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

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Gotham Books, 2006 - Family & Relationships - 240 pages
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.

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Contents

Welcome to Sports Parenting
1
The Preschool Years
15
The Elementary School Years
43
Copyright

6 other sections not shown

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About the author (2006)

Calvin Edwin Ripken, Jr. was born in Havre de Grace, Md. on August 24, 1960, into a baseball family. His father was a catcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization before moving on to a coaching position, and briefly a managerial position, with the big league club. Ripken Jr. was selected by the Orioles in the second round of the 1978 free agent draft and joined his father in the major leagues in 1981. The next year, on May 20, he began a journey that would see him shatter a long-standing baseball record that most thought would never be broken: Lou Gehrig's 2,130 consecutive games played streak. Ripken has had a good major league career. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1982 and American League (AL) Most Valuable Player in 1983 and 1991. He was a perennial starter for the AL in the Major League All-Star Game, beginning in 1984. In addition, Ripken was joined in the Orioles' infield by his brother Bill from 1987 to 1992. Ripken is married to the former Kelly Geer. They have two children, Rachel Marie and Ryan Calvin.

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