Rewarding Positive Behavior in Youth Sports Just how important is giving positive feedback to young athletes? For our Ultimate Sports Parent Radio show, we recently checked in with baseball coach Rob Gelphman about this topic. He says giving kids compliments, especially for making small achievements, like fielding a ground ball, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Young Athletes Kick Perfectionism Lisa Cohn here from the Ultimate Sports Parent. In my last post, I talked about all the great questions and comments we have received from parents and coaches about perfectionism and fear of failure. One of the biggest concerns from parents is that it may … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Identifying Perfectionism in Young Athletes Lisa Cohn here from The Ultimate Sports Parent. I would like to share some quick tips about identifying perfectionism and fear of failure in young athletes. This is a really hot topic in youth sports. Several parents and coaches have shared their stories about young … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Sports Kids And High Expectations Lisa Cohn here from The Ultimate Sports Parent. I’m here to make a confession… When my son was in 9th grade, he’d often begin a basketball game with sky-high expectations. He was generally a successful player, and coaches and peers expected a lot from him. … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Staying Calm in Youth Sports A recent LA Times story featured Marisa Berger, a 15-year-old high school student who takes part in the modern pentathlon, an Olympic sport during which she shoots guns, fences, swims, rides horses and runs–all in single day. Her goal is to become “the complete athlete,” … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Changing Sports Kids’ Focus Young athletes want to feel like winners – whether or not they are always scoring and beating their opponents. Sports parents can help their kids feel good about their experiences simply by taking the focus off the win. David Jacobson, a spokesman for the Positive Coaching … Read Sport Psychology Tip