Cricket Parenting: Stop Coaching, Start Supporting
Dekho yaar, aapka kaam bacche ko support karna hai, field par uska coach ban na nahi. Your job is to be the foundation, not the distraction. Let’s talk about how to actually help your athlete without messing up their game.
In tough times, give support, not lectures. Every player fails. When your child comes home after a bad match, he needs a home, not another critic. Let me handle the skill correction, you handle the love and comfort.
How do you treat your child when they get out on zero? Don't take out your frustration on them. Your job is to prepare them to fight the next day. Be a parent, not a coach. They need your support, not your anger.
Appreciate your child's effort. If he scores 50, celebrate it before you push him for 100. The world is full of critics. You need to be their unconditional support. Don't lose your child in the chase for achievements.
Parents, please do not sit at the ground during your child's matches. Your presence is a distraction. Stop coaching from the sidelines with gestures. Let the coach do his job and let your child play freely.
You want a tough child, but you are a weak parent. You keep them home for exams or bad weather. How will they become strong if you don't let them face difficulties? Send them to the academy regularly.
Are you sending your child to school or not? All academies in Delhi are after school hours. An educated player is a smarter player. Don't teach them from a young age that sports and studies can't go together.
You say you give 24 hours to cricket, but you waste 21 of them. You need to have a backup plan. Education is that plan. You can easily take out 6-7 hours for studies. Be honest with yourself and your parents.
A new type of parent has emerged who outsources their responsibilities to coaches. Your child is your responsibility. Don't ask me to tell them what to eat or when to sleep. My job is to hone their skill, not to be their father.
Are you a parent or a villain? You deny your child resources, saying 'we didn't have them either'. Your parents gave you everything they had. Give your child the facilities they need and teach them to value those resources.
Competition is nectar, comparison is poison. Teach your child to compete, to fight to be better. Don't compare them to others. Every child takes their own time. Your job is to support them, not put them down.
About A Word for Parents: Your Role in the Dugout
Yaar, stop sitting at the ground during your kid's matches. When you sit there, the kid isn't watching the ball; he's watching you, waiting for your reaction to every shot. If you want to help, leave the skill-correction to me. Your only job at the ground is to be the person they can come home to—the one who offers comfort after a bad day, not more criticism. They are already getting enough pressure from the opposition and the game itself; don't make home another pitch to fight on.
Be a Parent, Not a Villain
Most parents think they’re helping by 'coaching' from the sidelines, but honestly? You're just creating a mental block. Your child needs a home to return to, not another critic waiting with a report card. If they get out on zero, don't analyze their grip or footwork at the dinner table. Let them rest, let them breathe, and let me handle the technique when they are at the academy.
Equipments Are Not Investments for 'Next Year'
I see parents buying oversized bats, pads, and shoes because 'agle saal kaam aayega' (it will be useful next year). Stop this. An oversized bat ruins a kid's bottom-hand technique and makes them reach for balls they should be leaving. Their gear is their second skin. If it doesn't fit perfectly, their movement patterns will be wrong for years. It's not saving money; it's costing them their skill.
Education and Sports Can Coexist
Stop forcing a choice between the books and the bat. I see kids getting pulled out of training for exams as if a one-hour fitness session will ruin their board results. A disciplined athlete who learns to manage both school and training is a smarter, more resilient player. If you tell them they have to choose, you're teaching them that they can't handle pressure. That’s a dangerous lesson to teach a kid.
The 'God-Gifted' Trap
Stop comparing your child to the U-19 stars or IPL wonder-kids you see on TV. Those kids are exceptions, not the rule. Every athlete has their own timeline. Pressuring your child to replicate someone else’s success at 14 will only lead to burnout. Support their effort, not just their scorecard. If you keep pushing them to be someone else, you'll end up losing the child you actually have.
Ravi Chhikara
I'm not here to sugarcoat anything. I’ve seen enough talented kids get burnt out because parents forgot their role. I train cricketers, but I need you to be the parent—the one who provides support, not the one who creates more pressure.
Looking for something specific about our training?
Use our search to find specific coaching programs or fitness plans for your athlete.
More from Cricket Coaching by Ravi Chhikara