Skip to main content
Wilt Valencia Taekwondo Martial Arts Academy — home
Free trial

The Mat-Side Parent Series · Book 1

Same mat. Three different matches.

Why Coaches Don't Listen and Parents Can't Read the Mat: how parents, coaches and young fighters misread each other, and how to fix it before your child quits.

Buy the ebook · ₱499

69-page PDF sent to your email within minutes · Pay with GCash, Maya or your bank app (QR Ph)

Front cover of Why Coaches Don't Listen and Parents Can't Read the Mat, by Sabumnim Wilt Valencia: three chairs labeled parent, coach and athlete on a navy background.

Sound familiar?

  • The coach said “later” and walked away.

    The fix is in Chapter 2

  • Your child lost, and the car ride home went silent.

    The fix is in Chapter 6

  • The team list came out without your child’s name.

    The fix is in Chapter 7

  • Your child now answers “fine” to everything.

    The fix is in Chapter 9

Nobody in these moments is a bad person. The parent, the coach and the child almost always want the same thing. They're just speaking different languages. Sabumnim Wilt has sat in all three chairs: as a national team athlete, as a coach since 1999, and as a parent whose own children compete. This book translates.

Three chairs, three clocks

  • The parent

    In the stands

    Their clock

    Today

    “My child is hurting, or being treated unfairly.”

  • The coach

    In the corner

    Their clock

    The next five years

    “My athlete stops listening, gets hurt, or quits.”

  • The athlete

    On the mat

    Their clock

    The next ten seconds

    “I’ll let down the people I love.”

Almost every conflict between parents and coaches is a collision between those clocks. You don't have to give up your chair. You only have to learn what the view looks like from the other two.

Inside, you'll learn how to

  • See the three different matches you, the coach and your child are watching
  • Ask a coach a question so they explain the plan instead of defending it
  • Tell a real win from a risky win, and a good loss from a bad one
  • Stop “Good job, but…” from erasing everything before the “but”
  • Cheer with fuel words and leave the coaching words to the corner
  • Say the right five words on the car ride home
  • Handle selection, belt gradings and the group chat without burning bridges
  • Notice the quiet signs that your child is pulling away from the sport

Every chapter follows the same rhythm: a real-to-life scene from the mat, the same moment from all three chairs, what was said and what was heard, the fixes with words you can use, a note from Sabumnim Wilt, and one small step to try this week.

The 11 chapters

Part One · Three Chairs, Three Languages

  1. 1.Same Mat, Different Matches
  2. 2.Why Coaches Don’t Listen
  3. 3.Why Parents Can’t Read the Mat
  4. 4.What Your Child Actually Hears

Part Two · Where the Wires Cross

  1. 5.Two Voices in the Corner
  2. 6.The Car Ride Home
  3. 7.“Why Wasn’t My Child Picked?”
  4. 8.The Bypass
  5. 9.When Your Child Stops Talking

Part Three · Speaking the Same Language

  1. 10.How to Talk to a Coach So They Actually Listen
  2. 11.The Three-Chair Agreement

Plus the printable Three-Chair Agreement and The Mat Decoder, a cheat sheet of twenty phrases for tournament day.

A peek at the Mat Decoder

MomentInstead of…Try…
From the stands“Kick! Kick!”“Let’s go!” plus your child’s name
After the match“Let’s go through it.”“I love watching you compete.”
After the match“Good job, but…”“Good job.” Full stop.
With the coach“Why is he still…?”“What does he need to show you next?”

Four of the twenty phrases in the book.

What readers say

Read the book? Rate it with stars and tell other parents what helped your family.

Rate Why Coaches Don't Listen

Read it already? Your stars and a few honest words help other parents and coaches.

Your rating

Shown with your review, e.g. Maria S.

Not shown. Use the email you bought with for a Verified buyer badge.

0 / 1500

One review per email for each book; sending again updates yours. Reviews from buyers appear right away; others appear after a quick check. We may remove reviews that are off-topic or name a child.

Sabumnim Wilt Valencia in a black dobok and black belt.

About the author

Sabumnim Wilt Valencia is the founder and head instructor of WVT Martial Arts Academy, which he established in 2016. He has coached taekwondo since 1999, holds a 5th Dan Black Belt and is a former national team member. He has sat in all three chairs: as an athlete, as a coach, and as a parent of children who compete. He is also the author of The Calm Warrior Playbook.

Questions

What do I get?
A 69-page PDF ebook with 11 chapters, 11 diagrams, the printable Three-Chair Agreement and the Mat Decoder cheat sheet. It's sent to your email right after payment and works on phones, tablets and computers.
How do I pay?
GCash, Maya or your bank app, by scanning a QR Ph code.
My child doesn't do taekwondo. Is it still for me?
Yes. The stories come from taekwondo, karate, judo and boxing, and the same three chairs exist in jiu-jitsu, wrestling and any sport with a coach in the corner.
I'm a coach. Is this for me too?
Yes. It's written for parents first, but coaches will recognize every scene, and many hand the book to the families in their club.
I didn't receive the email.
Check your spam folder, then use Resend my ebook with the email you paid with.
Is this professional advice?
No. The book shares a coaching and parenting approach from more than 25 years on the mat. It isn't psychological, medical or legal advice. Any safety concern always goes straight to the school owner, the sport's governing body or the proper authorities.
Refunds?
Please see our refund policy.

There is only one chair in the corner.

Give it to the coach. Give the stands your heart.

Buy the ebook · ₱499

Already bought it? Resend my ebook