Youth sports psychology articles and strategies for sports parents of young athletes to improve mental game and performance.
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 … Read Sport Psychology Tip
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 … Read Sport Psychology Tip
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, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
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, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
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 … Read Sport Psychology Tip
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 … Read Sport Psychology Tip