Perfectionism In Young Athletes We recently received a note from a parent about how her 10-year-old’s high expectations lead her to give up when faced with adversity. This is common when a child, like this softball player, has achieved success. She has pitched many perfect games, including at state playoffs, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How To Improve Kids’ Self-Confidence One of the biggest challenges young athletes face before a game, parents tell us, is doubt about their abilities. In fact, that’s what we see, too. Just before a game, kids start telling themselves that they’re no good at making three-pointers, that they don’t think … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Confidence For Young Athletes A parent asked us in our recent survey, “How do you get kids ready and to games on time? What do you do to make them feel confident?” It’s critical to understand that you, as parents, can’t MAKE your kids feel confident; athletes must earn their … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Fear of Failure in Youth Sports Fear of failure is a common challenge for sports kids. It looks like this: Sally, a soccer player, dribbles down the field and loses the ball. As soon as she makes a mistake in the game, she starts worrying about making other mistakes. So … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Having Negative Beliefs About Performance Many sports kids hold negative beliefs about their abilities—and such beliefs can really hurt their confidence and performance. For example, kids might give themselves negative labels that sound like this: “I always freeze up before I shoot,” or, “I’m terrible on defense.” Sound familiar? They … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Confidence Challenges For Sports Kids The fall season is underway, so you likely are beginning to get a feel for how confident your athletes are feeling in their sport. If you’re uncertain about whether they’re feeling confident, here are a few things to think about. If you can identify what … Read Sport Psychology Tip