The phrase “to make matters worse” catastrophizes an adverse event. Many sports announcers use the phrase to describe an athlete’s or team’s worsening prospects or condition throughout a season Many young athletes get stuck in the habit of catastrophizing. They often highlight every bad break, unlucky event and poor showing … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Keep Confidence Up, Even in a Pandemic When kids’ sports schedules are interrupted or stopped altogether–which is true for many young athletes right now, due to the pandemic–they can feel anxious. Injuries, illnesses, inclement weather, facility shutdowns and vacations are some of the other circumstances that can disrupt athletes’ training … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Positive Actions Empower Young Athletes What kinds of adversity have your sports kids encountered? Perhaps they have experienced an injury or long-term sickness. Maybe they were cut from a team or benched by their coach. They could have bombed a big competition or missed the playoffs. They could also experience … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Be Mentally Prepared for Adversity Do your sports kids embrace unexpected challenges, seeing them as a way to discover new ways to keep moving forward? Or do these challenges dissuade them from reaching their athletic goals? Kids need to expect the unexpected. In fact, they should prepare for … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Rory McIlroy’s Mental Game US Open Champion Rory McIlroy’s recent experiences demonstrate just how critical the mental game is to athletes. Golfer McIlroy had one of the worst days of his life in April. He shot a final round 80 at the 2011 Masters and blew a six-stroke final-round lead. … Read Sport Psychology Tip