the fun of the game, and this will affect the child’s desire to play the sport.
Does my child enjoy the sport?
A reason why your child isn’t as aggressive as the game requires could be that he doesn’t enjoy playing so much. To be better, try having a sincere and open conversation with your child. By so doing, you get to know if their on-field play has more to do with their attitude towards the game or if it’s caused by something else.
A piece of quick advice: during these conversations, be more of a good listener instead of providing too much information to your kid.
There could be other factors that are affecting your child’s performance. It could be that he is anxious about a game or that he struggles socially.
Now that you know if your child enjoys playing a sport, you can now teach them to be more aggressive.
Read more about choosing a sport for small children.
How do I teach my kids to be more aggressive when playing?
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Is there fear? Teach Your Child To Overcome Fear
One reason why your child may not be giving their all into the game could be that they are scared of losing. Perhaps he lost once and was ridiculed by his peer or coach, and so is scared to make mistakes again. Let your child know it’s ok to make mistakes, that its part of the learning process. This will encourage your child to be more willing to push through.
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Celebrate success
This is another way to encourage your child to do more. Identifying that your child is succeeding can help to boost their self-esteem. When a child gets small achievements, improved confidence in his/her ability will lead him to more drive. To celebrate little success. When they do well, encourage them. It will spur them to put more effort into their game. When small children experience success they will usually get more excited about participating; the result is more passion, excitement, and aggression.
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Help your child understand his role
It may be that the reason why your child is holding back is that he doesn’t know what is expected of him. And no, barking orders to your child or assuming he understands because he’s been told what to do once isn’t an obvious direction. Assumption doesn’t help at all.
If you have a basic understanding of the sport your child is playing, you can help in reiterating some of the basics of the game.
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Set small goals
Set goals for your child for doing little things that show aggression. It doesn’t have to be only the fancy goals that are celebrated. Even the short hustle plays should be celebrated. These small goals could be something as simple as the number of times they kicked or passed a ball or grabbed a few rebounds. Goals met could be celebrated with small rewards.
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Work on their skills
For a child to improve, he has to spend more extra time in practice with developing fundamentals for sports. As your child continues to learn how to play the game and master skills in practice, it can lead to more aggressive play.
You could get a personal coach to help your child train outside the team environment. Perhaps for your child’s play to be more aggressive, he just needs to work more on his conditioning or in improving his stamina.
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Get a good coach for your child
Most times, when your child is a part of a league or club, he automatically ends up with its coach by default. However, what you can do is to check the coach out and know him before you pay. Get your child a coach that shares the same belief as you do and showcases the ability to teach against just winning at all costs.
What is my child’s motivation?
This is one question that could help you in knowing how to get him to put more vigor in their play. Their initial reason for joining a sport can tell you a lot about how they are motivated. Research has shown that there are two factors to consider when helping a player to increase effort. They include extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic Factor
These are based on external things. They can either be positive such as parental support and good coaching or negative, like pushing a child too hard. So, therefore, a child that is positively motivated extrinsically will work towards earning rewards, praises, etc. Kids that are driven extrinsically tend to be more concerned with the outcomes of every game.
Ways parents can help their child is to create tangible rewards for accomplishments, asserting how proud they are of their child both in private and in public as well as praising them always.
Intrinsic Factors
These are factors that are not external. In this case, a child works or is driven by his desires to be better or to meet his milestones. Children that are intrinsically motivated tend to want to develop their skills to excel as they enjoy what they are doing. If children like this are part of a team, they are more likely to enjoy the experience.
Ways parents can help includes:
– helping their children to identify and respond to their individual goals
– maintaining open communication with their child on what they enjoy about playing a particular sport.
– reinforcing in their children how their performance contributes to the good of the team.
In getting your child to be more aggressive about sports, you need to have the right mindset. The proper mindset is one that is focused on putting your child’s best interest first. As you’ve also seen, there are lots of ways you can help your child to be more aggressive during a game without promoting negative behaviors. Put these to practice and observe for any changes in the way your child plays.
Other Great Articles about Helping Children Be More Assertive In Sports
How do you become more aggressive in sports?
One of the best ways to improve aggression is to get exciting about your sport. Think about the possibility of winning, the excitement of playing in front of family and friends. Additionally, you can improve aggression during games with an intense warm-up before the competition.
How do I get my child to be more aggressive in basketball?
Don't worry about mistakes, go after every loose ball, grab every rebound, sprint back on defense, and play with confidence.
How can I help my child be more athletic?
One of the best ways to develop athleticism is to develop a passion for sports. Children must develop a passion for competition and playing multiple games. Parents must support children during the process.
How do you become aggressive?
To become more aggressive, you must define yours why. You must determine your reason and take action decisively. Assertive does not mean conflict but rather knowing what you want and taking action consistently.