Youth Sports Psychology Articles

How Maturity Levels can Dictate Sports Kids’ Confidence

Youth Sports Psychology

Young Athlete Maturity Levels And Confidence Should kids be grouped by maturity level? And will it help them have more fun or feel more confident? Dr. Gary Brazina knows what he’s talking about when he says some young athletes struggle with confidence because of maturity differences. He’s a sports dad, … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Building Kids’ Confidence With Online Practice Help

Youth Sports Psychology

Ways to Build Sports Kids’ Confidence Do you ever wish your kids had the opportunity to communicate with their coaches or review their skills outside of practice so they could improve faster? If you had this opportunity, and were careful about helping your kids use it in ways that were … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Teaching Young Athletes to Be Resilient—in Sports and Life!

Youth Sports Psychology

Sports Kids And Moving on After Mistakes or Losses Does your young athlete say things like, “I can never hit a good one,” or, “I’m always a terrible player,” or “Things never work out for me” after a tough game or competition? That’s a red flag, says Tamar Chansky, Ph.D., … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Good Stress and Bad Stress for Youth Sports Kids

Youth Sports Psychology

Pre-Game Stress In Youth Sports Are your sports kids stressed before games? Do you know the signs and causes of stress in young athletes? Stress can really undermine kids’ confidence and success. And that hurts their performance and happiness. We talked to Debbie Mendel, a stress management expert and author … Read Sport Psychology Tip

How Young Athletes Lose Confidence with Comparisons

Youth Sports Psychology

Making Comparisons in Youth Sports We are seeing a disturbing trend today in young athletes – one that coaches and parents need to understand and address. Sports kids today spend too much time making comparisons to their competitors or teammates! They focus on how others are performing, rather than concentrating … Read Sport Psychology Tip

How Parents Can help Sports Kids Take More Risks

Youth Sports Psychology

Parental Pressure on Sports Kids Sports parents, did it ever occur to you that spending too much time watching your kids practice their sport makes it hard for them to take risks and grow as athletes? Huh? You might ask. What’s the link between watching them practice and ensuring they … Read Sport Psychology Tip