Rewarding Positive Behavior in Youth Sports
Just how important is giving positive feedback to young athletes?
For our Ultimate Sports Parent Radio show, we recently checked in with baseball coach Rob Gelphman about this topic.
He says giving kids compliments, especially for making small achievements, like fielding a ground ball, is key to boosting kids’ confidence.
“What you’re always trying to teach the kids is to play the complete game–both sides of the ball. What you want to do is show them that making little plays and always backing up is very important,” says Gelphman.
“It teaches them to start thinking about the game the whole time. When someone makes a great play-if they field a grounder, for example, and get their body in front of it and stop the ball-I say loudly, ‘Great job!’ And I make a point for all the other kids to stop and take a look. And I say, ‘That’s exactly the way to do it.'”
In sports psychology terms, this is what we call rewarding positive behavior.
Kids don’t always know how you want them to behave.
So if there are young athletes who are modeling desirable behavior, be sure to set them up as role models for the team. In this way, you’re defining for them exactly what you want them to focus on.
“The whole idea is to build confidence. A lot of times coaches wait until kids make mistakes until they start coaching. Instead of waiting, you should reward them for using proper techniques,” he says.
Here’s another example: Kids are often worried about striking out or not looking good.
Gelphman tells his players:
“Who cares if you strike out, as long as you swing the bat. You can’t do anything if you don’t swing.” If they strike out, he tells them, “Good job. You swung the bat. You’ll get it next time.”
Want to learn more about how to boost kids’ confidence in sports?
Check out our Ultimate Sports Parent workbook.
You’ll learn:
- What to say before and after games
- How much pressure is too much
- Why confidence is critical to performance
- How to be a great cheerleader
- How to give positive feedback for young athletes
- and much more!
The Ultimate Sports Parent Workbook Program
P.S. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a big announcement about a one-stop mental training solution for young athletes, sports parents and coaches.
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- Teaching Kids Courage, Resilience and Character Through Sports
- Helping Young Athletes to Overcome Fears
- Athletes who Get Benched for Mistakes
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