Youth sports psychology articles and strategies for sports parents of young athletes to improve mental game and performance.
“How to Win Wimbledon in Pajamas” Mary Nhin’s son, Kobe, began competing in tennis a couple of years ago and was winning most of his games… until he hit a cold streak. “He began going into super tiebreakers, a very short determining point system, and he would get very nervous, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Perform Freely We received an email from a young athlete what is feeling nervous… “I have a figure skating competition next week and I was wondering if there are some tips to help me for the competition. I get really nervous for no reason. And I do really … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Breaking the Perfectionist Pattern Richard Burke, who has been coaching baseball, football and basketball for the last 12 years, recently told us how he used our Ultimate Sports Parent program to help a perfectionist pitcher. “I had a 10-year-old pitcher playing on an 11-year-old travel team. He was doing really … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Flow and Peak Performance in Sports For young athletes, finding flow is critical for their enjoyment and peak performance in sports… When kids experience being “in the zone,” they are focused, confident, and fearless. Athletes in a flow state perform on “autopilot,” feeling as though performance is almost effortless. In … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Comparisons Hurt Athletes’ Confidence When we surveyed parents, we found that 23% said that kids judge how their teammates are performing instead of focusing on their own play. Focusing on others’ play will distract your young athletes from their own game, and can become a major confidence killer. In the … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Help Young Athletes Enjoy Sports Many athletes limit their performance due to anxiety, tension, worry, and fear. Sports are supposed to be fun, not stressful for your athletes, right? Parents and coaches, we can help you identify when sports kids are suffering from anxiety–and determine how to help … Read Sport Psychology Tip