Youth Sports Psychology Blog at The Ultimate Sports Parent

Recent Youth Sports Psychology Articles

Early Sports Specialization for Young Athletes: The Pitfalls

Jack Malley, sports dad, coach, and author of "Meet The Lunatics Who Run Your Kids' Sports Leagues," says he's made quite a few mistakes as a sports dad and coach. But allowing his kids to specialize was not one of those mistakes. For example, Malley once became irked at an opposing … [Read More...]

The Many Benefits of Making Mistakes in Sports

Too often, kids think they shouldn't make any mistakes in youth sports. In fact, up to 75% of the kids we work with are hard on themselves after a loss or mistake When they think they shouldn't fail, they avoid making mistakes-which is a real mental game no-no. If kids play to avoid … [Read More...]

How Perfectionism Hurts Young Athletes’ Confidence in Sports

Perfectionism is a double-edged sword for young athletes. Perfectionists work really hard, but have trouble performing “in the moment” and going for it. When they make mistakes, they often dwell on them, which hurts their confidence. Here’s a classic example that recently came … [Read More...]

How Goofy Beliefs Harm Kids’ Sports Confidence and Performance

Do your sports kids harbor silly beliefs about what makes them better athletes? For example, do they insist on wearing a red-striped headband and on eating chocolate power bars before games? This is common in young athletes, and can actually hurt their confidence and performance. … [Read More...]

How Perfectionism Hurts Confidence in Young Athletes

Perfectionism in sports hurts confidence. For example, perfectionist athletes expect a lot from their performance. Some of their expectations are unrealistic and make them think too much about results. This can lead to self-doubt when they don't perform up to these high … [Read More...]

College Sports and Bully Coaches: Rutgers’ Rice Fired

We’ve warned you over and over that it’s critical to protect your young athletes from bullying in youth sports. The firing this week of Mike Rice, Rutgers basketball coach, for physically kicking players, throwing balls at them, and verbally abusing them is a great example of how … [Read More...]

How a Pregame Routine Helps Young Athletes Focus

It's easy to assume that an all-star guard like Pavin Parrish of the Rochester Rockets doesn't face mental game challenges. The truth is, he battles with challenges like jeering, doubt, and worry every day-even though he has made his mark by scoring an average of more than 30 points per … [Read More...]

Cut Distractions and Make It Fun: Miami Dolphins’ Advice

Sports kids would benefit much more from sports if they were less distracted and had more fun. That's the word from Troy Drayton, coordinator of youth programs for the Miami Dolphins. Drayton, who visits elementary and middle schools three days a week to teach about physical fitness … [Read More...]