Young Athletes Who Fear Coaches’ Wrath A young athlete writes, “I have a new coach and before that, I was starting point guard and I was able to have confidence in myself when I played. But now I have none because I keep making mistakes due to the fact that … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Nearly every athlete struggles with some form of perfectionism or fear of failure. Kids who look like stars in practice will often choke up or under perform during games or competition. Other athletes expect too much of themselves—then get frustrated when they don’t meet their high expectations. Or they’re extremely … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Fear of Failure in Youth Sports Fear of failure is a common challenge for sports kids. It looks like this: Sally, a soccer player, dribbles down the field and loses the ball. As soon as she makes a mistake in the game, she starts worrying about making other mistakes. So … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Social Approval in Youth Sports Sports kids have lots of worries in youth sports—worries that hurt their confidence and performance. A big one, especially for middle and high school kids, are worries over what others think of their performance. Young athletes are concerned what their friends, parents and coaches may … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Confidence Challenges For Sports Kids The fall season is underway, so you likely are beginning to get a feel for how confident your athletes are feeling in their sport. If you’re uncertain about whether they’re feeling confident, here are a few things to think about. If you can identify what … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Teaching Sports Kids to Embrace Failure We just read a great Huffington Post blog-actually, a rant–called “7 Reasons Why You Will Never Do Anything Amazing With Your Life,” about the importance of embracing failure and taking risks. In youth sports, these traits are critical. And it’s true, young athletes won’t … Read Sport Psychology Tip