Why Having Fun Helps Sports Kids Perform Well
High school athlete Jacob understands why having fun is hands-down the most important thing kids can do when all seems lost. In a recent interview, he told us that when his team is down, or if he makes mistakes, his confidence starts to slip—until he reminds himself that it’s important to focus on having fun. “I forget my mistakes and tell myself that no matter what happens, we’re in this for fun and we’re just going to have fun.” Here... [Read More...]
Why Setting Goals is So Important for Sports Kids
It’s a great idea to set goals for sports kids. Goal-setting helps improve kids’ motivation and commitment, helps them stay focused on what to accomplish, helps them assess their strengths and weaknesses, and track their performance. But who should do it–the parent, the young athlete, or the coach? And what do you as a sports parent do if you want your child to set goals, but the coach doesn’t focus on this issue? These are great questions... [Read More...]
Why Mental Game Skills Help Kids in Academics and Life
Popular coach Billy Zufall is serious about ensuring sports participation teaches kids critical skills that they can transfer to other areas of their lives. In fact, that’s one of his main goals as director of coaching for the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams at Highland High School. It’s likely one of the reasons he won the Medina County Coach of the Year for three years in a row. Why do we at Kids’ Sports Psychology think this topic is so... [Read More...]
Why Sports Parents Need Perspective
We all want our kids to excel in sports. But exactly what does it mean to excel — and how can parents best help young athletes? It’s all about perspective. Read on to learn great tips for ensuring your kids excel in ways that help them stay in sports and reap all its benefits. Too often, well-meaning parents lose perspective in youth sports. We admit it. We’ve done it ourselves. We’ve found ourselves yelling from the sidelines,... [Read More...]
What to do When Sports Kids Don’t Believe in Themselves
For a number of reasons, many sports kids don’t believe in themselves—and that’s bad news for them, their teams and their coaches. Here are just a few causes: They doubt their abilities They’re perfectionists and expect too much Their parents pressure them too much When kids don’t believe in themselves, they hurt their performance and enjoyment of sports. Kymber Veautour, a Top Warner cheer coach who has garnered two national wins, says... [Read More...]
