Help Kids Move on After Making Mistakes College basketball coach John Wooden—who won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period—said the team that makes the most mistakes will win most often. But athletes lose when they make mistakes, you might argue. Not so. Athletes—especially young athletes—who aren’t afraid of … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Confidence Busters in Youth Sports A sports mom writes us that her daughter’s basketball coach has different rules for different kids. If some kids make mistakes during a game, they still get to be starters in the next game. However, if her daughter makes the same mistakes, she doesn’t get … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Sports Kids’ Boost Performance Your sports kids likely have mental game strengths–whether or not they’ve had any mental game training. It’s a good idea to identify and nurture these strengths. This will help your sports kids understand the value of having a strong mental game. Understanding the keys to … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Sports Kids Who Are Their Own Worst Enemy Young athletes who develop early or who possess raw talent often are their own worst enemies. Why? Things come too easy to them. They’re so used to picking things up quickly that they often aren’t open to working hard to learn. “You … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Enjoying Youth Sports 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 … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Being Playful in Youth Sports Being playful in sports–finding ways to laugh and joke around during practice–isn’t just for fun. It actually helps kids improve faster in sports. That’s the word from Gary Avischious, founder and head coach of coachingschool.org. Avischious learned about the science of play at the National … Read Sport Psychology Tip