How Can Sports Parents Distract Kids? Unruly parents and crowds can really hurt kids’ confidence, says Gil Fried, professor and head of the sport management department at the University of New Haven and an expert on crowd control. Why? Just think about it. When athletes are trying to perform, what … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Anxiety in Youth Sports Nearly 20% of the population suffers from anxiety, and young athletes are no exception. In fact, kids who have mild anxiety might experience high anxiety in stressful sports situations. Parents and coaches, you can help identify when sports kids are suffering from anxiety- and determine how … Read Sport Psychology Tip
What Should Sports Kids Focus On? Too often, young athletes focus too much on outcomes, such as the score, the win, or their statistics. The problem? This prevents them from playing in the moment and hurts confidence. When they focus too much on winning and statistics, it’s easy to get … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Encouraging Sports Kids Bjorn, a 12-year-old hockey player, joined a AAA team after three years of playing hockey, and suddenly found himself surrounded by other athletes with 7 or 8 years’ experience, while he only had three years’ experience. The other players didn’t pass to him and the coach initially … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Sports Kids With Anxiety Many kids (especially teens) suffer from anxiety. One of their biggest causes of anxiety: What others think of them. In sports, this is a big issue. Kids spend a lot of time worrying about what their peers, parents or coaches will think of their performance. … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Teaching Sports Kids to Embrace Failure We just read a great Huffington Post blog-actually, a rant–called “7 Reasons Why You Will Never Do Anything Amazing With Your Life,” about the importance of embracing failure and taking risks. In youth sports, these traits are critical. And it’s true, young athletes won’t … Read Sport Psychology Tip