Let Them Play - by Jerry Lynch (Paperback)

About the Book

"American youth sports is undergoing a crisis in parental behavior: parents are fighting with refs, coaches, their kids, and each other. Verbal abuse is being thrown at adolescent referees, fist fights are breaking out on the sidelines, and leagues are having to impose new restrictions on parents' involvement. Sports psychologist Jerry Lynch sees this epidemic of bad behavior as a symptom of parents' overinvolvement in their children's sports lives and of parents attaching their egos to their children's athletic performance. The result not only serves as a terrible example of sportsmanship but also leads to kids losing interest in sports because it just isn't fun anymore. In Let Them Play, Dr. Jerry Lynch lays out relevant core principles to help parents achieve equanimity, peace, calm and direction for parenting their kids in what can often be a challenging world of youth sports. He also gives parents strategies, tools, methodologies and ways taken from his work with national champions to help their kids to perform at higher levels, be happy and have more fun. Among the topics addressed are: how to empower your athletic child; understanding gender differences and avoiding stereotypes; how to talk with a coach; how to deal with sports injury; handling sibling rivalry; how to handle when your child is cut or doesn't make a team; the delicate issue of specialization; how to teach and model good sportsmanship; how to detach from results; how to help your child increase good performances; why failure is our kids' best teacher; helping your child to mentally be strong for a sport and life; how to encourage risk-taking; how the child can get past self-imposed limits; how to help a child use affirmation and visualization. Dr. Lynch has over 35 years of experience as a sports psychologist, coach, author of eleven books, athlete, teacher and parent of four athletic kids. Being intimately involved with 35 National Championship teams at the Professional and Collegiate levels as well as teaching and guiding thousands of athletes and sports parents in the essential absolutes of leadership, athletic performance and the parenting of kids in sports, Jerry has accumulated vast amounts of wisdom and knowledge that help him to make a difference in the lives of all of us connected to the field of athletics. Dr. Lynch currently helps parents nationwide, by guiding them to get past sport parent nightmare scenarios while teaching them how to help their little stars to perform at higher levels, become well-adjusted, be spirited, have more fun and be happy"--

Book Synopsis

American youth sports are in crisis: Parents are fighting with referees, coaches, their kids, and one another. Micromanaged kids are losing their passion to play. In Let Them Play, sports psychologist and team consultant Dr. Jerry Lynch provides an antidote to parental overinvolvement. Combining psychological insight with spiritual principles from Taoism and Buddhism, Lynch lays out core principles to help parents achieve equanimity and provide healthy direction for their kids. He gives parents strategies and tools taken from his work with national champions to help kids to perform at higher levels, become better team players, and most important, have more fun. Filled with easy-to-implement advice, Let Them Play will empower your athletic child to be mentally strong for sports and life.

Review Quotes

"Prepare the players and let them play -- that's our style."
-- from the foreword by Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors

"Having been a parent of athletic kids, I wish I had had a copy of this book to guide me through those challenging times with youth sports."
-- Phil Jackson, author and eleven-time NBA world champion coach

"Let Them Play will help you to inspire and empower your kids to have more joy, fun, and success not just in sports but in the bigger game of life."
-- Anson Dorrance, coach of the twenty-two-time NCAA champion women's soccer team at University of North Carolina

"This book is my new blueprint for raising my own happy, healthy athletes, and it should be yours too."
-- John O'Sullivan, founder of the Changing the Game Project

About the Author

Sports psychologist Dr. Jerry Lynch is the author of eleven books and the founder/director of Way of Champions, a consulting group geared toward "mastering the inner game" for peak sports performance. The parent of four athletic kids, he has over thirty-five years of experience as a sports psychologist, coach, athlete, and teacher. Drawing on his experience working with Olympic, NBA, and NCAA champions, Dr. Lynch transforms the lives of parents, coaches, and youth athletes.