young athletes pressure

Parents: Are Your Athletes Having Fun?

Making Sure Young Athletes are Motivated and Happy

How to Keep Athletes in the Game A sports parent asks: “My son is a HS freshman with huge potential in football but is not wanting to pursue it, he says he does not feel ‘passionate’ about it, even after being told by a few retired coaches and refs that … Read Sport Psychology Tip

When Athletes Play to Not Make Mistakes

When Athletes Play to Not Make Mistakes

Why Do Young Athletes Fear Failure? A sports parent asks: “Our 12-year-old son is having challenges in baseball. He is playing not to make mistakes and seems to have lost his aggression and effectiveness. He is also the smallest, youngest kid on the team. What tips might you have for … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Parents, Have Your Kids Wanted to Quit Sports?

Why do young athletes want to quit sports? We'd love to hear from you... Often, athletes quit sports because of pressures from outside sources, be it parents, coaches, or teammates, but reasons vary.

Why Do Young Athletes Want to Quit Sports? Why do young athletes want to quit sports? We’d love to hear from you… Often, athletes quit sports because of pressures from outside sources, be it parents, coaches, or teammates, but reasons vary. Here’s what some young athletes have told us: These … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Why Communication is More Important for Athletes

How to Develop Confidence

How to Develop Confidence in Sports Kids Sports parents, and coaches alike, play an integral role in how your sports kids feel about the sports they play and their overall experiences. Often sports parents, however, can unwittingly hurt their kids’ confidence by being overly enthusiastic. For example, it makes many … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Helping Kids See the Good and Bad of Perfectionism in Sports

Perfectionists in Youth Sports

How Perfectionism Can Lead to Fear of Failure A sports parent writes: “My child is a 9-year old figure skater. She is very passionate with her sport but sometimes she tend to get very frustrated when she performs poorly in her program. Also, when she is performing well, her coach … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Why Sports Should be Fun for Young Kids

Fun in Youth Sports

How Can Parents Help Athletes Have Fun? A sport parent asks: “My 5-yr-old niece is playing softball and right now she is experiencing issues of not wanting to bat with fear of getting out. It’s real bad and embarrassing, she keeps crying and having tantrums in the dugout. Also today … Read Sport Psychology Tip