How to Encourage Sports Kids to Stay in Sports It's important for sports parents to drop the sports fan mindset when watching their kids perform, said Bob Katz, a journalist, former sports dad and author of the kids' book "EZ and the Intangibles” in a recent interview. "We are a nation of sports fans," said Katz. "We tend to be sports crazed." Katz argues that the informality and fun integral to … [Read more...]
Parents, Have Your Kids Wanted to Quit Sports?
Why Do Young Athletes Want to Quit Sports? Why do young athletes want to quit sports? We'd love to hear from you... Often, athletes quit sports because of pressures from outside sources, be it parents, coaches, or teammates, but reasons vary. Here’s what some young athletes have told us: "My mom wont let me quit basketball even though I don't enjoy it anymore. She’s always yelling at me... I … [Read more...]
Help Young Athletes Set Goals for the Season
Setting Positive Sports Goals For The New Year As a new year begins, you want to help your athlete set appropriate goals for their athletic activities this year. Goal setting is an essential piece of the sports child’s mental game. As Michael Jordan said: "You have to know your goals before you can do them." Setting appropriate goals is a fundamental part of growing as an athlete, … [Read more...]
When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think
Do Your Athletes Have a Need to Impress Friends? A young athlete asks: "I’m a volleyball player on the same team for the third year in a row. We recently played another team which one of my best friends plays on, and I played great until she came in and everything went wrong. She had never seen me play and I made every possible mistake I could when usually I make very few. Is this … [Read more...]
Sports Kids’ Performance and Concistency
Pregame Routines for Young Athletes A sports parent asks: "My almost 13-year-old daughter is very talented, but her head gets in the way. She is a starter at striker. She has amazing games one day and the next she's a different player, she's inconsistent. What going one and how can we help her?" There are many reasons young athletes may not be consistent performers. These reasons … [Read more...]
How to Help Athletes Focus on The Process
Athletes Who Are More Confident in Practice Than Competition A sports parent wrote in and said: "Somehow on the courts, my son still lacks confidence. He has great techniques and I know that he can be a great player. But on the court he freezes, he feels scared and once he knows he sees competition that is better, his performance drops as well. Please help me on how to help him overcome … [Read more...]
Helping Athletes Who Get Timid During Competition
How Can Young Athletes Trust Their Skills in Games? A sports parent asks: "When my son plays certain sports, especially basketball, there's clearly and no hesitation to "mix it up" aggressively. He doesn't always translate skills to game situations... he often fails to let his skills flourish due to the lack of aggressiveness and/or toughness. (The best example I can provide is that when he drives … [Read more...]
How to Help Sports Kids Trust in Their Skills
How to Help Your Kids Stop Over Analyzing Their Performance A sports parent asks: "How do I reduce my child's over-analysis of possible difficult in-game situations?" Concentrating on in-game mistakes is a common issue for sports kids, and hurts kids’ confidence. Do your sports children focus on the small details, the mistakes they make, and get lost in the game at hand? Do they get … [Read more...]
Athletes Who Lack Confidence and Mental Game
What Mental Game Challenges Do Young Athlete Have? A sports parent wrote in and said: "My 14-year-old is a basketball player and an excellent shooter under most circumstances, but recently he has been missing free throws and shots in the fourth quarter. After the games, he seems dejected and sad, and it isn't getting any better. How can I help him boost his confidence?" As sports parents, you are … [Read more...]
One Trap for Parents That Hurts Kids’ Confidence
Avoiding Comparisons to Boost Confidence in Young Athletes As sports parents, we all strive to be positive and happy role models for our children. Unfortunately, the stresses of sports can bring out the negative in us if we don’t try to keep an actively positive mind. The trap is that well-meaning sports parents can undermine their sports children's confidence, which eventually will lead to less … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 42
- Next Page »