Sports parenting and youth sports psychology articles for sports parents of young athletes to improve mental game and performance in kids
Is it Hurtful or Beneficial For Kids to Specialize in Sports? These days, kids as young as 7 have begun specializing in one sport. That means that they are practicing the sport year-round to boost their performance- not just for the fun of it. Such early specialization–and specialization in general–has … Read Sport Psychology Tip
What Pressures Sports Kids? Parents, think twice before investing a lot of money into youth sports. While your intentions may be well-meaning, your efforts may backfire. That’s the word from a new study about spending and youth sports. The author, Travis Dorsch, found that higher parental spending creates sports kids … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Can Sports Parents Distract Kids? Unruly parents and crowds can really hurt kids’ confidence, says Gil Fried, professor and head of the sport management department at the University of New Haven and an expert on crowd control. Why? Just think about it. When athletes are trying to perform, what … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Encouraging Sports Kids Bjorn, a 12-year-old hockey player, joined a AAA team after three years of playing hockey, and suddenly found himself surrounded by other athletes with 7 or 8 years’ experience, while he only had three years’ experience. The other players didn’t pass to him and the coach initially … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Ensuring Sports Kids Are Focused Too often, sports kids simply go through the motions in youth sports, says Bobby Kipper, a former college coach and co-author of the book, “Performance Driven Thinking.” “The kids are there physically, but their minds are not there,” he says. “They’re not giving their all.” … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Embracing Failure to Grow in Youth Sports There’s two ways young athletes can deal with failure and losses, says Eric DeMeulenaere, a Clark University professor, former soccer coach and author of “Reflections From the Field.” They can look at losses from a growth mindset, which means feeling the pain and … Read Sport Psychology Tip