THE SPORT TRIANGLE: COACH, ATHLETE, PARENTS

Adequate parental roles: support without technical interference.

Parental involvement is essential, but it must have clear limits to be beneficial.

The ideal parental role is that of unconditional support and logistical providers, not assistant coaches.

Children need to know that they are valued for who they are, not for their athletic accomplishments.

Proper parental support fosters autonomy and reduces anxiety, while technical interference confuses the athlete and undermines the coach's authority. Think of a parent attending his or her child's judo matches.

The appropriate behavior would be to encourage the effort ("I like the way you fought") and offer comfort after a loss, seeing to it that the child arrives on time and has his or her equipment ready.

The common mistake is to try to correct the gripping technique from the bleachers or in the car on the way home.

By doing this, the parent ceases to be a safe haven and becomes an additional source of critical eva luation, which can overwhelm the child, who only wants his parent to be his parent, not another coach.

Destructive behavior on the sidelines and its consequences

The behavior of adults in youth competitions has a direct impact on the psychology of the child.

Shouting, contradictory instructions, criticism of the referee or disapproving gestures from the sidelines generate embarrassment and anxiety in children.

This phenomenon, known as "the negative soundtrack", distracts the athlete from the task at hand and makes them fear making mistakes because of the reaction they will provoke in their parents.

Imagine a children's soccer game where a mother walks down the sideline yelling at her daughter to "run more" or "pass the ball," contradicting the coach's instructions.

The child, on the field, finds herself in a conflict of loyalties and under unnecessary stress. Instead of focusing on the game, she is watching for the mother's reaction.

This type of environmental pressure can lead the child to associate the sport with public humiliation and family tension, accelerating her desire to abandon the activity to avoid such negative exposu