Benefits of Participating in Youth Sports Research shows exactly why young athletes should stay in sports. That’s the word from Paul Caccamo, the Harvard-educated executive director of Up2Us, a national coalition of community sports programs that teaches young athletes life lessons. “Sports are more than a game; they are a … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Young Athlete Maturity Levels And Confidence Should kids be grouped by maturity level? And will it help them have more fun or feel more confident? Dr. Gary Brazina knows what he’s talking about when he says some young athletes struggle with confidence because of maturity differences. He’s a sports dad, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Ways to Build Sports Kids’ Confidence Do you ever wish your kids had the opportunity to communicate with their coaches or review their skills outside of practice so they could improve faster? If you had this opportunity, and were careful about helping your kids use it in ways that were … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Sports Kids And Moving on After Mistakes or Losses Does your young athlete say things like, “I can never hit a good one,” or, “I’m always a terrible player,” or “Things never work out for me” after a tough game or competition? That’s a red flag, says Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Pre-Game Stress In Youth Sports Are your sports kids stressed before games? Do you know the signs and causes of stress in young athletes? Stress can really undermine kids’ confidence and success. And that hurts their performance and happiness. We talked to Debbie Mendel, a stress management expert and author … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Making Comparisons in Youth Sports We are seeing a disturbing trend today in young athletes – one that coaches and parents need to understand and address. Sports kids today spend too much time making comparisons to their competitors or teammates! They focus on how others are performing, rather than concentrating … Read Sport Psychology Tip