Photo credit: CCO Creative Commons I come to this article from two directions. First, as a sport psychologist who has worked athletes and their parents for decades. There is no doubt that my experiences in helping athletes to achieve their goals and assisting parents in best supporting their children has informed my ideas [...]
This article is my third and final in a series on the role of technology in ski racing (here’s #1 and #2). Today, I will focus on one particular recent technology that is changing the way we follow races. I’m talking about Live-Timing, that now “essential” tool for the ski racing world to track race [...]
Courtesy of Mitchell Gunn These days, children seem to be given every opportunity by their parents to experience success in ski racing and every other performance activity (e.g., school, other sports, the performing arts). Many young ski racers receive extra help from personal fitness trainers and summer camps. They are given the opportunity [...]
Setting expectations for your children is an essential responsibility of being a sport parent. Expectations communicate messages to your children about what’s important to you and establish a standard toward which they can strive. But expectations can be double-edged swords. They can be a tremendous benefit to your children’s athletic and personal development or they [...]
I'm excited to announce the launch of the latest version of drjimtaylor.com (now 4.0). The redesigned web site has been upgraded in several ways: More visually appealing. More up-to-date design. Fewer pages. Better organized. Simpler and more clear navigation. Easier access to the information you want. Find the products and services I have to offer [...]
Thankfully, not me and not that bad! What you are about to read is based on a true story. And apologies in advance for its length. I had a feeling that the other weekend wasn’t going to go as planned. My wife, Sarah, had just left for ten days in Cambodia, so I was [...]
I just read an eye-opening article titled How to Raise a Creative Child. The ideas and research discussed in the article challenge the conventional wisdom on how to raise children who will be creative and successful. The article argues that the 'drill and kill' and early specialization approaches to child development are counterproductive to innovative and [...]
Please be prepared. I'm going to go on a bit of rant now. I just can't hold it in any longer. I see parents doing this constantly and it's killing me because they know not what they do and they are actually hurting their children's personal and athletic development. What am I referring to? It's [...]
Setting expectations for your young ski racer is an essential responsibility of parenting. Expectations tell your children what’s important to you and establish a standard toward which they can strive. But expectations can be double-edged swords. They can be a tremendous benefit to your children’s development as both ski racers and people or they can [...]
As the author of Your Children are Under Attack, I'm no fan of popular culture. Its aim is not to support healthy development of young people, but rather to profit from selling kids junk and attitudes wrapped in "it'll make you happy" vibes. Well, recent research from the UK provides painful support for my views. [...]