Interview With Christian Lavers
It’s natural for youth sports kids’ confidence to come and go, says Christian Lavers, President, Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), a youth sports competition and development organization.
When kids’ confidence does wane, it’s generally in response to a bad game or performance, a losing season, a mistake, an injury, bad luck or other factors.
Whatever the reason a sports kids’ confidence drops, it’s important for athletes to understand they are in control of gaining it back.
“Confidence in youth athletics is very misunderstood; our experience shows how much athletes can be in control,” he says.
The best way for sports kids to regain confidence is to put their heads down and keep getting better, he says. He calls this their work rate. They need to consistently work hard and stay focused.
“When they connect work rate with confidence and stay consistent with their work rate, their confidence will come back. This is tremendously empowering.”
To help sports parents build confidence in sports kids, he suggests they help athletes understand that confidence ebbs and flows.
“They need to accept confidence is going to come and go, and when it goes, they should double down on their work rate,” he says.
Sports parents should also ensure that kids’ interest in playing sports comes from within, not from parents, he says.
“Kids will be successful at the things they enjoy and are committed to. It has to come from the player. Once it’s clear that this is something an athlete wants to be good at, parents should be there to support that.”
Parents and athletes need to also recognize that if kids set high goals, they need to have a plan. “Adults need to understand how to put together a plan,” he says.
Our Interview with Christian Lavers is full of tips and tricks to help young athletes maintain their confidence.
Related Kids Sports Psychology Articles:
- Build Confidence With A Positive Team Culture [Podcast]
- How This Sport Builds Confidence and Focus in Kids
- Helping Sports Kids Build Stable Confidence
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*Subscribe to The Sports Psychology Podcast on Spotify
The Confident Sports Kid
When kids lack confidence, they doubt themselves, stop taking risks, play tentatively, and are hard on themselves. As a result, kids often lose their motivation to improve. Ultimately, these barriers keep them from enjoying sports and making the most of their physical talent.
“The Confident Sports Kid” program is actually two programs: one that teaches sports parents how to boost their kids’ confidence, and another that teaches young athletes age 8 to 18 how to improve their self talk, avoid negative thinking, overcome expectations that limit confidence, and much more. The program will help kids boost their confidence in sports and life…and enjoy sports more.