Helping Sports Kids Overcome the Fear of Making Mistakes A sports parent asks: “My daughter is 13 years old and is currently playing basketball. She is very athletic and has natural abilities but just doesn’t know it or use it. Her confidence level is not there. She gets in a … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Kids Focus on The Process Instead of Outcome A young athlete writes: “I want to quit wrestling because I have too much anxiety with the pain and my failure. I have found other hobbies like lifting by myself or with a friend. I just don’t like wrestling and I … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Young Athletes Define Their Self-Concept A sports parent asks: “How do I help my child be more focused on his role on the team and not so worried about disappointing his teammates and others?” It’s common for sports kids to worry about disappointing others. Kids often seek social approval, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Young Athletes Move on After Mistakes A sport parent asks: “My kids keep hearing that they are supposed to aim for a game without mistakes, but to expect that mistakes are going to happen nonetheless. They ask me if it is possible though, to actually have a game with … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Young Athletes Overcome Negative Beliefs It’s common for young athletes to struggle with doubt and negative thoughts about their performance. They tell themselves that: This type of negative self-talk can be detrimental to your young athletes, and if it isn’t addressed, can lead to mental-game challenges. With each negative … Read Sport Psychology Tip
What Should Sports Parents NOT Do? Sports parents can inadvertently undermine their kids’ mental game. You might not be aware of the ways you hurt your athletes confidence and composure… Here are five ways: 1. Yelling directions and “coaching” from the sidelines. This is damaging for many reasons. First, this … Read Sport Psychology Tip