Keeping Game Time Focus in The Present Sophie is a 7th grade cross-country runner who has trouble letting go of past losses. She assumes one loss will lead to another. This is a common challenge for young athletes. They make generalizations about one bad game or race. If it happened … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Making Comparisons in Youth Sports We are seeing a disturbing trend today in young athletes – one that coaches and parents need to understand and address. Sports kids today spend too much time making comparisons to their competitors or teammates! They focus on how others are performing, rather than concentrating … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Facing Adversity in Youth Sports Do your sports kids have a hard time bouncing back after mistakes? Does their confidence decline after losing a game? Based on what other parents are telling us, the answer is a resounding “yes”! For example, here’s what one sports parent says: “My son is … Read Sport Psychology Tip
“Get Ready” Routines Some of the biggest mental game challenges for sports kids are distractions. When they’re practicing, playing or performing, kids get distracted when they worry about what others’ think of them. They also get distracted when a dog runs onto the field. Some kids get distracted when their … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Communicating With Young Athletes We recently checked in with sports dad Michael Wood–chief fitness officer at Koko Fitness Inc.– about his daughter’s making her high school basketball team as a 6th grader. This was a double-edged sword for Wood… On the one hand, he was happy she had the opportunity … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Changing Sports Kids’ Focus Young athletes want to feel like winners – whether or not they are always scoring and beating their opponents. Sports parents can help their kids feel good about their experiences simply by taking the focus off the win. David Jacobson, a spokesman for the Positive Coaching … Read Sport Psychology Tip