Coaches Who Distract Young Athletes By Yelling
A sports parent asks:
“How do athletes handles coaches who are constantly yelling instructions? It appears that this distracts and confuses athletes more than it helps.”
The answer to this question depends in part on how old the athlete is…
Young players, in the 8- to 10-year-old range, often need to know where they should be positioned, and can benefit from instructions while they’re on the field.
But sometimes, coaches yelling out instructions can indeed distract and confuse athletes, especially sports kids who are older than 10.
Truth is, young athletes need to trust in what they’ve learned in practice. Once they get in the game, it’s time for the coach to turn them loose.
At that point, over-coaching and yelling can make sports kids over-think, second-guess and get distracted.
They may worry about what a coach will do if they make mistakes. And those fears won’t help their trust in skills or performance…
However, if sports kids are simply immersed in their sports experience, no amount of yelling will bother them. They’ll play intuitively, in the moment, and most likely will excel and feel confident.
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- “Be All In” with Christie Pearce Rampone
- Sports Parents’ Anger and Frustration Hurts Kids
- How to Help Athletes Focus on The Process
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