{"id":181,"date":"2009-07-28T22:14:36","date_gmt":"2009-07-28T22:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=181"},"modified":"2025-08-08T01:56:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T05:56:52","slug":"building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Kids\u2019 Confidence With Online Practice Help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3454\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/teaching-young-athletes-to-be-resilient\u2014in-sports-and-life.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/teaching-young-athletes-to-be-resilient\u2014in-sports-and-life.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/teaching-young-athletes-to-be-resilient\u2014in-sports-and-life-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ways_to_Build_Sports_Kids_Confidence\"><\/span>Ways to Build Sports Kids&#8217; Confidence<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\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/#Ways_to_Build_Sports_Kids_Confidence\" >Ways to Build Sports Kids&#8217; Confidence<\/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\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/#The_goal_is_to_reinforce_and_expand_on_what_the_kids_learn_in_regular_practice\" >The goal is to reinforce and expand on what the kids learn in regular practice.<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/#Engh_agrees\" >Engh agrees.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/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\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/#As_parents_you_can_help_your_kids_avoid_information_overload\" >As parents, you can help your kids avoid information overload.<\/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\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/#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-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/#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>Do you ever wish your kids had the opportunity to communicate with their coaches or review their skills outside of practice so they could improve faster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you had this opportunity, and were careful about helping your kids use it in ways that were fun, you\u2019d likely see faster learning and a boost in kids\u2019 <strong>confidence. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the message from John Engh, COO of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (nays.org), which recently unveiled a cutting-edge program called ShapeStuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NAYS&#8217; ShapeStuff is an online program that allows coaches to create <strong>skills-building<\/strong> exercises for their players to use between practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_goal_is_to_reinforce_and_expand_on_what_the_kids_learn_in_regular_practice\"><\/span>The goal is to reinforce and expand on what the kids learn in regular practice.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Engh\u2019s program allows coaches to share with young athletes and their parents a combination of video clips and interactive exercises, including audio or video messages. The coach sends the exercises to players\u2019 personal computers or cell phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, a basketball coach might coach share an audio or video clip about dribbling, and then provide kids with an interactive quiz asking whether they dribble with their palm or fingertips. The kids take the quiz by selecting either \u201cpalm\u201d or \u201cfingertips.\u201d The quiz results give coaches additional information that allows coaches to address their individual needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cThe coach knows which kids dribble with their palm. That\u2019s great feedback,\u201d<\/em> says Engh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here at the Ultimate Sports Parent and Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, we think it\u2019s a great idea to use such technology-based programs to help communicate with kids. The more they learn about how to improve their skills, and the faster they learn, the more confident they\u2019ll feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Engh says, young athletes develop <strong>confidence<\/strong> through repetition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cSo when it comes to game time they are confident enough to apply those skills and know those plays.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But as we discussed in a recent interview with Engh, it\u2019s important to ensure kids have fun when learning skills. You don\u2019t want athletes to feel like they\u2019re doing \u201chomework,\u201d Engh agrees. The ShapeStuff lessons are intended to be short; videos are one minute in length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only should parents ensure kids have fun when reviewing skills. They need to make sure their young athletes don\u2019t get overloaded with details about technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Engh_agrees\"><\/span>Engh agrees.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cAs a coach, I have to tell myself, \u2018These are the things that are most important.\u2019 ShapeStuff allows you to reinforce those important things and not try to get to extra techniques that overload the kids.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can be tempting for parents to spend more time <strong>focusing<\/strong> on technique\u2014especially before a game. This is common in highly <strong>motivated <\/strong>and perfectionist athletes who love to train.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there\u2019s a downside to all this training. These athletes often <strong>over-analyze <\/strong>their technique at the wrong moment\u2014during competition. Some athletes might freeze up or over-think their skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve stressed that during competition, kids need to rely on their <strong>intuition<\/strong> and <strong>trust<\/strong> in the skills they have learned from practice. To perform their best, they need to perform relaxed and play with freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"As_parents_you_can_help_your_kids_avoid_information_overload\"><\/span>As parents, you can help your kids avoid information overload.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use such online programs as they are intended to be used, in this case, in short sessions that reinforce what was learned in practice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leave the practice on the field or court. Help young athletes become performers in competition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tell them to be more reactive and to keep things simple. See the ball and hit it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Help them perform in the here-and-now. Tell them to get the job done without worrying about HOW to get the job done.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019d like to listen to the entire interview with Engh, visit Kids&#8217; Sports Psychology: Sports Parent Radio Show<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.S. Want to learn more strategies for helping young athletes build <strong>confidence<\/strong>? At Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, we have many resources for parents and young athletes. Become a member today and help your kids improve their <strong>mental game <\/strong>and reap all the physical and social benefits of participating in sports: Kids Sports Psychology<\/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\/helping-sports-kids-build-stable-confidence\/\"><strong>Helping Sports Kids Build Stable Confidence\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/\"><strong>Building Sports Kids\u2019 Confidence by Creating Community<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-build-confidence-in-sports-kids-when-it-wanes\/\"><strong>How to Build Confidence in Sports Kids When it Wanes<\/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 <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-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>Ways to Build Sports Kids&#8217; Confidence Do you ever wish your kids had the opportunity to communicate with their coaches or review their skills outside of practice so they could improve faster? If you had this opportunity, and were careful about helping your kids use it in ways that were &#8230; <a title=\"Building Kids\u2019 Confidence With Online Practice Help\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-kids-confidence-with-online-practice-help\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Building Kids\u2019 Confidence With Online Practice Help\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,20,14,6],"tags":[399,398,253,262,258,117],"class_list":["post-181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-positive-feedback-for-kids","category-youth-sports-coaching","category-youth-sports-podcast","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-nays-shapestuff","tag-online-practice-for-youth-athletes","tag-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-youth-sports-coaching","tag-youth-sports-podcast","tag-youth-sports-psychology","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181","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=181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}