{"id":4467,"date":"2017-06-02T19:39:47","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T19:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=4467"},"modified":"2025-07-10T08:15:41","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T12:15:41","slug":"dangers-of-over-involved-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dangers-of-over-involved-parents\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Trophy Son&#8221; Book Warns of Dangers of Over-Involved Parents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4470\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/trophy-son-book-warns-of-dangers-of-over-involved-parents.jpg\" alt=\"Sports Parent Motivation\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/trophy-son-book-warns-of-dangers-of-over-involved-parents.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/trophy-son-book-warns-of-dangers-of-over-involved-parents-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Sports_Kids_Feel_Motivated_Not_Pressured\"><\/span>Help Sports Kids Feel Motivated, Not Pressured<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dangers-of-over-involved-parents\/#Help_Sports_Kids_Feel_Motivated_Not_Pressured\" >Help Sports Kids Feel Motivated, Not Pressured<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dangers-of-over-involved-parents\/#Help_Them_Get_Motivated\" >Help Them Get Motivated<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dangers-of-over-involved-parents\/#Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\" >Related Articles on Youth Sports:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dangers-of-over-involved-parents\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>A new book, &#8220;Trophy Son,&#8221; about tennis prodigy Anton Stratis, is an important warning about the dangers of being over-involved, albeit well-meaning, sports parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The book details the world of tennis from young Anton\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Anton has the tennis dad from hell in Trophy Son&#8230; Douglas Brunt\u2019s breezy coming-of-age novel,&#8221;<\/em> says a review in USA Today. <em>&#8220;Anton, who narrates this tale, pretty much gets our sympathy from the first page: &#8216;A tennis racket lurks in my earliest memories like a sick relative who had come to live with us.'&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anton\u2019s dad is a former Olympic swimmer and retired millionaire who focuses all his energy on Anton. In one part of the book, Anton\u2019s dad refuses to let him drink water on a hot day while he hits hundreds of balls on the family\u2019s private court, says the review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/\">Ultimate Sports Parent<\/a> and Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, we\u2019ve mentioned before that it\u2019s important that kids feel <strong>motivated<\/strong> from within to play sports&#8211;that they are <strong>self-motivated<\/strong> or self-directed&#8211;as they progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Them_Get_Motivated\"><\/span>Help Them Get Motivated<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If parents pressure them with expectations to excel, they\u2019ll end up feeling more <strong>pressure,<\/strong> playing to please their parents, and not having fun. This type of external <strong>motivation<\/strong> doesn\u2019t create happy, confident, or successful athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of pressuring their sports kids, parents need to <strong>focus<\/strong> on building <strong>confidence<\/strong> in their young athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To build <strong>confidence,<\/strong> they should <strong>focus<\/strong> on what <strong>motivates<\/strong> their young athletes to play, whether it\u2019s to be with friends, learn new skills, be part of a team, or enjoy competing. They need to be as supportive as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our latest program, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/young-athletes-pregame-mental-prep\/\">10-Minute Pregame Prep<\/a>,&#8221; we help parents understand just what they should do before a game to build <strong>confidence<\/strong> in their young athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We address the dangers of <strong>high expectations,<\/strong> what to say to kids just before a game, and what not to say, and how to help kids <strong>mentally prepare<\/strong> for competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trust us, none of this involves high expectations and pressure! It includes our tried-and-true tips for helping kids feel <strong>prepared, confident<\/strong> and <strong>composed<\/strong> before a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/young-athletes-pregame-mental-prep\/\">Check it out here, and download Lesson 1 on us:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Related Articles on Youth Sports:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/are-your-athletes-self-motivated-or-driven-by-parents\/\"><strong>Are Your Athletes Self-Motivated or Driven by Parents?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/keeping-sports-kids-motivated-after-injuries\/\"><strong>Keeping Sports Kids Motivated After Injuries<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-sports-kids-emotions-affect-teammates\/\"><strong>How Sports Kids\u2019 Emotions Affect Teammates<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Help Sports Kids Feel Motivated, Not Pressured A new book, &#8220;Trophy Son,&#8221; about tennis prodigy Anton Stratis, is an important warning about the dangers of being over-involved, albeit well-meaning, sports parents. The book details the world of tennis from young Anton\u2019s point of view. &#8220;Anton has the tennis dad from &#8230; <a title=\"&#8220;Trophy Son&#8221; Book Warns of Dangers of Over-Involved Parents\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dangers-of-over-involved-parents\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about &#8220;Trophy Son&#8221; Book Warns of Dangers of Over-Involved Parents\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,160,35,19,17,6],"tags":[567,301],"class_list":["post-4467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","category-kids-motivation-in-sports","category-pressure-from-parents","category-pressure-in-sports","category-sports-parenting","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-high-expectations-in-sports","tag-pressure-in-youth-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}