Pressure And Social Approval Often, young athletes worry too much about what teammates, parents, coaches and friends think about how they’re performing on the court, field or course. When they seek others’ approval of their performance and abilities, and then don’t do well, they can feel inadequate. They might pressure … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Coaches Influence Parents And Athletes A coach asks: “How does a coach influence the parents and players to be committed to a process that requires investment in effort, time and money before results are ‘seen’?” Good question… In our fast-paced lives, kids and parents often expect results right away … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Coaches Who Distract Young Athletes By Yelling A sports parent asks: “How do athletes handles coaches who are constantly yelling instructions? It appears that this distracts and confuses athletes more than it helps.” The answer to this question depends in part on how old the athlete is… Young players, in … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Teaching Young Athletes to Mentally Prepare Hall of Fame player Hank Aaron, one of the best hitters in the history of baseball and a model of consistency, attributed much of his success to his mental preparation, both before and during a game. Rather than focusing on mechanics, he believed that … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Improving Self-Confidence With Mental Preparation Parents, it’s important to recognize that confidence is the Number One mental game skill that helps kids perform to their potential. And when young athletes learn how to build their confidence in sports, it can transfer to other areas of their lives. When athletes have … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Sports Kids’ Focus Before Games Just before a game, young athletes need to focus on what’s going on right now—not on the past or future. That means they need to learn how to avoid concentrating on what others think of them, on the score or win or other outcomes. … Read Sport Psychology Tip