Youth sports psychology articles and strategies for sports parents of young athletes to improve mental game and performance.
Boosting Confidence For a New Season Parents, what’s the best way to prepare your kids for the new season in sports? It’s not about asking your kids to go out and practice every day. It’s not about lecturing your kids about the value of hard work and practice. It’s all … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Is it Hurtful or Beneficial For Kids to Specialize in Sports? These days, kids as young as 7 have begun specializing in one sport. That means that they are practicing the sport year-round to boost their performance- not just for the fun of it. Such early specialization–and specialization in general–has … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Sports Kids Focus Does your young athlete have a difficult time focusing during practices or competition? Not only can your athlete be distracted by outer distractions, such as parents coaching from the sidelines, but also their own internal distractions. We have identified many internal distractions for young athletes. These … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Sports Kids’ Keys to Happiness Nearly 70% of kids drop out of sports by the time they’re 13. That statistic isn’t new, but what is new is research that identifies what would keep them in sports. A new study conducted by George Washington University’s School of Public Health found that … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Helping Sports Kids Overcome Distractions Let’s face it, all young athletes get distracted from time to time. Some sports kids get distracted a lot-and don’t even realize it. Here’s the problem: Distracted sports kids aren’t focusing on what they need to focus on. As a result, they often experience lower … Read Sport Psychology Tip
What Hurts Sports Kids Confidence? Do your sports kids hold goofy beliefs about what boosts their performance? They may think that they’ll perform well if they wear a certain pair of socks, or sport a red headband, or eat five granola bars before a game. Often such ideas come from … Read Sport Psychology Tip