7 Powerful Tips to Get Your Child into College Athletics

It requires much more than their school counselor can provide.

Since my son was born, I worked hard to teach and educate him on the finer things in life to play sports. Imagine waking up one day and your kid gets a million-dollar contract to play sports. The sports world is crazy but can be a profitable investment for your family and change your future.

As a kid, I played sports ranging from basketball to baseball and ice hockey. Yes, I played ice hockey since I grew up in the Philadelphia area where ice hockey is a popular sport. I wasn’t good enough to play in college but always loved the discipline and training that comes along with playing sports.

No one wakes up one day and is Michael Jordan. Michael, like other professional athletes, has to work hard to get better. A lot of time, commitment, and sacrifice are required to make it to the pros.

When my son was a year and a half old, I bought him a tee-ball set. I thought maybe one day he could play professional baseball. After a few years playing tee-ball when he was six or seven, he said he didn’t want to play anymore. So this dream of mine to have a professional athlete was put on hold until three years ago.

One day after school, my son said he wanted to play football in seventh grade. I never played football with my son or mentioned it. As you know, you hear about the concerns of concussions especially in football so my wife and I were hesitant. We finally agreed to let him play.

Now my son is dreaming about playing professional football so for him to reach that level, that requires a little work from me to get him ready. Outlined below, I’ll cover some areas that I have worked with my son to help get him ready for college. As a parent, there are some things you need to do to help get your child ready.

The seven areas covered include the following:

• Gym training
• Camps
• Sports equipment
• Mental awareness
• Diet
• YouTube resources
• Share real-life examples

Gym Training

“If you want to turn a vision into reality, you have to give 100% and never stop believing in them.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

My son isn’t old enough to walk into a gym by himself, so I had to take him to the gym. Most gyms require children to be around the age of 16 years old. I’m no stranger to the gym since I have worked out since high school when I bought my own weight set from my newspaper route. The best part is I get to show my son the right way to work out and not injure himself which can happen using the wrong form.

We have gone to the gym a few times and the workouts have gone well. For the position my son plays, he needs to put on more muscle. My son plays offensive and defensive line.

While going to the gym with the coronavirus, we take precaution and wear a mask while working out. We also use hand sanitizer once we are finished exercising.

Sports Camps

“I think sometimes in life the biggest challenges end up being the best things that happen in your life.”

— Tom Brady

I have heard about football camps and wondered how to get my son into them. Recently, I received several letters from coaches inviting my son to football camps in Dallas and Houston. Several football coaches will be in attendance watching and teaching high school athletes on the one-day event.

For a high school athlete, this is a good way to get their name out there with colleges looking to fill their roster in a few years from now. Coaches get to put a name to a face as well as see how the athletes perform on the field. This is a good way for students to make contact with several coaches in one location.

Parents need to be prepared to spend money on the cost of the camp, travel, lodging, and food costs. In addition to any money you spent on the sport, getting your child into a college requires some more upfront costs. The camps are not expensive but airfare can rise up the final cost especially if you wait to buy the tickets at the last minute.

Sports Equipment

“I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.”

— Kobe Bryant

Playing sports can be expensive. School sports are usually free but there are a lot of hidden costs. Some teams require fundraising to help lower the costs of playing the sport or improvements for players. Additionally, teams may require money from parents for fundraisers or booster clubs.

For my son, he is given training and game pants as well as jerseys. A few things players need are cleats, mouthpiece, gloves, and a few other sports-specific equipment. Some equipment is optional and the final cost can add up to thousands of dollars if you’re not careful.

Since I want my son to have everything he needs, I bought him a training set consisting of rope and cones that he uses in the backyard to stay in shape. I also bought him an arm sleeve and had to buy another set of cleats since the first set was too tight.

Mental Awareness

“I’ve failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan

In sports as in life, nothing happens the way you always imagine it. After my son started his first game, he lost his starting spot. This may be because the coaches never had a chance to see all of the players perform due to the coronavirus.

My son was mad after this happened and wanted to change high schools. I told him to keep practicing and play hard when he did get in a game. After three games, he won his starting position back again. Life lessons as a kid will help them when they become an adult.

Kids need encouragement from their parents. Coaches are there to play and win the game. Coaches will look at what they need to win and they may not have time to talk to kids one on one about everything. This is where you come in as a parent to fill this role.

In a sense, you are a coach for your child helping explain certain things they may not be familiar with. For instance, using social media, why coaches may do certain things, interacting with the opposite sex, and so on.

Diet

“There’s the moment every morning when you look in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Are you committed or are you not?’” — LeBron James

Most likely your kid is not buying the groceries in your home. What they eat and put in their stomach is determined by what you buy. You need to limit the junk food and have your child eat as healthy as possible.

Allowing junk food once in a while is fine since you still want your kid to enjoy being a kid. Let them make up their mind on how much junk food they eat.

My son is particular about what he eats so there is a lot of food that he doesn’t like. I’m sure this is the same for most kids who like pizza, burgers, and hot dogs. Once in a while, I’ll add in a salad and vegetables to eat with the main dish to make sure he gets his nutrients.

YouTube Resources

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”

— Babe Ruth

As I mentioned, I was not a college athlete but have followed sports my entire life. Most athletes know who some of the popular sports players are such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and other players in their particular sport. Instead of me giving my son a lecture, I would share videos for him to watch from these famous players.

These athletes have accomplished a lot in life and many have shared their lessons online. This is a great resource to have your student-athlete watch. There are so many videos online and you can find these by typing in their name on YouTube to see what comes up.

Professional athletes have worked hard and made many sacrifices to get to where they are today. Use these lessons to share with your child who can gain some wisdom from these players. It’s a good idea to quiz your child afterward to see what they learned.

Sharing Real-Life Examples

“I hate every minute of training. But as I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

— Muhammad Ali

Athletes are human just like the rest of us. They will make good and bad mistakes in the sport they play as well as in real life. Be sure to mention some of these to your child. Help them to understand that actions these athletes made were good or bad. You see these all of the time.

Antonio Brown was released from the New England Patriots over a year ago as he under investigation for sexual assault and rape. 

Quarterback Tom Brady slide into an opposing football player during a playoff game.

You have to teach your child right from wrong because, with all of the images and actions they see online, it’s hard for them to see what is the right thing to do. Many people make videos that go viral but the message they give isn’t always correct. This is where you, as a parent, need to step in and talk to your child.

Help explain what they should do and shouldn’t do. Players can leave an impression on your child which they think is right since so and so is doing it or wearing a particular outfit. The earlier you have these talks, the better your student-athlete will be in the future.

What tip did you like best?