Book 02 · English edition
A Practical Guide to Supporting Your Child Without Adding Pressure
Support a young athlete without taking over the project or making every result heavier — written from the athlete’s side of the ride home.
Also in French: Parent d'un jeune sportifView on Goodreads
About the book
A practical guide for parents who want to support a young athlete without taking control of the project or making every result heavier. It is written primarily from the athlete's side of the parent-athlete relationship.
Your child reads your face before they reach the car. What you say — and what you leave unsaid — matters most then.
Offering a choice — talk, listen to something, or stay quiet — instead of a second coaching session.
When useful involvement begins to feel like surveillance, and encouragement starts to carry an expectation.
You know the sport well, and it is hard not to coach from the stands or the car.
Keeping the sport theirs, even after the time, money and hope you have put into it. Potential isn’t a debt.
One parent is there far more than the other, and the imbalance changes the whole experience.
What it explores
Part I
Your role, the difference between support and control, and where parent ends and coach begins.
Part II
What helps before an event, what your child sees from the stands, and the minutes after a win or a loss.
Part III
How much is too much, money and guilt, warning signs, injuries and plateaus — and a charter to keep.
Key questions
Inside the book
For years I thought the worst part of losing was the last point. It wasn’t. It came about ninety seconds later, on the walk from the court to the parking lot.
I don’t remember the score of most of the matches I played as a child. I remember a few important ones, but the ordinary wins and losses have collapsed into each other. I remember the parking lots more clearly.
This book offers general guidance about supporting a young athlete. It’s not a substitute for individualized advice from a physician, mental-health professional, qualified coach, attorney, safeguarding professional, or other appropriate expert.
From the book’s opening pages
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Support a young athlete without taking control or making every result heavier.
Choosing
Each book stands on its own. Pick the one closest to the decision in front of you.
Book 01
Book 02
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Book 03
About the author
Andrew Pace grew up in competitive tennis in France before entering the U.S. college sports system. His books draw on that first-hand experience from the athlete’s side.
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