{"id":3195,"date":"2016-03-24T16:07:09","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T16:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=3195"},"modified":"2025-08-11T06:03:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T10:03:05","slug":"youth-athletes-doubt-abilities-before-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/youth-athletes-doubt-abilities-before-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Athletes Who Doubt Their Abilities Before Games"},"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\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports-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=\"How_To_Improve_Kids_Self-Confidence\"><\/span>How To Improve Kids&#8217; Self-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\/youth-athletes-doubt-abilities-before-games\/#How_To_Improve_Kids_Self-Confidence\" >How To Improve Kids&#8217; Self-Confidence<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/youth-athletes-doubt-abilities-before-games\/#First_of_all_they_need_to_recognize_that_their_heads_are_full_of_doubt\" >First of all, they need to recognize that their heads are full of doubt.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/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-athletes-doubt-abilities-before-games\/#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\/youth-athletes-doubt-abilities-before-games\/#The_Composed_Sports_Kid\" >The Composed Sports Kid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the biggest challenges young athletes face before a game, parents tell us, is <strong>doubt<\/strong> about their abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, that&#8217;s what we see, too. Just before a game, kids start telling themselves that they&#8217;re no good at making three-pointers, that they don&#8217;t think they can beat a team with such big players, that they&#8217;re worried they&#8217;ll repeat the fatal mistake that cost the team the championship two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you can see, kids can think up many reasons to <strong>doubt<\/strong> themselves just before a game!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But just before athletes perform, they need to overcome these doubts so they don&#8217;t hurt <strong>confidence.<\/strong> You want kids to <strong>focus<\/strong> on things that will help them prepare to <strong>perform<\/strong> and play well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First_of_all_they_need_to_recognize_that_their_heads_are_full_of_doubt\"><\/span>First of all, they need to recognize that their heads are full of <strong>doubt<\/strong>.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes kids run these negative thoughts through their minds without being fully aware that they&#8217;re doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Help your kids identify their doubts&#8211;but don&#8217;t do this just before a game. (You\u2019ll likely hurt their confidence if you bring it up just before they play).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might help them with this before or after a practice. Then remind them they need to <strong>focus<\/strong> on their <strong>positive<\/strong> attributes, such as their teamwork, ability to perform under stress, or all that they&#8217;ve learned during practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Help them create a list or resume of their <strong>positive<\/strong> experiences or attributes, and ask them to review it just before a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We call this <strong>focusing<\/strong> on their talents (not shortcomings)&#8211;and it can help silence the noise of doubt that runs through young athletes&#8217; heads just before a game or performance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You could also suggest that they refute or reframe each doubt with <strong>confidence-building self-talk&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, when young athletes tell themselves, <em>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think I can play defense against that big player,&#8221;<\/em> you want to help them replace that thought with,&nbsp;<em>&#8220;I&#8217;m quick on my feet and can outsmart that player.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We really appreciate the responses we&#8217;re getting to our survey about what rattles kids&#8217; <strong>confidence<\/strong> before a game or performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you haven&#8217;t shared your thoughts, please do here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.surveymonkey.com\/r\/pregame\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;re also loving the words of appreciation that are coming in through the survey, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cYou both and your team are doing a great job! Also, your newsletters and website are great.\u201d<\/em><br><strong>~Sports parent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Help your kids avoid <strong>confidence-busting<\/strong> pregame doubt!<\/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\/when-young-athletes-doubt-their-skills-when-criticized\/\"><strong>When Young Athletes Doubt Their Skills When Criticized<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-young-athletes-struggle-with-self-doubt\/\"><strong>When Young Athletes Struggle With Self-Doubt<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-young-athletes-reframe-doubts\/\"><strong>Help Young Athletes Reframe Doubts<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" 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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><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>How To Improve Kids&#8217; Self-Confidence One of the biggest challenges young athletes face before a game, parents tell us, is doubt about their abilities. In fact, that&#8217;s what we see, too. Just before a game, kids start telling themselves that they&#8217;re no good at making three-pointers, that they don&#8217;t think &#8230; <a title=\"Athletes Who Doubt Their Abilities Before Games\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/youth-athletes-doubt-abilities-before-games\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Athletes Who Doubt Their Abilities Before Games\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,6],"tags":[279,280],"class_list":["post-3195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-kids-doubting-their-abilities","tag-youth-sports-confidence","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3195","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=3195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}