“Concentrate!” A stern face, intense look and arms across the chest. A one-word order for primary-aged daughters. It’s the start of a tennis lesson, and the children have already clocked two hours of practice with their dad beforehand.
It doesn’t stop there. The stories of unkind adult behaviour at youth sport events are endless, and alarmingly persistent. As a tennis coach and an academic researching sport, I’ve heard of – or witnessed myself – shouting, belittling, blaming, name calling and cheating. Even full-blown fist fights at under-eight events.
