Youth Sports Psychology Articles

Why Sports Parents Need Perspective

Youth Sports Psychology

Tips to Ensure Your Kids Excel in Sports We all want our kids to excel in sports. But exactly what does it mean to excel — and how can parents best help young athletes? It’s all about perspective. Read on to learn great tips for ensuring your kids excel in … Read Sport Psychology Tip

What to do When Sports Kids Don’t Believe in Themselves

How Young Athletes Can Win Close Games

Reasons Why Sports Kids Don’t Believe in Themselves For a number of reasons, many sports kids don’t believe in themselves—and that’s bad news for them, their teams and their coaches. Here are just a few causes: When kids don’t believe in themselves, they hurt their performance and enjoyment of sports. … Read Sport Psychology Tip

The Advantages of An Inside-Out Mindset For Young Athletes

How to Care About Athletes’ Mental Health

Using Internal Rewards With Sports Kids Too often today, young athletes are motivated for the wrong reason, says Kirk Mango, a former Division I gymnast who is now a coach and sports parent. He says many athletes seek external rewards, such as trophies, admiration from coaches and parents, poularity, and … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Encouraging Sports Kids without Pressuring Them

Youth Sports Psychology

Encouraging Kids to Play Sports Just how can sports parents encourage kids to take part in sports and support them—without pressuring them? That’s a good question, and the answers are not so obvious. Read on to get tips from Olympic fencer Tim Morehouse, who says his parents knew just how … Read Sport Psychology Tip

What Hurts Young Athletes’ Confidence in Sports?

Youth Sports Psychology

Instilling Confidence in Young Athletes We believe that confidence is the most important asset that leads athletes to sporting excellence. It’s critical for your kids to feel confident—to believe in their abilities—in order to realize their physical potential. Confidence helps them bounce back after mistakes, hang in there when things … Read Sport Psychology Tip

One Must-Have Mental Game Strategy to Help Young Athletes Excel in Competition

Youth Sports Psychology

Bringing Practice Confidence to Games in Youth Sports A sports parent tells us her son really shines on the field during practice. “He’s way beyond all the other boys in terms of technical and tactical skills during practice.” However, here’s the “but…” And it’s a big one. During a game, … Read Sport Psychology Tip