Athletes who Lose Confidence with Constructive Criticism "I'm a female soccer player. I'm often challenged mentally when playing and this usually happens at training sessions, my teammate would tell me how I can't do a certain thing eg. Properly marking my opponent." "I end up questioning my ability to do so, therefore affecting my performance poorly. How can I overcome this?" For your … [Read more...] about How Young Athlete Build Ultimate Self-Confidence
Using Sports Psychology to Overcome a Cold Streak
“How to Win Wimbledon in Pajamas” Mary Nhin’s son, Kobe, began competing in tennis a couple of years ago and was winning most of his games… until he hit a cold streak. “He began going into super tiebreakers, a very short determining point system, and he would get very nervous, and he would end up losing,” says Nhin, the co-author, along with Kobe, of “How to Win the Wimbledon in … [Read more...] about Using Sports Psychology to Overcome a Cold Streak
Young Athletes Who Perform Tight or Nervous
How to Perform Freely We received an email from a young athlete what is feeling nervous… “I have a figure skating competition next week and I was wondering if there are some tips to help me for the competition. I get really nervous for no reason. And I do really well in practice but not in the competition. In the competition I kind of get tense, and it seems like my mind is not really … [Read more...] about Young Athletes Who Perform Tight or Nervous
How One Coach Helped a Perfectionist Athlete
Richard Burke, who has been coaching baseball, football and basketball for the last 12 years, recently told us how he used our Ultimate Sports Parent program to help a perfectionist pitcher. “I had a 10-year-old pitcher playing on an 11-year-old travel team. He was doing really well, but once I got to know him I found out he was very much a perfectionist,” Burke said. “From time to … [Read more...] about How One Coach Helped a Perfectionist Athlete
Challenges for Ninja Warriors who Train All Year for One Event
How can Young Athletes Learn from Ninja Warriors? Lisa here from Youth Sports Psychology and Kids Sports Psychology. This week, along with my 10-yr-old, I was an audience member for American Ninja Warrior, where I witnessed astonishing feats and plenty of fails. Ninjas have specific challenges in sports: It’s an individual sport, so they often train alone. They have to be self-motivated … [Read more...] about Challenges for Ninja Warriors who Train All Year for One Event
How Young Athletes Find Flow in Sports
Flow and Peak Performance in Sports For young athletes, finding flow is critical for their enjoyment and peak performance in sports… When kids experience being “in the zone,” they are focused, confident, and fearless. Athletes in a flow state perform on “autopilot,” feeling as though performance is almost effortless. In fact, this focused state of concentration or “total focus” … [Read more...] about How Young Athletes Find Flow in Sports
How to Avoid Comparison Trap for Sports Parents
Comparisons Hurt Athletes’ Confidence When we surveyed parents, we found that 23% said that kids judge how their teammates are performing instead of focusing on their own play. Focusing on others’ play will distract your young athletes from their own game, and can become a major confidence killer. In the survey, parents said that kids compare themselves when they have friends who are … [Read more...] about How to Avoid Comparison Trap for Sports Parents
Signs of Performance Anxiety in Young Athletes
How to Help Young Athletes Enjoy Sports Many athletes limit their performance due to anxiety, tension, worry, and fear. Sports are supposed to be fun, not stressful for your athletes, right? Parents and coaches, we can help you identify when sports kids are suffering from anxiety--and determine how to help them. First of all, how do you recognize your kids suffer from anxiety that … [Read more...] about Signs of Performance Anxiety in Young Athletes
Important Dos and Don’ts for Sports Parents Before Games
How to Help Athletes be Relaxed before a Game Parents want to know what to tell their athletes before a game that will help them perform well and feel less pressure… For example, parents say: *Do you coach your kids on what to do? *Do you let them mentally prepare on their own? *Do you wait for them to talk about the game before saying anything? Just before a game, you want to … [Read more...] about Important Dos and Don’ts for Sports Parents Before Games
When Kids Worry About Others Judging Them
How to Help Young Athletes Overcome Worry A sports parent wrote to us recently to say… "My son is a top player but cannot perform any longer in matches when there is a crowd watching. He is 17, however he is as tight as a drum when playing matches now." "He still wins but says he only gets 20% of his ability to come through because he’s so tight. He loses to better players because of … [Read more...] about When Kids Worry About Others Judging Them