Exceptionally talented girls-Any good books on the subject?

[ice_67]

My daughter is soon to be 12 and is an exceptionally talented athlete. She plays a lot of sports and excels in all but her heart belongs on the softball field. The problem is my husband and I don't have a clue how to raise this talented child so that she continues to excel and especially enjoy her journey. We really don't want to screw this up. I think so far we are doing OK. But with puberty and middle school and boys on the horizon, I can already smell trouble! We hear advice such as "don't push" "let her have fun" "don't specialize in a sport too early". But what does all that mean??? Define pushing. Define balance. We need some serious advice from someone who knows. Who has been there and done that. Has Doug Finch or Mr. Cat Osterman ever written a book on their journey? Do's and Don'ts? Help!!

[mozzy]

Be extremely careful that your enthusiasm for her doesn't backfire on you. We can encourage our children when we see a talent, but when all is said and done, the drive that SHE has--the passion that SHE has for the game and the amount of effort that SHE is willing to put into it--will be the determining factor as to how far she can go. And if you see her other interests as being 'trouble'---that kind of thinking will bite you on the butt.

[ice_67]

Point well taken. Thanks Mozzy.

[artomatic]

we could keep her balanced and pointed in the right direction on our team...

[artomatic]

oh no you di-int just call me that!

[Skarp]

Be extremely careful that your enthusiasm for her doesn't backfire on you. We can encourage our children when we see a talent, but when all is said and done, the drive that SHE has--the passion that SHE has for the game and the amount of effort that SHE is willing to put into it--will be the determining factor as to how far she can go. And if you see her other interests as being 'trouble'---that kind of thinking will bite you on the butt.

I see all sorts of other potential interests that my 12 y.o. has as being "trouble," and make no bones about it.

[Tucson]

I think that Tiger Woods father wrote a book on the subject of sports and his son.

My kids are 24,22,and19. One got in trouble and there was no stopping him. The others were not so inclined. My husband and I had the kids in lots of activities. Some, I decided I couldn't really afford, so if the kid wasn't just dying to do it, we weeded those out. We had every activity in the world going on music, choir at church, swimming, gymnastics, and sports. But as the kids became teens, they chose their activities.

If you can keep communication open (my DD quit talking in 8th grade and barely says a word, now), you will do fine. I didn't give the kids too much freedom because the world is too strange. But, if you are on here asking, I bet you know that.

[mozzy]

What I was alluding to in my comment regarding 'trouble' is the reference about boys and other activities out there (NOT unhealthy or dangerous activities). It wasn't much of a stretch for me to 'push' my kids toward activities that I personally enjoy watching them excel in--for me that was softball for my daughter and baseball for my son---while yawning my way through some of their other activities---which in our case consisted of speech tournaments, chess tournaments, marching band, & school plays. I've learned an important lesson: when your child shows an interest in an activity that may not personally appeal to you, or you may feel that your kid doesn't have a great talent for it, if your child really wants to pursue that activity, try to support their interest. Having a variety of social opportunities within good environments can only help a child's development. They don't have to be amazing in everything that they may be involved in. If there is positive interaction, if they are enjoying themselves, it works in our household.
As far as the drive that my kids have in their respective sports, it certainly hits peaks and valleys. When you read about, say, the daily schedule of Lisa Fernandez, you wonder--who can keep that regimen up indefinitely? Hardly anyone, that's why Lisa and those that live the way that she does are where they are.

[softballperformance]

I think I have exactly what you are looking for.

If you are interested in knowing all the scientific facts and the best practices to develop young talented softball players.

I have developed two resources in the last two with a lot of "how-to" and "what-to-do" information on the topic of talent development for softball.

Most of that material are the results of my graduate studies (Master's Degree in Coaching Sciences and 2 years of doctoral studies) on the topics of talent development, sports expertise and athlete long-term development.

Check it out:

http://www.softballperformance.com/tale ... pment.html

If you have questions, feel free to send me an email at marc <at> softballperformance.com

[ice_67]

Thank you softballperformance. This e-book looks great. My husband has a long commute so this should make for a productive drive for him.