THERE is a fine line between being a supportive parent and a pushy one.

So fine in fact, that many parents do not merely step over it, they apply a scorced earth policy to the line and obliterate everything else with it. Parents are one of, if not the single most important factor in determining whether or not a child becomes a successful sportsperson. They are also the biggest impediment to a child's success though. So how is the balance struck? How does a parent make sure they are supportive but not pushy? Encouraging but not forceful? Involved but not domineering? It is perhaps the trickiest question in sport.

The stories that emerge of pushy parents seem to be becoming more and more extreme. In recent weeks, a tale came to light of a two year-old Indian girl who had set a new national archery record. Yes, a two year-old. It will come as little surprise to learn that, in breaking the record, Dolly Shivani Cherukuri became the youngest Indian to hold the title. She fired 36 arrows at a target 5m away, then again at a target 7m away, making a total of 388 points.

Dolly was conceived through surrogacy after the death of her brother, who was an international archer and coach, in a road accident in 2010. Dolly's father said that she had been trained since birth to be a champion. "When we came to know that the baby was on her way we decided to mould her as an archer," he said. "The preparations started when she was in the womb itself."

This is, patently, an absurd ambition and it takes the whole concept of a pushy parent to the absolute extreme but if this is too far, where should the limit be?

It stands to reason that if a child has little parental support then it makes it highly unlikely they will succeed in sport. It does not make it impossible but it does, unquestionably, make it considerably harder. If it is a given that parental help is imperative in a child's sporting development, there still remains a clear lack of advice outlining when support is too much and begins to become detrimental.

In Andre Agassi's autobiography, Open, he wrote of the pressure exerted on him by his father to succeed at tennis. "I'm seven years old, talking to myself, because I'm scared, and because I'm the only person who listens to me. Under my breath I whisper: Just quit Andre, just give up . . . But I can't," he recalls. "Not only would my father chase me around the house with my racket, but something in my gut, some deep unseen muscle, won't let me. I hate tennis, hate it with all my heart, and still I keep playing, keep hitting all morning, and all afternoon, because I have no choice."

This cannot be a healthy environment for a child yet Agassi became world No.1 and won eight grand slam titles. So, can one argue that his father was not a positive influence in helping him achieve this?

There are other examples of parents pushing their children onto greatness from an early age. The father of Serena and Venus Williams decided before they were even born that they would become tennis champions. And they became exactly that. Tiger Woods' father had him hitting golf balls while he was still a toddler. He became, arguably, the greatest golfer ever.

Yet for every example of a child becoming a success due their pushy parents, there are countless other kids who give up sport completely as a result of the excess pressure exerted on them by their parents. A study was published last month by the Marylebone Cricket Club and Chance to Shine which found that 45% of 1,002 children aged 8- 16 surveyed said that the bad behaviour of parents made them feel like they didn't want to take part in sport. Four in 10 children said that their parents criticised their performance, with 16% admitting that it happened frequently or all the time. The same study asked parents how they felt about their conduct and the vast majority acknowledged that bad behaviour discourages children from taking part in sport. Almost half reported that they had witnessed other parents abusing the coach or referee.

There is little doubt that parental support is vital for a child to succeed. But it is remarkable just how obscured a parent's vision can become regarding what kind of behaviour is helpful and what is detrimental. In many cases, parents are living out their own sporting dreams through their children but the reason for playing sport in the first place should never be forgotten; sport should be played for enjoyment, whether that be at grassroots level or world-class level. It is patently obvious that it is little fun for an eight-year-old to be screamed at by their mother or father that they are useless. And parents should remember that enjoyment will encourage hard work which will then, in turn, lead to greater success. Because if sport is not enjoyable then what exactly is the point of it?