{"id":30,"date":"2007-12-16T03:36:00","date_gmt":"2007-12-16T03:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=30"},"modified":"2025-08-11T06:03:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T10:03:44","slug":"youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth Sports: An Athlete&#8217;s &#8220;Emotional Tank&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3464\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank-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=\"Building_Confidence_in_Young_Athletes\"><\/span>Building Confidence in Young Athletes<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\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank\/#Building_Confidence_in_Young_Athletes\" >Building Confidence in Young Athletes<\/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\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank\/#Its_critical_to_build_young_athletes_confidence_by_praising_them\" >It&#8217;s critical to build young athletes&#8217; confidence by praising them.<\/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\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank\/#Teach_them_how_to_praise_themselves\" >Teach them how to praise themselves.<\/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\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank\/#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\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank\/#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>How can parents and coaches fill a young athlete&#8217;s &#8220;emotional tank?&#8221;\u009d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaches need to praise kids five times before they provide one piece of constructive criticism, says David Jacobson, a spokesman for the Positive Coaching Alliance, based at Stanford University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;We liken a child&#8217;s emotional tank to a car&#8217;s gas tank. When the tank is full, it runs well. When it&#8217;s drained, it doesn&#8217;t run well,&#8221;<\/em> he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To fill a child&#8217;s or teen&#8217;s tank, parents and coaches need to provide a steady flow of specific, <strong>truthful<\/strong> praise, Jacobson says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you do this, sports kids are more <strong>confident.<\/strong> They&#8217;re also more open to criticism and more likely to listen to what the coach or parent has to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;When you&#8217;re praising, you&#8217;re creating a great feeling for the child so he or she wants to continue the work required to excel as an athlete and take away all the life lessons that sports has to offer,&#8221;\u009d<\/em> he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_critical_to_build_young_athletes_confidence_by_praising_them\"><\/span>It&#8217;s critical to build young athletes&#8217; confidence by praising them.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For many young athletes, <strong>confidence<\/strong> is fragile and wavers easily depending on their performance and feedback from parents and coaches. They&#8217;re less likely to feel <strong>confident<\/strong> if they make mistakes or lose a match and get criticized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial;\">One of your goals is to help your child develop a more stable level of confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Help them through the bumps in the <strong>confidence<\/strong> roller coaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s another way to fill your kids\u2019 emotional tanks and boost their <strong>confidence:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Teach_them_how_to_praise_themselves\"><\/span>Teach them how to praise themselves.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Help your kids create a <strong>confidence<\/strong> resume. It may include a fun practice, a past experience, a successful game, skills improvement or good coaching. Ask your kids to review their <strong>confidence<\/strong> resumes before competing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To develop <strong>confidence,<\/strong> kids, should have a \u201chighlight reel\u201d in their heads just before a game, says Robert Troutwine, Ph.D., founder of Troutwine and Associates. That\u2019s a <strong>mental image<\/strong> of their most amazing play, move or moment in sports. It\u2019s an image of a play, move or moment that makes them feel on top of the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Remember:<\/strong> The last thing we want is for your young athletes to <strong>mentally rehearse<\/strong> bad plays, moves or moments in sports!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why? Because they\u2019ll be practicing the wrong things. They\u2019ll allow self-doubt to creep into their minds. They\u2019ll be totally distracted!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, playing in their heads a highlight reel that\u2019s a totally awesome moment will help them feel <strong>confident<\/strong> \u2013 it will give them the feeling they can and will <strong>succeed.<\/strong><\/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\/building-sports-kids-confidence-with-communication\/\"><strong>Building Confidence With Supportive Communication<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-confidence-in-sports-kids-with-fairness\/\"><strong>Building Confidence in Sports Kids With Fairness<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-confidence-in-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Building Confidence in Young Athletes<\/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=\"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>Building Confidence in Young Athletes How can parents and coaches fill a young athlete&#8217;s &#8220;emotional tank?&#8221;\u009d Coaches need to praise kids five times before they provide one piece of constructive criticism, says David Jacobson, a spokesman for the Positive Coaching Alliance, based at Stanford University. &#8220;We liken a child&#8217;s emotional &#8230; <a title=\"Youth Sports: An Athlete&#8217;s &#8220;Emotional Tank&#8221;\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/youth-sports-an-athletes-emotional-tank\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Youth Sports: An Athlete&#8217;s &#8220;Emotional Tank&#8221;\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7,3,6],"tags":[264,309,173,117],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-in-young-athletes","tag-confidence-in-youth-sports","tag-tips-for-sports-parents","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\/30","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=30"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}