Yup, thats my outlook as well. I'd LOVE if my daughter wanted to play the sports that I was interested in. That said, the sports she plays is completely up to her.My only requirements are that she finishes the season and
"puts in the effort to excel in whatever sport she tries."
And she must train one martial art for self defense.
Is this different from what I am saying?
There seems to be a lot of misinterpretation, mixed with personal misnomers.
I write this not as a qualifier, but it's actually sad how some of you view this.
I am fortunate my child enjoys sports that I enjoy, and enjoys watching me continue to train, improve and at times compete.
I see training with my child as a father - child bonding time. He enjoys it. If he didn't he wouldn't initiate or get upset when he's punished by not having the privelege to train. It is also being a role model...to lead by example. Most of all the process to develop the mental will and discipline to train to win on the mat and in life. People may say personal discipline in one aspect of life doesn't transfer to the next...that may be true, but personal discipline is like a muscle, the more you train it correctly, the stronger it gets. People who lack will power and personal discipline don't just automatically get it when they want. It takes practice, work effort...essentially sweat equity.
And I'm not just talking about the mat. I'm talking about life in general. Former alcoholics, drug addicts and gamblers don't just develop an iron will to stay addiction free, it takes time and repetition of little things. Of delaying gratification. Of self denial. Of personal control of other aspects in life(exercise, diet, schedules, work, etc). Of working your tail off more than the last time and the other guy.
There is a lot of backlash on the soccer style participation trophy, yet some of you in this thread seem to demean training with the discipline to train to win, seeing it as parents who are trying to live vicariously through their children.
This is one reason why our great nation lags in international competition, innovation, technology, etc... the laissez faire attitude that carries over from school, sports, work, and of getting ahead. I'm not trying to keep up with the Joneses. I'm doing my best to surpass the Chings, the Khomeinis, the Klokovs. Maybe some of you will look down on me, but hopefully some of you will see this as I do and improve our nation.
For the rest of you oxygen hogs...barf.
90% of the parents out there do not train, have minimal or bad knowledge of the intricacies of the sports their children do, minimal to limited knowledge of psychology, pedagogy, periodization, child development, much less have the health to compete. I may not be formally trained in many fields, but I do have the tenacity to learn and investigate such, and most of all hire out when appropriate. Many of my injuries have had a cumulative effect, yet I still train and compete when plausible.
To clarify my child barely goes to bjj. He went to our Jits gym as recreation, maybe 12to15x last year. Yet we had approximately 150 training sessions as father-son, half of which he initiated. Bjj is not his primary sport.
