Pregame Routines for Young Athletes A sports parent asks: “My almost 13-year-old daughter is very talented, but her head gets in the way. She is a starter at striker. She has amazing games one day and the next she’s a different player, she’s inconsistent. What going one and how can … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Pressure And Social Approval Often, young athletes worry too much about what teammates, parents, coaches and friends think about how they’re performing on the court, field or course. When they seek others’ approval of their performance and abilities, and then don’t do well, they can feel inadequate. They might pressure … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Teaching Young Athletes to Mentally Prepare Hall of Fame player Hank Aaron, one of the best hitters in the history of baseball and a model of consistency, attributed much of his success to his mental preparation, both before and during a game. Rather than focusing on mechanics, he believed that … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Should Sports Kids View Pregame Warmups? Often, young athletes’ confidence sinks if they don’t do well during pregame warmups. They mistakenly think that if they goof up a shot or drop a ball during warmups, they won’t do well during the game. Perfectionists often embrace this idea, and are … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Pregame Mental Preparation For Young Athletes Just before a game or competition, kids need to be as mentally ready as possible. However, it’s hard to do this when kids feel anxious, distracted, worried or tense about what’s about to happen. This can undermine kids’ performance and confidence…. Parents can inadvertently … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Young Athletes And Pregame Mental Preparation It’s so tempting, as parents, to give kids your top tips so they perform well in the game… This is because we want so badly for our kids to perform well, stay focused, and be confident about their performance. We can’t help but say … Read Sport Psychology Tip