Your athlete just got cut from the team, and you want to panic. That’s okay. It’s completely normal. However, it’s not necessary. Just about every athlete gets cut from a team at some point. It even happened to Michael Jordon, arguably the greatest athlete of all time. Keep reading to get some tips on how to move forward.

Don’t Panic

The first thing you need to do is stay calm. Your son or daughter is either traumatized or, at the very least sad and upset. It would help if you allowed them to have whatever feeling they’re having. During this time, you should remain calm and help them with whatever they need to move on from this event.

Being a strong shoulder to cry on or simply giving them a hug can go a long way to help their psyche. Explaining to them that it happens to everybody and they’ll come out of this a better athlete if they choose.

The last thing you want to do is appear angry, even if it’s at the coach. You don’t want your son or daughter to think they let you down or feel like they did something wrong because they didn’t.

Learn From It

This goes for both you and your young athlete. You can use this as a teaching tool for the rest of their lives. Explain to them that everyone gets knocked down, and it’s how you handle it that matters.

They can choose to sit and sulk about it, but that doesn’t solve anything. However, if they use it as fuel to fire a deeper passion for their sport and a harder work ethic, they can become great at what they do.

You can also teach them that life will put obstacles in front of them at times and how they choose to respond to all the differences in the world.

Action Steps

It’s time to make a plan to move forward. Sit down with your son or daughter and draw up a plan of action steps. A plan can be as simple as a workout or training routine.

Also, consider getting them a private coach or trainer to assist them. If possible, find someone you both can talk to as a consultant. Getting cut from a team is a lonely experience, and putting a support team around your athlete will work wonders.

It will also make them a better players and help them find another team to play with. Possibly even a better team than the one they got cut from.

Don’t Push Too Hard.

Moving forward, you might have an instinct to push your child too hard. You’ll want to support them but not go overboard. Many parents get overzealous after their child gets cut because they don’t want to see their child go through that again. However, being supportive without being overbearing is the best way forward.

The Future is Bright

Hopefully, your mindset has gone from negative to positive after reading this. You should feel armed with tools to help your athlete move forward and grow into a better player. You’ll also teach them a great lesson that will help them throughout their life.

Over their lifetime, our kids will hear a lot of no’s. Hopefully, they will remember this time as a blip on the radar. And when they finally hear a “yes,” he will realize how sweet it is to get that yes.