Kids in Sports

How to Identify Burnout in Youth Sports

Building Confidence in Athletes

Should young athletes quit or recommit to youth sports? That’s a question that Andrew Simpson and his associates ask young athletes who may be approaching burnout. Simpson, chief vision officer, Player’s Fitness and Performance, helped create a training program for these athletes. The program looks at ways to help athletes … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Fear of Failure is a Top Worry for Young Athletes

Building Confidence in Athletes

As a sports psychology practitioner and founder of Maximize the Mind Mental Performance Coaching, Ashley Eckermann is fielding more and more requests from parents of kids as young as 7 or 8. Their biggest challenge is fear of failure, Eckermann said. Kids say they are afraid of messing up and … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Improving Young Athletes’ Thinking to Boost Performance

Building Confidence in Athletes

It’s possible to speed up young athletes’ thinking and reaction time, says Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, a sports dad, professor and president of NeuroCatch, a medical device startup that evaluates cognitive function. For example, he recently used red light therapy to speed up a football player’s cognitive processing by 70 milliseconds. … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Choosing Neutral Thinking When Facing Adversity in Youth Sports

Building Confidence in Athletes

When sports kids face adversity, it’s not always easy to quickly shift from making mistakes to positive thinking. Instead, they should choose neutral thinking first, said Donovan Dreyer, owner of Get Ready Coaching and a sports dad with three teens. This involves focusing on a specific task that needs improvement. … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Is Your Athlete Playing Safe or Just Appear Lazy?

Building Confidence in Athletes

Welcome to the Sports Psychology Podcast by Dr. Patrick Coach of Peak Performance Sports. Dr. Cohn and Georgia Miller, CMPC discuss the challenges sports parents face with young athletes and how to make sports a better experience. Learn how to spot mental game challenges in athletes, what to say before … Read Sport Psychology Tip