Articles for sport parents and young athletes for tips on how to build confidence, perform more consistently, and overcome challenges.
“How to Win Wimbledon in Pajamas” Mary Nhin’s son, Kobe, began competing in tennis a couple of years ago and was winning most of his games… until he hit a cold streak. “He began going into super tiebreakers, a very short determining point system, and he would get very nervous, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How can Young Athletes Learn from Ninja Warriors? Lisa here from Youth Sports Psychology and Kids Sports Psychology. This week, along with my 10-yr-old, I was an audience member for American Ninja Warrior, where I witnessed astonishing feats and plenty of fails. Ninjas have specific challenges in sports: It’s an … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Flow and Peak Performance in Sports For young athletes, finding flow is critical for their enjoyment and peak performance in sports… When kids experience being “in the zone,” they are focused, confident, and fearless. Athletes in a flow state perform on “autopilot,” feeling as though performance is almost effortless. In … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Young Athletes Overcome Negative Beliefs It’s common for young athletes to struggle with doubt and negative thoughts about their performance. They tell themselves that: This type of negative self-talk can be detrimental to your young athletes, and if it isn’t addressed, can lead to mental-game challenges. With each negative … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Coaches Influence Parents And Athletes A coach asks: “How does a coach influence the parents and players to be committed to a process that requires investment in effort, time and money before results are ‘seen’?” Good question… In our fast-paced lives, kids and parents often expect results right away … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Sports Kids’ Focus Before Games Just before a game, young athletes need to focus on what’s going on right now—not on the past or future. That means they need to learn how to avoid concentrating on what others think of them, on the score or win or other outcomes. … Read Sport Psychology Tip