First of all, it’s critical that parents separate their dreams for their young athletes from the young athletes’ dreams. The top way to do this is to ask your young athletes what they want.
Generally, kids who want to play in college or want to be pros someday are pretty motivated on their own. They don’t need you to push them. But they do need you to support them.
Supporting them means driving them to practices and games, volunteering to help the team out, and generally supporting the coach. Some parents also pay for extra training and spend time practicing with kids at home or at the park or gym.
Check out The Ultimate Sports Parent workbook for more sports parenting tips.