Youth sports psychology articles and strategies for sports parents of young athletes to improve mental game and performance.
Sports Kids Who Make Comparisons Parents and coaches, how many times have you heard your kids say, “We’re never going to beat that team! The players are huge.” Or fast. Or tough. The minute your hear this uttered by one of your team members, hold everything and have a heart-to-heart … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Do Your Sports Kids Choke in Competition? In “Sessions with Doc,” Dr. Patrick Cohn answers your sports psychology and mental training questions about why athletes choke or under perform in competition. Visit Peaksports.com and click on contact us to submit your question for Dr. Cohn to answer in his mental … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Coaches: Building Trust in Kids Building trust in kids is critical for coaches. If coaches establish a close, trusting relationship with their players, the players are more likely to feel confident, supported, and open—all keys to learning and transferring sports skills to life. In an inspiring interview with Thom Schauerman, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Kids Move on After Mistakes Too often, kids get hung up on the mistakes they make in sports. That means as soon as they goof up, they have trouble getting the mistake out of their minds. They dwell on the mistake—instead of moving past it. They scold themselves for … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Taking Kids’ Sports Skills to Life We all talk about the importance of transferring the skills kids learn in sports to other areas of their lives. But how exactly can we expedite that process? Megan Bartlett, chief program officer for Up2Us—who oversees the training of coaches in sports-based youth development—gave … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Playing Time in Youth Sports A common complaint from sports parents: The coach doesn’t give my child enough playing time, and it hurts her confidence. When a coach doesn’t give a child a lot of playing time, it can really hurt her view of her abilities and skills. And that, … Read Sport Psychology Tip