The mental game is critical to sports–and improving mental health can boost both kids’ mental game and performance. That’s the word from Laura Erickson-Schroth, chief medical officer at The Jed Foundation, which works in schools and sports organizations to help kids improve their mental health. Related Articles on Kids’ Mental … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Kids and teens say they lack connections with adults in their schools, says Paul Caccamo, CEO and founder, Up2Us, a coach training program. Youth coaches can fill in the gap and build resilience, improved focus and self-esteem in young athletes, he says. To meet that goal, Up2Us partners with schools … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Studies show that when kids skip breakfast, they have a harder time focusing, are irritable and distracted by hunger. This can lead to anxiety and lower performance in sports, said Steph Magill, a registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition and is a sports parent to two teens. She recently was a … Read Sport Psychology Tip
When sports kids see other young athletes performing well in social media clips, they make comparisons, which can sink their confidence. Often, a 10-second clip on social media involves many takes, and can be misleading. But sports don’t always realize this and feel like they don’t measure up, said John … Read Sport Psychology Tip
When athletes feel pressure, they naturally tend to panic, said Conor Hogan, author of The Gym Upstairs: The Neuroscience of Future Champions. If they understand some of the neuroscience of sports, they can calm themselves with techniques like visualization and meditation, he said. Listen to Learn More: Related Articles on … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Girls in sports drop out at higher rates than boys, and a number of challenges lead to that problem, says Kathryn Ackerman, a physician and director of the Female Athlete Program in the sports medicine division of Boston Children’s Hospital. She’s also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical … Read Sport Psychology Tip