Improve Mental Toughness by Playing Pickleball Pickleball’s popularity is growing quickly, with many schools offering it for the first time. That’s the word from Mike Nielsen, the AAU’s new pickleball chief, and In Pickleball president Richard Porter. In fact, the two pickleball enthusiasts are working to ensure the sport is … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Can Your Daughter Overcome Stereotypes? Stereotypes about girls in sports undermine girls’ confidence, dreams and performance, says Donny DeDonatis III, CEO of the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), a former pro athlete and the dad of twins in youth sports. As the head of the USSSA, DeDonatis is … Read Sport Psychology Tip
After Performing Poorly Do Your Athletes Dwell on Mistakes? Athletes always want to perform well and often feel expectations from you to do well. Well-meaning parents want to improve performance by eliminating mistakes. Imagine how that would play out in your athlete’s mind, “I missed three 5—foot putts, shanked two … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Do Your Sports Kids Not Get Enough Playing Time? Successful athletes often make sacrifices. Yet, one of the most challenging sacrifices for some athletes is accepting their role on the team. Players’ roles can frequently change due to injuries, roster shake-ups, changes in playing style, coach preferences, or a new … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Growth Mindset for Young Athletes Rather than focusing on instilling fear to motivate athletes, parents need to create a safe training environment for them, says Pomai Miyata, MGCP, and sports performance consultant and founder of ICE Mental Game. Fear-based training was common with old-school coaches and is often depicted in … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Easing Young Athletes Back into Seeing Friends and Teammates Sports kids may feel anxious about changing the routines they developed during the shutdown, says Elizabeth Englander, a Ph.D psychologist, researcher, professor and author of “The Insanely Awesome Post-Pandemic Playbook.” However, playing sports is a good way to transition to normal … Read Sport Psychology Tip