Fear of Failure in Sports

Fear of failure in sports articles and tips for sports parents, young athletes, and youth coaches to improve mental performance and overall consistency.

Helping Athletes Who Get Timid During Competition

Young Athletes Trust Their Skills

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

Helping Youth Baseball Players Deal with Failure

Ultimate Sports Parent Podcast

Strategies to Help Sports Kids Overcome Failure Fear of failure affects sports children in all types of sports, but can be especially challenging in baseball, says Nova Newcomer, executive director, Friends of Baseball, in Portland, Oregon. “The tough challenge with baseball is it’s a failure-based sport,” says Newcomer, whose organization … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Building Confidence in Young Athletes

Building Confidence in Young Athletes

Helping Sports Kids Overcome the Fear of Making Mistakes A sports parent asks: “My daughter is 13 years old and is currently playing basketball. She is very athletic and has natural abilities but just doesn’t know it or use it. Her confidence level is not there. She gets in a … Read Sport Psychology Tip

How to Help Kids That Want to Quit Sports

How to Help Kids That Want to Quit Sports

Helping Kids Focus on The Process Instead of Outcome A young athlete writes: “I want to quit wrestling because I have too much anxiety with the pain and my failure. I have found other hobbies like lifting by myself or with a friend. I just don’t like wrestling and I … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Helping Kids See the Good and Bad of Perfectionism in Sports

Perfectionists in Youth Sports

How Perfectionism Can Lead to Fear of Failure A sports parent writes: “My child is a 9-year old figure skater. She is very passionate with her sport but sometimes she tend to get very frustrated when she performs poorly in her program. Also, when she is performing well, her coach … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Fear of Failure and Youth Sports

Overcoming Fear of Failure

How to Unlock Athletes’ Minds from Avoiding Mistakes A young athlete asks: “I’m a 14-year old basketball player. I keep holding back on the court because I’m afraid to mess up. What should I do?” Fear of failure is one of the most common issues in youth sports. Your children … Read Sport Psychology Tip