sports kids

Why Sports Kids Resist Mental Game Training—And What Parents Should Do

Building Confidence in Young Athletes

Mentally strong athletes—those who have done some mental game training—don’t balk after making mistakes. They don’t call themselves negative names. And they’re often great team players because they’re so positive. Truth is, however, that sports kids resist mental training, and miss out on these and other important benefits. Why? Because … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Why Young Athletes Excel with Backyard Play [Podcast]

Ultimate Sports Parent Podcast

The Benefits of Backyard Play Gary Simmons, author of “Gymbag Wisdom,” and a sports performance specialist who concentrates on teens, has some interesting anecdotes to share about the athletes he works with in high school. The top players he deals with are not the ones who play on traveling teams. … Read Sport Psychology Tip

The Top 4 Pregame Mistakes Sports Parents Make

Youth Sports Psychology

Top 4 Sports Parents’ Mistakes Lisa and Patrick Cohn here to tell you we’re guilty… We’ve committed some of the Top 4 Sports Parents’ Mistakes, which we cover below. Even though we know the dangers of making these mistakes, when we’re feeling especially excited for or worried about our sports … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Why Mental Game Skills Help Kids in Academics and Life

Youth Sports Psychology

The Benefits of Participation in Sports For Kids Popular coach Billy Zufall is serious about ensuring sports participation teaches kids critical skills that they can transfer to other areas of their lives. In fact, that’s one of his main goals as director of coaching for the boys’ and girls’ soccer … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Why Sports Parents Need Perspective

Youth Sports Psychology

Tips to Ensure Your Kids Excel in Sports We all want our kids to excel in sports. But exactly what does it mean to excel — and how can parents best help young athletes? It’s all about perspective. Read on to learn great tips for ensuring your kids excel in … Read Sport Psychology Tip

What to do When Sports Kids Don’t Believe in Themselves

How Young Athletes Can Win Close Games

Reasons Why Sports Kids Don’t Believe in Themselves For a number of reasons, many sports kids don’t believe in themselves—and that’s bad news for them, their teams and their coaches. Here are just a few causes: When kids don’t believe in themselves, they hurt their performance and enjoyment of sports. … Read Sport Psychology Tip