Training your own daughter

[htheodore]

Has anyone had trouble training your own kids?

[rainbowgirl28]

I don't have kids yet, but the biggest thing I have heard from parents and kids who have been coached by parents, is to keep the two worlds separate. Don't bring the pole vaulting home and vice versa.

[cdmilton]

Coaching people who you love or love you is tough. Any critique must be given gently and could be taken personally.

For example: <coach>“Your plant was a little lowâ€Â

[lonestar]

You should talk to Glen D., who coaches 3 of his own daughters - it can be challenging!

[achtungpv]

My daughter's not quite born yet and I already decided I won't open that can of worms. Lonestar will probably have to reap that nightmare.

[htheodore]

It can be an a#! whipping and I'm taking a beating.

[jr]

I have coached two of my sons, my nephew, my niece and my step-daughter. It can be challenging. What helped me was taking them to Bells camp. After that we always a common reference point when we vaulted. Of course they all know more than I ever will, but at least we're talking the same language. Good luck!

[Tim McMichael]

It's working pretty good for me right now (see picture).

Seriously though, I can imagine how hard it would be. Tiphy kicked a soccer ball half way across Toys R Us today, so that got me thinking in an entirely different direction. My only input was to get my wife to agree on the metallic red one instead of the My Little Pony pink one.

[rainbowgirl28]

I have coached two of my sons, my nephew, my niece and my step-daughter. It can be challenging. What helped me was taking them to Bells camp. After that we always a common reference point when we vaulted. Of course they all know more than I ever will, but at least we're talking the same language. Good luck!

I'll second the idea of going to Bell Athletics. Earl has worked with a lot of vaulters who are stuck with mom or dad as the coach, and he has experience coaching his own boys.

Not only will you get a great, educational vaulting experience, you will have the chance to pick Earl's brain for ideas on this topic.

[McDaddy]

Coaching your own kids can be a great way to stay in touch with them. If you're not proficient at coaching pole vault, then you will be learning as much as they do. What worked for me was to send them to camps and ask questions. You should also try to pick the brains of other coaches. Find as much info as possible. I try to film at practice and meets. It's amazing what you can see in slomo. We analyze these and decide what to work on at the next practice. Just some things that worked for me/us. Both of my girls ended up with Pv scholarships. We learned together traveled to meets and had a lot of fun doing it. We still practice and talk pv quite often. McDaddy

[LPVG]

Interesting thread. I coached my own son and was a second coach to two other father/son teams. I am working with a father daughter team now. The coach/father coached his oldest daughter and now is coaching his youngest daughter. He is doing an outstanding job and there is obviously lots of love and respect going both ways. He is also a 6th grade teacher, so he may have some insights how to make the father/coach relationship a success.

It is very difficult to be able to separate the parent/coach role. My best wisdom to give you is Do Not get so involved that you are living through your child's successes or failures. It can lead to disastrous results regarding your relationship with your child. When I coached my son, it was very hard to stop the coach role and become a father. Children can easily think that there is an ongoing criticism when the coaching session ends. We were successful, but it took a Lot of work.

For the last four years, I was very fortunate to work with two outstanding athletes that were coached by their fathers. All three of us were well respected by the athletes, so it was easy to hand off coaching responsibilities when tensions got a little hot. Once the athletes graduated from HS, the fathers were able to let go and enjoy the college pole vault journey from the sidelines.

I wish you the best

[DecaRag]

I agree with Rainbowgirl about trying your best to leave the vaulting at the track as much as possible. I've been coaching my son for 4 years and starting my 5th soon. Indoor season poses some issues since we have to travel to practice at other locations, mostly on Saturdays.

You will get resistance at times, so listen to your kid and try to stay positive. I've made some mistakes at times, but we are both very competitive so it can get intense at times. Much of competing and training is mental - keep a good positive attitude and you'll be more likely to succeed.

I thinks what is most important is to remember what's most important - your relationship with your son or daughter. Have a good training plan, give praise and positive feedback whenever possible, stay away from arguments. Remind your kids that your are proud of them not because of their accomplishments, but because of who they are.

Also, find other activities to release the stress of training - waterskiing, camping, fishing, music - whatever you both have interests in and can enjoy away from the track.

Enjoy it, the time will pass quickly! Make the most of it!