Coaches occasionally face difficult situations during the season. Coaching your child, sibling, or other relative carries the potential for a whole different experience though. While there are plenty of great aspects of coaching a family member, there can also be some awkward, uncomfortable, or tricky situations. Check out a few key dos and don’ts for coaching your child or another relative below and share any of your own tips or experiences in the comments! Don’t: show favoritism. This may sound obvious, but a lot of you have probably been on a team where the coach did show favoritism to her or his relative‚ and it is frustrating! While it can be difficult to not favor someone who is so close to you, it is your responsibility as a coach to do your best to treat everyone the same. This will be best for the athlete, too. Don’t: be too tough. Sometimes in an effort to not show favoritism, coaches will overcorrect and be too tough on their family members. Pushing your athletes to succeed and reach their potential is a good thing, and coaches know what helps different athletes and how to successfully motivate them‚ but make sure you aren’t criticizing or being overly demanding of your relative. There’s no need to put her or him down just to make sure everyone knows you aren’t giving special treatment. This can even turn dangerous if you advise your relative to push through an injury or illness. Knowing you don’t believe them when they bring up an injury is hard enough on athletes, but pushing them too far can cause serious injuries. Just like with not showing favoritism, you have to treat your relative like you would any other team member. Do: set boundaries. Be a cheer coach during cheer events, but don’t forget you are also a parent, sibling, cousin, or other family member. Your athlete needs both, but probably doesn’t want to be with her or his cheer coach 24/7. Don’t neglect your other roles in the athlete’s life. You will need to figure out what boundaries work for you, but common mistakes to avoid include talking about cheer non-stop and nagging your relative about doing more exercises and stretches outside of practice. Do: communicate. Ask for feedback! Acknowledge that it is a unique situation, and ask for ideas on what you can do to make it a good experience. Ask your relative to let you know if she or he feels like you are showing favoritism, being too tough, or not separating your cheer life from your home life enough. Then, be open to the feedback! This goes both ways though. Make sure your athlete knows she or he doesn’t get special privileges. If you feel that she or he is taking advantage of your relationship, communicate that! Have you ever coached or been coached by a relative? What advice and tips do you have for others in similar situations?
Dos and Don’ts for Coaching Your Child or Sibling
