No More Broken Eggs: A Guide to Optimizing the Sports Experience for Athletes, Coaches, Parents, and Clinicians

by Tom Morin

Here in the United States we are often too focused on how good our kids are in sports by the time they are twelve. Many young kids never find out how good an athlete they could have been because by the time they are sixteen years old the pressure on them over the years burns them out. They end up being "broken eggs." Drawing on his years of experience as a coach (he was Matt Biondi's personal coach at the 1992 Olympics) and in sport psychology, Tom Morin focuses on what we need to do to nurture young athletes, not burn them out. The book includes nine case study chapters devoted to athletes in a wide variety of sports as well as chapters filled with tips and guidelines specifically directed at athletes, parents, coaches, and clinicians.

245 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2006

Reviews

[AS · Rating 1 out of 5]

This guy is not connected to the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) nor is he licensed, nor a psychologist. His only feather in his hat that he keeps stroking thread bare is being swimmer Matt Biondi’s swim coach at one point. His current qualifications are minimal at best so take his book with a good tablespoon of salt.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Participation in sports can be beneficial to the healthy self esteem of children. Learning new skills, having fun, achieving goals, and experiencing team camaraderie can all be experienced through such activities. For many youngsters though, the sport actually eats away at their self image, creates unrealistic expectations, and threatens to destroy their love of the game.

No More Broken Eggs seeks to educate parents, coaches, and athletes about the hazards inherent in competitive sports for young children. The most obvious of which is parents and coaches that put too much pressure on their young children to win and to achieve. However, children can also have problems with their own unrealistic expectations, fear of failure, inability to deal with the commitment required, and other potentially disastrous situations.

This book uses two very different strategies. First, the book tells the stories of real children that the author has worked with in his sports psychology practice. These sections discussed how the author helped these individuals with their sports related issues. Then, the book includes special sections for the athlete, for parents, for coaches. These sections give tips and ideas to reduce the likelihood of burn out, unrealistic expectations, and unhealthy levels of pressure.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Lakewood really needs to read this book! I did too for some things. Sports are losing their FUN for kids b/c of us!