Instilling Positivity in Youth Sports
We recently spoke with KC Wilder, a former collegiate All-American in cycling, a mental training coach and Positive Coaching Alliance trainer.
“Young athletes are likely to be happier in a positive environment,” says Wilder, who is also a sports mom.
“We are raising confidence and lowering anxiety in an environment where the athlete feels safe,” she says.
Given that athletes often feel anxious or worried in youth sports, this is an important focus.
So what does relentless positivity look like in sports?
When parents and coaches are positive, kids are more likely to get out of their comfort zone and take risks… which means they’re more likely to grow and learn, she says.
Too much negativity, on the other hand, leads to burnout and stress, she says.
For example, one of her clients, an accomplished athlete, was often stressed because his well-intentioned coach talked too much about the strengths of his competitors just before competitions, which caused the athlete to focus on his own weaknesses and sink his confidence.
“Parents and coaches need to intentionally establish team cultures that focus on being positive and allowing athletes to make mistakes,” Wilder says.
“This has to be intentional,” she says. “You can’t just let it happen.”
Want to learn more about how to be positive in ways that boost kids’ confidence in sports? Listen to most of our interview with Wilder here:
(Subscribe to The Ultimate Sports Parent Radio Show at iTunes!)
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- Positive Mental Imagery for Young Athletes
- How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive
- Ensure Young Athletes’ Self-Talk is Positive
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The Composed Sports Kid
“The Composed Sports Kid” audio and workbook digital download program for young athletes and their parents or coach helps kids cope with frustration and anger in sports. Help your sports kids learn how to manage expectations and let go of mistakes so they can keep their head in the game.
The Composed Sports Kid system is really two programs in one–one program to train parents and coaches how to help their kids practice composure, and one program that teaches young athletes–ages 6 to 13–how to improve composure, let go of mistakes quickly, have more self-acceptance, and thus enjoy sports more!