Listen to our youth sport podcast to hear tips on how to best support your young athlete to help them grow in confidence and navigate sport specific challenges.
Money has always played a role in youth sports, from club fees and private lessons to travel costs and college scholarships. But as athletes gain access to name, image and likeness (NIL) income at increasingly younger ages, financial decisions are becoming part of the mental game, as well. Tom Henske, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
For young athletes, the mental game is often about confidence, focus, resilience and staying present under pressure. But eating issues can quietly consume that mental space, affecting an athlete’s focus, confidence, identity and performance. Eating-disorders dietitian Adee Levinstein said that athletes face constant messages about nutrition, exercise, body image and … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Stress, comparisons and pressure can quietly undermine a child’s love of sports unless parents learn to prepare for the emotional challenges that come with each stage of development, said Stephen Anderson, an athletic director, coach and founder of the Rising Athlete Project. “I see parents reacting to things rather than … Read Sport Psychology Tip
For many sports parents, the challenge of parenting an elite athlete isn’t simply getting their child to practice. It’s figuring out how to support a young athlete’s dreams without sacrificing academics, family life or emotional well-being. Gosia Betancourt knows that balancing act firsthand. Her 13-year-old son, Joshua, is already competing … Read Sport Psychology Tip
The skill of being a leader is partly innate, but is mostly trainable, according to leadership coach Jonathan Cave, author of The Tree and the Mountain: Dare to Become. To hone their leadership skills, sports kids should identify their unique talents and build leadership skills based on them, he said. … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Many recruiting services, profile websites and showcase camps profit by keeping families engaged and spending money rather than helping athletes achieve meaningful recruiting outcomes, said Reid Meyer, co-founder of A2A Academy and a former college baseball player. To be successfully recruited, athletes need to be proactive, directly contacting coaches and … Read Sport Psychology Tip
To create a championship mindset, players, coaches and parents must all embrace a positive mindset, said Bill Hoopes, a national championship coach and director of Florida Premier Girls Fastpitch. “You have to have accountability on all ends,” he said. “If the coach is not doing their job and they’re struggling … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Happiness for sports kids is more about contentment and balance, rather than constant pleasure, according to Jerry Weichman, a licensed clinical psychologist who helps young athletes with mental health challenges affecting confidence, motivation and performance. “Happiness is more of a chemical reaction from your brain that comes from good things … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Too often, sports kids see their identity as being athletes, said Tiffany Yvonne, founder of Playmaker Solutions, where she helps young athletes build emotional intelligence and confidence. When their identity is all about sports, they can quickly lose confidence if they make mistakes or lose games. ?”When you know who … Read Sport Psychology Tip
When sports kids experience concussions, they don’t just affect kids’ brains, they affect their bodies and even their families, said Robert Baric, a chiropractor and member of the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina. A concussion can change kids’ heart output, sleep and hormonal balance, for example. Related Articles How … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How can sports parents create well-rounded kids in youth sports, which can be hyper-specialized and intense? David Murray’s book, Soccer Dad, is the story of a “soccer-ignorant, sports-ambivalent writer who saw his daughter from the kiddie leagues through the travel-sports gauntlet to a coveted Division I scholarship.” Related Articles Early … Read Sport Psychology Tip
True leaders in sports don’t need the spotlight. They earn trust through preparation, emotional control and how they show up every day—not by being the loudest voice, said Dan Gold, a sports dad, former surgeon and businessman and the author of Game Changers. The foundation of quiet leadership is consistency. … Read Sport Psychology Tip
High performance in sports doesn’t necessarily translate into mental well-being, said Hania Taduran, a former Division I beach volleyball player and founder of the nonprofit Breaking Barriers, which aims to redefine the narrative about mental health in athletics. During her college career, she experienced firsthand the gap between athletic success … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How are young athletes affected when their parents sink large amounts of money into youth sports and pile on expectations? Harvey Araton was a sports columnist for The New York Times for 26 years, where he covered ten Olympics and countless NBA finals, World Series, Super Bowls and Final Fours. … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Former professional golfer Jay Delsing, author of “You Wouldn’t Believe Me If I Told You,” describes how he pursued his sports dream and says young athletes should also aim high, even if the odds of success are low. Growing up in a large, low-income, sports-oriented family, he was encouraged to … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Young athletes who forget skills, freeze up or make avoidable mistakes and who can’t meet their practice performance during competitions are struggling with performance blocks. These blocks can be caused by excessive pressure, anxiety, worry, perfectionism or identity issues and self-judgement, said Albert Bramante, a mental performance coach. Related Articles … Read Sport Psychology Tip