Improve Confidence and Success in Young Athletes
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 the system … [Read more...]
Young women drop out of sports—starting at about the age of 13—at twice the rate of young men, says Dr. Joan Steidenger, a licensed psychologist who works with athletes. Why? It’s all about their relationships, says Steidenger, who is writing a book about girls in sports and the importance … [Read more...]
One of the biggest challenges sports kids face is a “I want it now” attitude, says Kirk Mango, a three-time Hall of Fame Athlete, National Champion and author of “Becoming A True Champion.” If kids are going to make the most of their youth sports experience, they need to understand they … [Read more...]
What's one of the most important things adults can do to boost young athletes' confidence? They should help build a positive team culture, says Danny Cullinane, a coach and sports parent in England who lectures about sports development. He should know. He's charged with the job of helping … [Read more...]
How to motivate kids to play sports is a hot topic today, given all the news about obesity in our country. It’s also a hot topic for our readers and members, who often ask us what’s the best way to ensure their children are motivated to play sports and enjoy all its benefits. A recent … [Read more...]
Parents and coaches, if you want your sports kids to understand that mental training can be the key to unlocking their potential, first you have to know why kids avoid it… It’s important for you to know that a whopping 53% of the coaches we surveyed said their sports kids resist mental … [Read more...]
How can you teach your kids to make the most out of losses? Lots of ways, says Frank J. Sileo, Ph.D, a psychologist with more than 16 years’ experience working with kids and families, and the author of “Sally Sore Loser: A Story about Winning and Losing.” First of all, you need to … [Read more...]
Sports parents have lots of theories about why their kids aren’t performing well or enjoying youth sports. They say things like, “He’s really talented, but he stops trying after he makes mistakes. He needs to feel more secure.” Or: “Whenever the coach gives my daughter any kind of … [Read more...]
