Beyond Winning with Whole Child Sports : Smart Parenting in a Toxic Sports Environment

These days it seems everyone has a youth sports horror storywhether it's about a tyrant coach obsessed with his team record that only plays the best kids on the team, or a parent who publicly berates his kid for not making a goal. But should it really only be all about winning? What about having fun, learning a sport, and developing athletic skills? Beyond Winning with Whole Child Sports offers an alternative approach to teaching sports to kids. It deemphasizes short-term goals like winning and youth championships and discourages the introduction of adult-oriented, league-structured competition. Instead it emphasizes training techniques and coaching strategies aimed at improving core strength, balance, and creativity in aspiring athletes, using an age-appropriate four-stage timeline, based on a child's physical, psychological, and neurological development. Beyond Winning with Whole Child Sports provides frustrated parents with help in the form of advice and concrete solutions to common questions, and step-by-step instructions for helping young children develop athletic ability in an environment that's less structured while encouraging athletic and personal growth. It also reveals how to avoid bullying, trash talk, and elitism.

Kim John Payne is a consultant, speaker, educator, counselor, and the author of Simplicity Parenting. Luis Fernando Llosa has reported for Fortune, Money, and Sports Illustrated, where he investigated steroid use extensively. Scott Lancaster has twenty years experience developing and promoting youth sports programs, including twelve years as director of youth sports at the NFL.