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...]
Why Are Younger Athletes Dropping Out of Sports?
Reasons for Rising Dropout Rates in Sports Recent studies have shown a 14% drop off in soccer participation between the ages of 6-12, says Benjamin Dudley, executive director, Positive Coaching Aliance (PCA), Portland. We also see these kinds of numbers in baseball, football, and basketball all around the country. And the dropouts are getting younger and younger. Until now, the statistic … [Read more...]
Mental Training Programs For Young Athletes
What's the Best Program for My Young Athlete? A sports mom asks: "I just wanted to know what the best program is for a 11 (almost 12) year old. I have a 12-year-old with confidence issues." We often receive emails with these types of questions. Here at the Ultimate Sports Parent and Kids’ Sports Psychology, we offer a number of programs, all of which boost kids’ confidence, focus, and … [Read more...]
How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive
Do Your Athletes Have Pre-Game Jitters or Anxiety Before Games? A sports parent asks: "My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts! Is there anything I can do?" Pregame jitters are a common source of anxiety for players. Keep in mind that the jitters are different than performance anxiety or fear. Your sports … [Read more...]
Building Confidence With Supportive Communication
Do You Over Coach Your Athletes From the Sidelines? It’s important to build kids' confidence, on and off the field. But its' not always obvious to sports parents about how to do that. In a recent interview, Greg Winkler, award-winning soccer coach and author of "Coaching a Season of Significance," gave tips for sports parents. Sports parents often have the urge to talk to their kids about the … [Read more...]
Balance Levels of Involvement as a Sports Parent
How to Be a Supportive Sports Parent, Not a Pushy Sports Parent A sports parent asks: "How can I help my children really own their own sports experience?" Sports parents can sometimes forget that the sports experience should belong to their children. When parents are too intrusive, controlling, or over-involved, it undermines kids’ experience. Sports parent no-nos include being too pushy, too loud … [Read more...]
Are Your Athletes Self-Motivated or Driven by Parents?
How to Help Sports Kids Be Self-Motivated A sports parent asks: "How can I help my son learn how to be self-motivated so that he can improve his tennis game?" Dan Coyle, the author of "The Talent Code," argues that you have to help your children by cultivating their passion. Passion, he says, makes learning a quick and enjoyable experience. Passionate, self-motivated sports kids play … [Read more...]
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