What Mental Game Skills do College Recruiters Look For? Recruiters and coaches look for a number of mental game traits when they’re evaluating athletes, says David Kmiecik, senior recruiting manager for Next College Student Athlete (NCSA). First of all, they look for athletes’ ability to recover from failure. “You’re going … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Train Your Mind to Respond Well to Adversity This is something young athletes can achieve, but it takes practice. It doesn’t necessarily come naturally. Young athletes need to train their brains to respond automatically to challenging situations. To do this, they should consistently tell themselves positive, empowering messages. If they … 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
Former Mets Catcher’s Take on How to Build Confidence For baseball players, making mistakes is the biggest challenge, says Josh Thole, former catcher for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. Working with the makers of a new app, Players Way, he’s on a mission to help keep youth … Read Sport Psychology Tip