Helping Kids’ Avoid Burnout in Sports Hernan Chousa is a former tennis pro and sports dad to a tennis player who is now playing at a Division 1 college. His son started playing early, and burnt out at age 15. He quit tennis for two years, then started over because … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Inclusivity and Teamwork Increase Confidence It’s important to build youth sports teams that focus on inclusion; this boosts all players’ confidence and success, says Nadine Haruni, a lawyer and author of “Freeda the Frog and Her New Blue Family.” She’s also a sports mom in a blended family with five … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Give Sports Kids Tanglible Goals For Cami Hawkins, CEO of Marathon Kids, an organization that provides resources for schools to start running clubs, motivating kids is all about setting small goals and celebrating success. In an Ultimate Sports Parent podcast interview, Hawkins described how the organization’s coaches set goals that … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Get Kids Moving to Avoid Obesity and Sickness To ensure both their physical and mental health, kids need to get exercise and take part in outdoor play, says Dr. Dan O’Neill, an orthopedic surgeon, sports psychologist and author of “Survival of the Fit.” Twenty percent of kids are obese, and … Read Sport Psychology Tip
If Young Athletes Work Together, They Will Grow Together V.J. Stanley, a coach, former teacher and author of three youth sports books, believes that building community is the most important goal for coaches and parents who want to boost their kids’ confidence and happiness in sports. Equal play for kids … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Boost Young Athletes’ Communication and Cooperation Chasta Hamilton, author of “Trash The Trophies: How To Win Without Losing Your Soul,” was seeing red flags in her dance studio. The owner and artistic director of Stage Door Dance Productions thought that the often expensive “pay to play” dance scene was creating … Read Sport Psychology Tip