{"id":2318,"date":"2014-06-12T15:15:21","date_gmt":"2014-06-12T15:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=2318"},"modified":"2025-07-21T06:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T10:17:54","slug":"ensure-young-athletes-self-talk-is-positive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/ensure-young-athletes-self-talk-is-positive\/","title":{"rendered":"Ensure Young Athletes&#8217; Self-Talk is Positive"},"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\/12\/why-having-fun-helps-sports-kids-perform-well.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/why-having-fun-helps-sports-kids-perform-well.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/why-having-fun-helps-sports-kids-perform-well-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=\"Positive_Self-Talk_in_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Positive Self-Talk 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\/ensure-young-athletes-self-talk-is-positive\/#Positive_Self-Talk_in_Youth_Sports\" >Positive Self-Talk 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\/ensure-young-athletes-self-talk-is-positive\/#Why\" >Why?<\/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\/ensure-young-athletes-self-talk-is-positive\/#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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/ensure-young-athletes-self-talk-is-positive\/#The_Composed_Sports_Kid\" >The Composed Sports Kid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Even top athletes tell themselves, <em>&#8220;I need to talk to myself more positively. I need to take a hard look at the way I talk to myself about sports.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In youth sports, kids need to do this, too, says Dan Schaeffer, Ph.D., who works with athletes to boost their <strong>confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kids tell themselves, <em>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want this to happen,&#8221; &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to miss this shot,&#8221; &#8220;I&#8217;m a bad shooter,&#8221;<\/em> and other statements that are negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s <strong>negative self-talk<\/strong> and kids need to turn this into <strong>positive self talk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why\"><\/span>Why?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Negative <strong>self-talk<\/strong> distracts young athletes and hurts their <strong>confidence.<\/strong> What&#8217;s more, it hurts those around the athletes. <em>&#8220;If you have a negative environment, it affects everyone,&#8221;<\/em> Schaeffer says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such talk often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Kids tell themselves they&#8217;re not going to do well, or they&#8217;re not good at something&#8211;and that&#8217;s what happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To solve the problem, kids first have to recognize that their <strong>self-talk<\/strong> is negative. <em>&#8220;People need to hear themselves and change the conversation,&#8221;<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here at Kids&#8217; Sports Psychology, we agree. We suggest that kids who engage in <strong>negative self-talk<\/strong> first identify the negative statements they tell themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, they need to change the negative statements to <strong>positive<\/strong> ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, instead of <em>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to miss this shot,&#8221;<\/em> they might tell themselves, <em>&#8220;I&#8217;ve made this shot many times. I can do it again right now.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind, however, that kids need to be <strong>patient<\/strong> with this <strong>process.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They can&#8217;t change negative thoughts into <strong>positive<\/strong> ones overnight. However, once they&#8217;ve identified that they have negative <strong>self-talk,<\/strong> they&#8217;ve made a big step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same is true of most <strong>mental game strategies.<\/strong> You can&#8217;t change an ingrained way of thinking overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if kids are aware of what they need to change, and work on it everyday, they&#8217;ll see results!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more tips and strategies for <strong>boosting<\/strong> kids&#8217; <strong>confidence,<\/strong> check out Kids&#8217; Sports Psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exclusive members have access to our interview with Schaeffer, who also discusses why kids need to take ownership in their experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\">Interview with Dr. Dan Schaeffer<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll also find eBooks, articles, audios, and more, all designed to boost your kids&#8217; <strong>confidence<\/strong> in sports.<\/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\/how-self-talk-can-help-athletes-when-losing-a-game\/\"><strong>How Self-Talk Can Help Athletes When Losing a Game<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/self-talk-that-destroys-young-athletes-confidence\/\"><strong>Self-talk That Destroys Young Athletes\u2019 Confidence<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-youth-sports-feels-toxic-athletes-need-these-skills\/\"><strong>When Youth Sports Feels Toxic, Athletes Need These Skills\u00a0<\/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-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Composed_Sports_Kid\"><\/span>The Composed Sports Kid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/composed-sports-kid-small-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Composed Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-11173\" style=\"width:170px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Composed Sports Kid&#8221; audio&nbsp;and workbook digital download program for young athletes and their parents or coach helps kids cope with frustration and anger in sports. Help your sports kids learn how to manage expectations and let go of mistakes so they can keep their head in the game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>The Composed Sports Kid system<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;is really two programs in one\u2013one program to train parents and coaches how to help their kids practice composure, and one program that teaches young athletes\u2013<em>ages 6 to 13<\/em>\u2013how to improve composure, let go of mistakes quickly, have more self-acceptance,&nbsp;<strong>and thus enjoy sports more<\/strong>!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-26bcd9b3\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-903b6244 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-3275f4fd gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/confident-sports-kid-series-digital-version\/products\/the-confident-sports-kid-bundle-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Positive Self-Talk in Youth Sports Even top athletes tell themselves, &#8220;I need to talk to myself more positively. I need to take a hard look at the way I talk to myself about sports.&#8221; In youth sports, kids need to do this, too, says Dan Schaeffer, Ph.D., who works with &#8230; <a title=\"Ensure Young Athletes&#8217; Self-Talk is Positive\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/ensure-young-athletes-self-talk-is-positive\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Ensure Young Athletes&#8217; Self-Talk is Positive\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,14,6],"tags":[565,566,321,251],"class_list":["post-2318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-youth-sports-podcast","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-negative-self-talk","tag-positive-mindset-in-sports","tag-young-athletes","tag-youth-sports","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2318","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=2318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}