Parenting Young Athletes the Ripken Way: Ensuring the Best Experience for Your Kids in Any Sport [Hardcover]

Cal Ripken (Author), Rick Wolff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2006

Unparalleled advice for parents of young athletes, from father and beloved future Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken.

Few athletes embody sportsmanship and class as perfectly as Cal Ripken, Jr. Since he retired from baseball in 2001, Ripken has devoted his time to coaching kids, including his own two children. His daughter, Rachel, plays basketball; his son, Ryan, plays baseball. The Babe Ruth League even changed the name of its largest division (more than 700,000 five-to-twelveyear-olds) from Bambino Baseball to Cal Ripken Baseball in 1991. But Ripken is troubled by what he sees in youth sports: a competitive intensity that removes the element of fun from playing. Drawing from his experiences as a father, a player, and a coach to his charges at Ripken Baseball, the legend offers his insights and advice in Parenting Young Baseball Players the Ripken Way, including:
• How an overemphasis on winning can harm your child’s game
• Why it’s counterproductive to correct your child’s technique during a game
• Mistakes well-meaning parents can make
• A complete guide to the structure of youth baseball leagues
• How Ripken’s techniques can be applied to other sports
• And much more

Showcasing his proven philosophy (keep it simple, explain the “why,” celebrate the individual, and make it fun!), Cal Ripken has created a plan that will delight baseball lovers for generations to come.

Editorial Reviews

Review

As parents of kids who love sports, Janet and I know that there are many factors that contribute to children having a positive sports experience. Cal Ripken offers a unique perspective on the issues surrounding youth sports today and this book provides great tips and advice for all parents with kids who have a passion for any sport. -- Wayne Gretzky, hockey legend and sports parent

At no other time in the history of youth sports is a book about parenting more valuable. It’s uncanny how Cal is able to bring his experience at the highest level of sports down to the grassroots in this book. This is because he is a parent who knows the importance of all of us keeping things in perspective…in reality he really cares. -- Fred Engh , founder and President ,The National Alliance for Youth Sports

I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to teach kids, parents and coaches than Cal. -- Alex Rodriguez, 2003 American League Most Valuable Player

In a world where genuinely admirable men and women are in short supply, Cal Ripken, Jr. is clearly and indisputably one of them… -- Washington Post Book World

As parents of kids who love sports, Janet and I know that there are many factors that contribute to children having a positive sports experience. Cal Ripken offers a unique perspective on the issues surrounding youth sports today and this book provides great tips and advice for all parents with kids who have a passion for any sport. (Wayne Gretzky, hockey legend and sports parent)

At no other time in the history of youth sports is a book about parenting more valuable. It’s uncanny how Cal is able to bring his experience at the highest level of sports down to the grassroots in this book. This is because he is a parent who knows the importance of all of us keeping things in perspective…in reality he really cares. (Fred Engh , founder and President ,The National Alliance for Youth Sports)

I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to teach kids, parents and coaches than Cal. (Alex Rodriguez, 2003 American League Most Valuable Player)

In a world where genuinely admirable men and women are in short supply, Cal Ripken, Jr. is clearly and indisputably one of them… (Washington Post Book World) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Cal Ripken:

"As parents of kids who love sports, Janet and I know that there are many factors that contribute to children having a positive sports experience. Cal Ripken offers a unique perspective on the issues surrounding youth sports today and this book provides great tips and advice for all parents with kids who have a passion for any sport."
—Hockey legend and sports parent Wayne Gretzky

"At no other time in the history of youth sports is a book about parenting more valuable. It’s uncanny how Cal is able to bring his experience at the highest level of sports down to the grassroots in this book. This is because he is a parent who knows the importance of all of us keeping things in perspective…in reality he really cares."
—Fred Engh , founder and President , The National Alliance for Youth Sports

"I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to teach kids, parents and coaches than Cal."
-Alex Rodriguez, 2003 American League Most Valuable Player

"In a world where genuinely admirable men and women are in short supply, Cal Ripken, Jr. is clearly and indisputably one of them…"
—Washington Post Book World

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; First Edition edition (April 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592401813
• ISBN-13: 978-1592401819
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #935,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cal Ripken, Jr. played twenty-one seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and has broken numerous baseball records, including Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played (Ripken played 2,632). He is one of only seven players in history to reach 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. His previous books include The Only Way I Know (which was a New York Times bestseller and a #1 Washington Post bestseller) and Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Guide to Fundamentals, coauthored with his brother Bill Ripken, also a national bestseller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A grand slam for youth sports!!!, May 1, 2006

By 

William R. Walker "Bill Walker" (Jersey Village, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parenting Young Athletes the Ripken Way: Ensuring the Best Experience for Your Kids in Any Sport (Hardcover)

I have been honored to have coached youth sports for sixteen seasons. I've often struggled with what is best for the kids in the long run against a parent's internal drive for competition, and to win. This book should nearly be a mandate for every parent in this country who has kids playing sports. Cal, along with Rick Wolff, who is Chairman of the Center for Sports Parenting, have created an outstanding book that covers all the bases about child development, skill development, and long-term success. In a society where news is filled with overzealous, and even violent parents in kids sports, this book offers the cure. It even provides the secret to creating long-term athletic success (and it is not what most parents think it is).

The book is full of practical advice about how to broaden athletic skills and deal with the developmental and emotional challenges kids face when playing organized youth sports (how we wish for the sandlots of yesteryear). In fact, when my seven-year-old son got out at a play at second, and couldn't control his emotions, I found myself driving home frantically just to reread the chapter on "dealing with disappointment", so I could help him through it.

When I was a kid, I didn't have fun, wasn't given a chance, and I was one of the millions of kids in this country that stopped playing sports. Cal and Rick are right on target about what to do to keep kids playing. The messages in this can create happier kids, happier fields, less-stressed parents, and in the long run, more kids that choose to play sports for a lifetime (and do them well).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book For Any Parent Of A Young Athlete, April 20, 2007

By 

A. Djafri "Andi" (Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parenting Young Athletes the Ripken Way: Ensuring the Best Experience for Your Kids in Any Sport (Mass Market Paperback)

I thought this book was excellent. It made a lot of references to baseball but it can be applied to any sport. He does mention other sports and uses examples with them. This book is great for any parent that has a child in sports. It covers, the basics of sportsmanship and how an overemphasis on technique or winning can harm your child. It also covers how to develop a good relationship with your child's coach and why most kids burn out on team sports by middle school and how to avoid it. My 2 daughters swim on a swim team and one of them also plays soccer. I found myself thinking of myself in many of the examples and also of the other parents that I know on our team. I think it is a good down to earth book and it gives a lot of helpful advice on how to deal with various things that come up when your children play sports. I think it should be required for any parent that has a child in youth sports.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parenting Youth Sports, January 12, 2008

By 

Marc Sirkin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parenting Young Athletes the Ripken Way: Ensuring the Best Experience for Your Kids in Any Sport (Hardcover)

I'm a coach. In another life, I think that I'd do that as a profession. In this life however, I've been coaching my 2 girls in a variety of sports and learning so many lessons. As they have gotten older, more and more issues have come up that have pushed me past those easy tee-ball days. Suddenly, drafts and organizational politics have come into play - neither of which I could care about all that much. I'm still more concerned with my singular goal for each season:

How many of these kids will have so much fun that they will come back and play another season?

There was a study done recently that showed that 75% of all kids who play sports stop completely by age 13. Athletics was such an important part of shaping who I am today and for my girls, I feel that it is extremely important for them to keep playing (something, anything) and having fun.

I picked up a copy of "Parenting Young Athletes The Ripken Way" from the library this weekend and blew through it's pages in one sitting. What I read reconfirmed:

* Cal Ripken is a class act

* Youth Sports today is very different than it was when I was a kid (not so long ago)

* Youth Sports are GAMES... and games are meant to be fun

* Parents and coaches may be hurting their kids inadvertently by pushing and not praising at all times

I jotted down a few notes as I read this book (I read with one eye on the Patriots playoff and their 17th victory this season - all those guys played youth sports I bet).

Cal talks a lot about praise and how to use praise to really build up a kids confidence. I do an OK job of this, but am realizing how important it is to not be critical - especially in the car on the way home from a game. My instinct is to keep coaching on the way home, giving my girls tips and pointers on what to work on. What I should be doing is going gaga over their performance and asking them about what they thought.

If my goal is to get my kids to keep playing a sport from season to season, I think a little less criticism and a ton more praise might just do the trick.

A lot of parents have asked me if I think travel teams and specialization is something they should be considering for their athletes - I get these questions more and more now that my older kid is approaching middle school. While I'm not an expert quite yet, Cal's book made some great points that are worth considering.

* By playing as many different sports as possible, your athlete develops cross-compatible skills that will help them in every sport they play. The quickness they get from playing aggressive defense in basketball will certainly help their footwork on a soccer field or on a baseball diamond.

* Cal also mentions that the college coaches he knows actually tend to favor well-rounded athletes - their thought being that a player who specialized at a young age is at risk for an injury (overuse of particular muscles) and burn out.

* The book also talks about travel teams and how for most kids, lack of playing time on a team focused only on winning can actually end up making no difference athletically for that child - and even worse can create other issues. The demands that travel teams make on families creates issues with school work, missing family time and meals and at it's worst, can create animosity or dislike for the game. At 7 or 8 years old, is this really necessary?

In the end, Cal makes a startingly simple and powerful statement that I 100% agree with:

It's not about your dreams, it's about your child's dreams.

I'd agree. Sports may not be your kid's dream - but giving them an opportunity to stay fit, learn a new game and make friends is worthy enough a goal!