Youth sports psychology articles and strategies for sports parents of young athletes to improve mental game and performance.
Supporting Teammates in Youth Sports When kids strike out at bat on Brad Jubin’s baseball team, the other players standing in the dugout raise four fingers to show their support. This is a great way to lift young kids’ spirits after they make mistakes, says the co-founder of “A Team … Read Sport Psychology Tip
What Should Sports Kids Focus On? Too often, kids worry about what others think of how they’re performing or playing. And of course, this worry affects kids in other area of their lives, too. If they can get it under control in sports, they may also learn to control it … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Choose The Right Coach For Your Sports Kid As sports parents, one of the most important things you’ll do is choose a coach for your sports kids. You might have signed up your young athletes for teams their best friends are on. And you probably don’t have many … Read Sport Psychology Tip
When Your Sports Kid Gets Frustrated Kids who play certain positions-say a goalkeeper in lacrosse-have to focus so intensely that a mistake can prompt a big emotional response-anger, regret, and the tendency for players to criticize themselves. And that can really hurt players and their team. That’s the word from … Read Sport Psychology Tip
The Impact of Negative Thinking Greg Liberto’s tryout for a sophomore baseball team changed his life forever. He had played baseball as a freshman, but as a sophomore his parents switched him to his school’s arch-rival. When he went to the try-outs, he had a huge chip on his shoulder, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Staying in the Moment in Youth Sports Kayla Wood, an all-star high school pitcher in Brattleboro, Vt., understands the importance of staying in the moment while pitching. “No matter what is going on out there I try to take it one game, one inning and one pitch at a time.” … Read Sport Psychology Tip