Building Confidence in Young Athletes How can parents and coaches fill a young athlete’s “emotional tank?” Coaches need to praise kids five times before they provide one piece of constructive criticism, says David Jacobson, a spokesman for the Positive Coaching Alliance, based at Stanford University. “We liken a child’s emotional … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Performing With Trust And Freedom in Youth Sports Do your sports kids excel in practice, but freeze up in competition? Do they have a hard time just being spontaneous and free when they compete? If so, you might need to help your child trust his or her athletic ability… Freezing … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Overcoming Perfectionism in Youth Sports Often, we hear from parents who worry about young athletes who are too hard on themselves. You’re likely familiar with these types of athletes. They’re perfectionists! Perfectionists athletes criticize themselves for making mistakes, often hold very high expectations for themselves, and get frustrated easily after … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Sports Kids With Confidence We often see kids who excel in practice, but freeze up during games. This can be frustrating and confusing for parents and coaches. What’s going on in the young athlete’s mind and what can sports parents and coaches do about it? First, sports parents and … Read Sport Psychology Tip
The Ultimate Sports Parent Have I ever told you that I grew up in a sports-crazed family with five kids? 30 years ago when I played football, hockey, golf, and lacrosse year round, our dad was an enthusiastic sports parent. He often impeached us to play harder and live up … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Perfectionism in Youth Sports One of the biggest challenges for young athletes today is: They try to be too perfect with their performance. They try to have the perfect game or match. Don’t get us wrong… There are some advantages to perfectionism. Perfectionist kids have a strong work ethic, are … Read Sport Psychology Tip