Youth sports psychology articles and tips for sports parents, young athletes, and youth coaches to improve mental performance and consistency.
Performance anxiety, mistakes and low confidence are some of the top challenges for girls who play volleyball–challenges that help them learn important lessons in life, said Leah Jantzen, a former Ironman and marathon runner who is now a mental health and performance coach at Ward Melville High School, Long Island. … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Do Your Sports Kids Have Fun When They Compete? Is sport enjoyable for them, or does it cause added stress in their lives? You would think athletes have a deep passion and love for competing, but that’s not always the case. Many athletes admit that competing is not fun. High … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Parents and Coaches Often Overlook Players’ Emotions It may seem as if a player’s negative emotions or outbursts only affect the player, but the impact is much more far-reaching. In one of our Ultimate Sports Parent podcasts, our guest explained that negative emotions can spread, like a virus, from one … Read Sport Psychology Tip
It’s Easy to Assume Young Athletes Want to Win Games That’s not what the research reveals, says Bill Eckstrom, CEO of Ecsell Sports and Ecsell Institute and co-author of The Coaching Effect. He recently chatted with us as a guest on our Ultimate Sports Parent podcast. Ecsell Sports conducted focus … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Every Athlete Experiences Rough Spots or Slumps Many times, young athletes get in trouble when they focus too much on their most recent disappointing results. This trap is called being mentally “nearsighted.” They focus too much on their recent bad results or performance slump. They tend to expect to be … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Jazlyn Pipkins, founder and owner of Jazletics, is a youth sports coach who says more and more of the kids on her teams have difficulty focusing. They may have ADHD, ADD or other conditions that make focusing hard. When kids have trouble focusing, they struggle with concentrating on and carrying … Read Sport Psychology Tip