confidence in young athletes

The Importance of Athletes’ Pregame Mindset

Youth Sports Psychology

Help Sports Kids Overcome Self-Doubt Do your sports kids lose confidence just before a game or competition? Confidence in youth sports is the most important mental game advantage. They worry, for example, about the size and strength of their opponents, and compare themselves to other athletes. They tell themselves they’re … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Athletes Who Doubt Their Abilities Before Games

Youth Sports Psychology

How To Improve Kids’ Self-Confidence One of the biggest challenges young athletes face before a game, parents tell us, is doubt about their abilities. In fact, that’s what we see, too. Just before a game, kids start telling themselves that they’re no good at making three-pointers, that they don’t think … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Do You Try to Give Your Athletes Confidence?

Youth Sports Psychology

Confidence For Young Athletes A parent asked us in our recent survey, “How do you get kids ready and to games on time? What do you do to make them feel confident?” It’s critical to understand that you, as parents, can’t MAKE your kids feel confident; athletes must earn their … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Helping Young Athletes Overcome Unhealthy Beliefs About Their Performance

Having Negative Beliefs About Performance Many sports kids hold negative beliefs about their abilities—and such beliefs can really hurt their confidence and performance. For example, kids might give themselves negative labels that sound like this: “I always freeze up before I shoot,” or, “I’m terrible on defense.” Sound familiar? They … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Why Sports Kids Resist Mental Game Training—And What Parents Should Do

Building Confidence in Young Athletes

Mentally strong athletes—those who have done some mental game training—don’t balk after making mistakes. They don’t call themselves negative names. And they’re often great team players because they’re so positive. Truth is, however, that sports kids resist mental training, and miss out on these and other important benefits. Why? Because … Read Sport Psychology Tip

How To Gain Confidence In Sports

Video of The Week

Parents: Help Sports Kids Gain Confidence In “Sessions with Doc,” Dr. Patrick Cohn answers your sports psychology and mental training questions about gaining confidence in sports. Visit Peaksports.com and click on contact us to submit your question for Dr. Cohn to answer in his mental game videocast or podcast. Here’s … Read Sport Psychology Tip