Kids in sports articles and tips for sports parents, young athletes, and youth coaches to improve mental performance and overall consistency in sports.
Studies show that when kids skip breakfast, they have a harder time focusing, are irritable and distracted by hunger. This can lead to anxiety and lower performance in sports, said Steph Magill, a registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition and is a sports parent to two teens. She recently was a … Read Sport Psychology Tip
When athletes feel pressure, they naturally tend to panic, said Conor Hogan, author of The Gym Upstairs: The Neuroscience of Future Champions. If they understand some of the neuroscience of sports, they can calm themselves with techniques like visualization and meditation, he said. Listen to Learn More: Related Articles on … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Girls in sports drop out at higher rates than boys, and a number of challenges lead to that problem, says Kathryn Ackerman, a physician and director of the Female Athlete Program in the sports medicine division of Boston Children’s Hospital. She’s also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Empathy is a powerful confidence builder on youth sports teams. That’s the word from Dr. Conor Hogan, author of “The Gym Upstairs: The Neuroscience of Future Champions,” and a coach who helps young athletes improve their mental and overall performance. A team’s empathy can help individual players cope with pressure, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Karate is all about the mental game, says Master Rande Lawrence, head instructor at Lawrence World Class Karate in Fayetteville, N.Y. He coaches Matthew Killian, a blind 23-year-old with autism spectrum disorder to use his strong mental game in karate. Killian won two gold medals at his first karate competition, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Elite and travel teams can hurt kids’ confidence by setting up a dicey relationship among kids, parents and coaches. That’s the view of Hal Phillips, a former sports parent and youth soccer coach, plus author of Generation Zero: Founding Fathers, Hidden Histories and the Making of Soccer in America. Elite and … Read Sport Psychology Tip