How can Young Athletes Learn from Ninja Warriors? Lisa here from Youth Sports Psychology and Kids Sports Psychology. This week, along with my 10-yr-old, I was an audience member for American Ninja Warrior, where I witnessed astonishing feats and plenty of fails. Ninjas have specific challenges in sports: It’s an … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Flow and Peak Performance in Sports For young athletes, finding flow is critical for their enjoyment and peak performance in sports… When kids experience being “in the zone,” they are focused, confident, and fearless. Athletes in a flow state perform on “autopilot,” feeling as though performance is almost effortless. In … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Comparisons Hurt Athletes’ Confidence When we surveyed parents, we found that 23% said that kids judge how their teammates are performing instead of focusing on their own play. Focusing on others’ play will distract your young athletes from their own game, and can become a major confidence killer. In the … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Help Athletes be Relaxed before a Game Parents want to know what to tell their athletes before a game that will help them perform well and feel less pressure… For example, parents say: *Do you coach your kids on what to do? *Do you let them mentally prepare … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Help Young Athletes Overcome Worry A sports parent wrote to us recently to say… “My son is a top player but cannot perform any longer in matches when there is a crowd watching. He is 17, however he is as tight as a drum when playing matches now.” … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Young Athletes who are Perfectionist “I have a son, age 15. He is skilled in many sports at school. Rugby, Hockey, XC running and Athletics (sprint and long jump where he holds the school record in both these).” “When he makes a mistake he can ‘lose’ it and can be … Read Sport Psychology Tip