Confidence And Kids’ Sports Psychology
Jane’s 10-year-old son was a talented golfer who fell apart during competitions. Like many perfectionists, he had high expectations and became easily frustrated if he didn’t meet them.
How did this young athlete transform his mental game and performance in short six months, even winning a regional tournament in southern Spain?
The answer may surprise you. Read on to find out…
Jane’s son’s challenges, Jane says, were twofold. Not only was he a perfectionist who set high expectations for himself, but he also compared himself to others, and quickly lost confidence, and felt that other kids were better than him.
The boy’s coaches said he had talent. To help her son reach his potential, Jane joined Kids’ Sports Psychology: Kids’ Sports Psychology
His confidence started to thrive, Jane says. Jane and her son began by systematically studying the worksheets, including:
- “Mental Games Challenges Checklist”
- “Pregame Mental Toughness Strategies”
- “Creating a Confidence Piggybank,”
- “Boosting Your Trust in Yourself” and
- “Practice Smarter, Not Harder,” among others.
Using articles, e-books, and videos from Kids’ Sports Psychology, the young athlete learned two techniques that helped him immensely, Jane says.
He created what we call a “self-confidence piggy bank,” which he keeps in his pocket and refers to each time he tees off. He also created a plan for a pre-shot routine.
“Using resources from the Kids’ Sports Psychology website, especially the worksheets, my son became much calmer and more focused during competitions,” Jane says.
“He now looks forward to competition. He stopped making comparisons to others, and now just gets on with his game,” she says.
Jane and her son also identified mental game challenges they didn’t know he had. After six months of working with Kids’ Sports Psychology resources, his score dropped from 65 to 37 (for nine holes) and he shaved 11 strokes off his handicap.
In fact, he shot a 37 for nine holes and won a regional heat in southern Spain, then placed third in the regional finals.
“He is confident that he is a good golfer knowing if things don’t go well his good game is only ‘hidden,’ it is not lost,” Jane says.
The two techniques that helped Jane’s son the most are powerful tools that we teach parents and young athletes at Kids’ Sports Psychology.
For example, preshot routines help kids focus on what’s important at that moment, keep them from thinking negative thoughts, help them prepare for each shot and make them feel confident.
A pitcher, for example, might create a preshot routine that includes forgetting about the last play, taking a deep breath, receiving the sign from the catcher and committing to it and imagining the pitch. It might also involve rehearsing, focusing and trusting.
We can’t promise your kids will get stellar results, but we know they will improve their mental game.
If you’d like to learn more about how to improve your sports parenting skills and ensure young athletes have a positive mental game, visit our program today: Kids’ Sports Psychology
P.S. If you’d like to hear an interview with Jane about her son’s mental game improvements, click here: Kids’ Sports Psychology Success Story
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- Help Young Athletes Focus on The Process Before a Game
- How This Sport Builds Confidence and Focus in Kids
- Focus on Fun For Your Athletes, Not Scholarships
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