{"id":1172,"date":"2011-04-01T14:24:07","date_gmt":"2011-04-01T14:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1172"},"modified":"2025-08-07T04:39:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T08:39:19","slug":"do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Homeschooled Young Athletes Feel More Pressure to Win?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/having-fun-with-sports.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/having-fun-with-sports.jpg\" alt=\"Helping Young Athletes Have More Fun\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-9092\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/having-fun-with-sports.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/having-fun-with-sports-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Homeschooling_And_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Homeschooling And Youth Sports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win\/#Homeschooling_And_Youth_Sports\" >Homeschooling And Youth Sports<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win\/#Is_homeschooling_worth_it\" >Is homeschooling worth it?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win\/#Dealing_with_Pressure\" >Dealing with Pressure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win\/#Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\" >Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win\/#Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\" >Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>When families completely re-structure their lives to meet the needs of young athletes, do the kids feel more<strong> pressure <\/strong>to perform?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, we\u2019ve found that the answer is often yes. When parents pull their kids out of school, they must change their work schedules to accommodate homeschooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When parents invest a lot of time and money into sports, schooling and travel resources, kids feel a greater need to &#8220;pay&#8221; parents back with better performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The advantage, on the other hand:<strong> Homeschooling <\/strong>allows kids to train more often and to travel, and there are fewer conflicts with school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_homeschooling_worth_it\"><\/span>Is homeschooling worth it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrea Leib, a former teacher, a sports parent to a motocross racer and founder of stayontrack.net, an online school for young athletes who are being homeschooled, says the benefits are big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, kids need sports psychology and other resources to help them better cope with the <strong>pressures<\/strong> associated with their busy lives, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leib found that her son\u2019s school did not accommodate her son\u2019s motocross travel schedule. She wasn\u2019t excited about homeschooling, but decided to give it a try. After a year or so, she created stayontrack.net, an online private school that now has 75 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cOnce students come over to our program and we can customize our programs for them, the <strong>pressure<\/strong> is lifted and they can excel,\u201d<\/em> she says. <em>\u201cTheir <strong>confidence<\/strong> levels go up\u2026 If anyone feels more pressure, it\u2019s the parents. It\u2019s a big commitment for parents.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Homeschooled kids need to feel as if they\u2019re part of a team of parents, teachers and students, she says. They need to understand that they have to be just as disciplined in school as they are in sports, she says.<br>And it\u2019s critical for kids to have access to <strong>sports psychology<\/strong> resources, she says. Young athletes need lots of <strong>confidence and composure <\/strong>to thrive at the national level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dealing_with_Pressure\"><\/span>Dealing with Pressure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here at Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, we have a number of resources and tips for kids who feel pressured. For starters, we suggest that parents&#8211;whether they\u2019re homeschooling or not&#8211;keep their own expectations in check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure you don\u2019t impose your<strong> high expectations <\/strong>on your kids. That will feel like<strong> pressure<\/strong>. If you say something as simple as, \u201cMake three goals today!\u201d kids will likely twist this into &#8220;do or die&#8221; expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, it\u2019s not a good idea to remind your kids that you\u2019re putting a lot of money and time into their sports experience. They\u2019ll feel like they must &#8220;pay&#8221; you back for your investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, you should tell them that you enjoy being part of their sports experience and want to support them as much as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn more about how to ensure you\u2019re supporting your sports kids in the most constructive ways possible? At Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, exclusive members have access to the following resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cHomeschooling: Pressure for Young Athletes?\u201d our audio interview with Leib.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cKick Fear of Failure and Perfectionism,\u201d eBooks written for parents and for sports kids.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cHelping Less Talented Siblings Cope with Pressure,\u201d an article for sports parents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, we\u2019ve got many, more downloadable eBooks, audios, videos, articles and question-and-answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\"><\/span>Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/homeschooling-pressure-for-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Homeschooling: Pressure for Young Athletes? [Podcast]<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/addressing-anxiety-mistakes-and-low-confidence-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>Addressing Anxiety, Mistakes and Low Confidence in Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/solve-this-source-of-pressure-for-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Solve This Source of Pressure for Young Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\"><\/span><strong>Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mental-training-for-young-athletes.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6868\" style=\"width:138px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re certain that, as a parent,&nbsp;you want to help your child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life.&nbsp;And as a sports parent, you\u2019d love for your children to reach their potential in sports.&nbsp;But encouraging your child to <strong>strive for greatness without pressuring them<\/strong> can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can get expert mental coaching with us from anywhere. Meet with us via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or phone call. With today\u2019s video technology, we are able to connect with athletes and coaches all over the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Call Us Today to Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Session.<\/strong><br><strong>Find Out How Your Athlete Can Benefit From One-on-One Mental Coaching!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Homeschooling And Youth Sports When families completely re-structure their lives to meet the needs of young athletes, do the kids feel more pressure to perform? At Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, we\u2019ve found that the answer is often yes. When parents pull their kids out of school, they must change their work &#8230; <a title=\"Do Homeschooled Young Athletes Feel More Pressure to Win?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-homeschooled-young-athletes-feel-more-pressure-to-win\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Do Homeschooled Young Athletes Feel More Pressure to Win?\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,6],"tags":[430,207,39,429,260],"class_list":["post-1172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-young-athletes-pressure","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-homeschooled-athletes","tag-homeschooling","tag-kids-sports-psychology","tag-pressure-for-young-athletes","tag-young-athletes-pressure","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1172\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}