Help Kids Overcome the Top Distractions in Sports
Believe it or not, one of the top distractions can be you!
Among other things, kids say that their parents distract them when they’re preparing for or playing games.
What? You may ask. Me?
Of course, your intention is to be helpful. You want to support your young athletes by driving them to their events and cheering for them while they play.
Yes, you should do all this. But watch how you do it.
Let’s start with the drive to the game. Less is best. You don’t want to remind your athletes of the mistakes they made the last game or how the refs screwed up.
Why not?
This type of negative talking will distract your kids when they should be preparing mentally for their games.
They should be thinking of positive things–like all the great traits they bring to the game. As much as possible, leave the mental prep to them.
For example, Lisa’s son likes to listen to music before a game and doesn’t appreciate a lot of chatter.
While you’re at the game, be sure to cheer for all the kids –not just your own. Be careful about yelling loud, possibly embarrassing your kids. Kids say that their parents yelling on the sidelines is a huge distraction for them.
Instead of focusing on their next move, kids get wrapped up in listening to their parents –and either worrying about pleasing them or feeling embarrassed by them. Either way, this sinks their confidence and makes it hard for them to play to their potential.
Being able to focus is a critical skill for kids. They need to understand what they should be focusing on and how to overcome common distractions–including their parents, worries about what others think, bad weather, and equipment mess-ups.
The Focused Sports Kid – Our Best Program For Focus!
If you’re interested in learning more about how to help young athletes focus in ways that boost their confidence and performance, check out our program, The Focused Sports Kid.
This program, which includes CDs and workbooks for athletes plus CDs and manuals for parents, helps parents and kids identify top distractions and how to overcome them. Parents learn how to help kids with distractions and kids get strategies for focusing in ways that improve their performance.
Don’t forget, focusing is a skill that kids can learn…and learning to focus in youth sports is critical! Check out the program here: