{"id":2357,"date":"2014-07-10T14:27:22","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T14:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=2357"},"modified":"2025-07-21T05:59:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T09:59:11","slug":"when-kids-have-goofy-beliefs-and-superstitions-that-hurt-their-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-kids-have-goofy-beliefs-and-superstitions-that-hurt-their-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"When Kids Have Goofy Beliefs And Superstitions That Hurt Their 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\/12\/help-sports-kids-set-goals-without-expectations.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/help-sports-kids-set-goals-without-expectations.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/help-sports-kids-set-goals-without-expectations-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=\"What_Hurts_Sports_Kids_Confidence\"><\/span>What Hurts Sports Kids Confidence?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 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\/when-kids-have-goofy-beliefs-and-superstitions-that-hurt-their-confidence\/#What_Hurts_Sports_Kids_Confidence\" >What Hurts Sports Kids 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\/when-kids-have-goofy-beliefs-and-superstitions-that-hurt-their-confidence\/#Damaged_Confidence\" >Damaged Confidence<\/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\/when-kids-have-goofy-beliefs-and-superstitions-that-hurt-their-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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-kids-have-goofy-beliefs-and-superstitions-that-hurt-their-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>Do your <strong>sports kids<\/strong> hold goofy beliefs about what boosts their performance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They may think that they&#8217;ll perform well if they wear a certain pair of socks, or sport a red headband, or eat five granola bars before a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Often such ideas come from past wins. They may have played well one day when they were wearing green-and-white striped underwear, and think that wearing it every game will boost their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s important for parents to help sports kids identify such beliefs and explain how they may be undermining kids&#8217; <strong>confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s what happens:<\/strong> When kids hold these beliefs, they easily get frustrated if the game or practice doesn&#8217;t go as expected. What&#8217;s more, if they forget to wear their green-and-white striped underwear, they are sure they will perform horribly at the game or performance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Damaged_Confidence\"><\/span>Damaged Confidence<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Parents, you, too, need to think about whether you contribute to such ideas. Do you say things like, <em>&#8220;Don&#8217;t forget to wear your lucky red headband today!&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp; Understand that these superstitions ultimately hurt kids&#8217; <strong>confidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, you should <strong>focus<\/strong> on building kids&#8217; <strong>confidence<\/strong> in ways that work! For example, ask your young athletes to create a <strong>confidence resume.<\/strong> This includes the athletes&#8217; great traits in sports, plus some of their accomplishments. Suggest that your young athletes review their <strong>confidence<\/strong> resume before a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, be sure your kids <strong>focus<\/strong> on the process-not on the score or win! They need to <strong>focus<\/strong> on the job they need to do right now- not on what will happen in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re interested in learning more about how to boost kids&#8217; <strong>confidence<\/strong> in sports, check out our CD and workbook program, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\"><strong>The Confident Sports Kid: A 7-Day Plan for Building Self-Confidence in Young Athletes<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a class=\"validation-enabled valid-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\"><strong>The Confident Sports Kid Workbook and CD Program<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll learn many, many strategies for boosting your child&#8217;s <strong>confidence<\/strong> in sports- and life!<\/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\/how-superstitions-can-hurt-athletes-confidence\/\"><strong>How Superstitions Can Hurt Athletes\u2019 Confidence<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-overcome-unhealthy-beliefs-about-their-performance\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes Overcome Unhealthy Beliefs About Their Performance<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-goofy-beliefs-harm-confidence-and-performance-in-sports-kids\/\"><strong>How Goofy Beliefs Harm Kids\u2019 Sports Confidence and Performance<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to<strong>\u00a0<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><\/strong>\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>What Hurts Sports Kids Confidence? Do your sports kids hold goofy beliefs about what boosts their performance? They may think that they&#8217;ll perform well if they wear a certain pair of socks, or sport a red headband, or eat five granola bars before a game. Often such ideas come from &#8230; <a title=\"When Kids Have Goofy Beliefs And Superstitions That Hurt Their Confidence\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-kids-have-goofy-beliefs-and-superstitions-that-hurt-their-confidence\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about When Kids Have Goofy Beliefs And Superstitions That Hurt Their Confidence\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6],"tags":[309,449,117],"class_list":["post-2357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-in-youth-sports","tag-young-athletes-confidence","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\/2357","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=2357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}