{"id":1625,"date":"2012-03-08T19:54:20","date_gmt":"2012-03-08T19:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1625"},"modified":"2025-08-11T05:21:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T09:21:03","slug":"teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Sports Kids to \u201cGo For It\u201d When They Lack Confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/when-positive-encouragement-backfires-in-young-athletes.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3461\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/when-positive-encouragement-backfires-in-young-athletes.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/when-positive-encouragement-backfires-in-young-athletes-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Coming_Back_After_Injuries_in_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Coming Back After Injuries in 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\/teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence\/#Coming_Back_After_Injuries_in_Youth_Sports\" >Coming Back After Injuries in 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\/teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence\/#Here_are_the_likely_suspects%E2%80%94the_common_confidence_busters_for_sports_kids\" >Here are the likely suspects\u2014the common confidence busters for sports kids:<\/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\/teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence\/#Whats_the_answer\" >What\u2019s the answer?<\/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\/teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence\/#Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\" >Related Articles on Youth Sports:<\/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\/teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">One sports mom writes us to say her 12-year-old soccer player is too timid, backs off too often, dwells on her weaknesses, and performs better in practice than during games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of the problem, the sports mom says, is that her daughter is coming back from an <strong>injury.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cShe seemed scared to get back to play, not because of injuries, but I think it was better on her <strong>self confidence<\/strong> to say \u201cI am hurt\u201d than to go out and fail. Now she is slow, rusty, and the self <strong>confidence<\/strong> is worse than ever.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This sports kid\u2014who has plenty of <strong>successes<\/strong> in her sports history &#8212; suffers from a lack of <strong>confidence,<\/strong> and it\u2019s important to get to the bottom of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s possible she\u2019s a <strong>perfectionist<\/strong> and she\u2019s afraid of failing. Maybe she\u2019s surrounded by critical coaches and parents, and focuses on what they say, instead of on her strengths. Maybe she\u2019s filled with doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, her parents and coaches need to be as <strong>positive<\/strong> as possible. It sounds like that\u2019s just what her mom is doing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI tell her that her mantra can be \u2018I don&#8217;t give a rip if I mess up, I am gonna work for it.\u2019 I tell her she has every right to put her foot on the ball &#8211; to try and fail is to learn. I do praise her and never coach.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even this impressive behavior on the part of this sports mom isn\u2019t helping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To begin with, this sports mom needs to uncover what\u2019s behind her daughter\u2019s lack of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Here_are_the_likely_suspects%E2%80%94the_common_confidence_busters_for_sports_kids\"><\/span>Here are the likely suspects\u2014the common confidence busters for sports kids:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They hold <strong>high expectations<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They call themselves <strong>negative<\/strong> names<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They tell themselves \u201cI can\u2019t\u201d statements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They harbor goofy believes, such as \u201c<em>I only score if I\u2019m wearing my red headband.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They doubt their abilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They worry about what everyone thinks of them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_the_answer\"><\/span>What\u2019s the answer?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\">Confident Sports Kid<\/a> workbook and CD program, parents and coaches can use our evaluation tools to uncover what\u2019s hurting their sports kids\u2019 <strong>confidence.<\/strong> They can then tackle each of the possible <strong>confidence<\/strong> busters in the 7-day program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They learn how to <strong>communicate<\/strong> with sports kids, how to identify whether their behavior is hurting kids\u2019 <strong>confidence,<\/strong> and discover important tools for boosting kids\u2019 <strong>confidence<\/strong> and <strong>success.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The result:<\/strong> almost immediate boosts in <strong>confidence<\/strong> for <strong>sports kids\u2014and<\/strong> improved sports parenting skills for parents!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You can learn more about the program here:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Confident Sports Kid Workbook\/CD Program<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use this program to help uncover your kids\u2019 <strong>confidence<\/strong> busters and address them with practical strategies that yield quick results!<\/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_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Related Articles on Youth Sports:<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\/help-athletes-trust-the-training\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/getting-all-the-goodness-out-of-youth-sports\/\"><strong>Getting All the Goodness Out of Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/setting-goals-for-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Setting Goals for Young Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/the-importance-of-goal-setting-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>The Importance of Goal Setting in Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> <\/strong>on Spotify<\/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\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coming Back After Injuries in Youth Sports One sports mom writes us to say her 12-year-old soccer player is too timid, backs off too often, dwells on her weaknesses, and performs better in practice than during games. Part of the problem, the sports mom says, is that her daughter is &#8230; <a title=\"Teaching Sports Kids to \u201cGo For It\u201d When They Lack Confidence\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/teaching-sports-kids-to-go-for-it-when-they-lack-confidence\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Teaching Sports Kids to \u201cGo For It\u201d When They Lack Confidence\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[240,244,216,46,243,251],"class_list":["post-1625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-kids-sports-confidence","tag-lack-of-confidence","tag-sports-confidence","tag-sports-psychology","tag-youth-confidence","tag-youth-sports","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625","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=1625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}