Articles for sport parents and youth athletes to learn the best tips on how to focus, build stable confidence, let go of mistakes, and stay resilient through challenges.
How can Sports Parents Stay Calm and Composed? What grade would you give yourself for your ability to stay calm and composed when your child competes against elite competition? High-level competition doesn’t just test athletes—it tests parents. Watching your child perform in high-pressure environments challenges your ability to regulate emotions, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How do your athletes respond to constructive criticism? Why do some athletes reject corrections or constructive feedback from their coaches? Athletes are afraid of constructive criticism for several reasons: Some athletes see the criticism as a list of everything they do wrong. In these instances, they dismiss or ignore feedback. … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Young Athletes Can Learn From Failure Losses and failure can sink sports kids’ confidence–but they don’t have to. For many football players, failure means throwing an interception in the red zone or fumbling the ball and allowing the opposing team to score. Missing a tackle for a big yardage … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Communicate With Young Athletes The words parents and coaches choose when communicating with young athletes can boost kids’ confidence or deflate it, says Ganon Baker, a sports development coach who has worked with teams internationally and also played basketball in Iceland. When talking to kids about a … Read Sport Psychology Tip
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