{"id":4944,"date":"2018-06-29T17:19:36","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T17:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=4944"},"modified":"2025-07-10T06:44:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T10:44:24","slug":"what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4947\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit-1.jpg\" alt=\"How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit-1-300x150.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=\"How_to_Help_Sports_Kids_Feel_Less_Pressure\"><\/span>How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 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\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#How_to_Help_Sports_Kids_Feel_Less_Pressure\" >How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure<\/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\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#As_sports_parents_what_can_you_do\" >As sports parents, what can you do?<\/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\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#So_what_can_a_sports_parent_do\" >So what can a sports parent do?<\/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\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#What_has_caused_them_to_stop_having_fun\" >What has caused them to stop having fun?<\/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\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#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\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What should you do if your young athlete wants to quit sports?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seventy-five percent of young athletes quit sports by the age of 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reasons vary, but most often, the child is <strong>no longer having fun<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"As_sports_parents_what_can_you_do\"><\/span>As sports parents, what can you do?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You need to remember that if your sports children decide they want to quit a sport, there is very little you can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are plenty of ways you can exacerbate the situation, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, sports parents will react to kids\u2019 desire to quit a sport by putting pressure on them to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This <strong>pressure<\/strong> not only doesn\u2019t help the situation; it <strong>intensifies<\/strong> the sports kids\u2019 <strong>negative feelings<\/strong> by <strong>adding pressure<\/strong> onto how they\u2019re already feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes sports children are already feeling <strong>pressure<\/strong> from the parents, which can prompt them to want to quit, so putting <strong>more pressure<\/strong> at this stage will hurt your sports kids\u2019 ability to have fun\u2014and their <strong>confidence.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_what_can_a_sports_parent_do\"><\/span>So what can a sports parent do?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The answer is first to question your own <strong>motivation<\/strong> as a sports parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you <strong>motivated<\/strong> by your personal fulfillment or, on the other hand, are you <strong>motivated<\/strong> by your sports kids\u2019 own desires?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, kids play sports to be with friends, or to be part of a team, but not necessarily to earn scholarships or always win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you find that you\u2019re driven by your own ideas and not the wants and needs of your sports child, it is likely that you need to take a step back from the situation and stop trying to influence your sports child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, if you are <strong>motivated<\/strong> by doing what is best for your sports kids, take some time to talk to them about why they are struggling with their sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_has_caused_them_to_stop_having_fun\"><\/span>What has caused them to stop having fun?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, sports kids stop having fun because they develop <strong>fear of failure<\/strong> or a <strong>sport-based anxiety.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For <strong>fear of failure,<\/strong> you should begin by giving sports kids five get-out-of-jail cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When they make mistakes, make a flushing motion to say,<em> &#8220;Move on to the next play.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea is to take the <strong>pressure<\/strong> off and give them permission to make mistakes.<\/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-to-help-kids-that-want-to-quit-sports\/\"><strong>How to Help Kids That Want to Quit Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/parents-have-your-kids-wanted-to-quit-sports\/\"><strong>Parents, Have Your Kids Wanted to Quit Sports?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-do-girls-want-to-get-out-of-sports\/\"><strong>What Do Girls Want To Get Out Of Sports?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<strong><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>\u00a0<\/strong>on iTunes<\/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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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>How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure What should you do if your young athlete wants to quit sports? Seventy-five percent of young athletes quit sports by the age of 16. The reasons vary, but most often, the child is no longer having fun. As sports parents, what can &#8230; <a title=\"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,32,35,19,17,7,6],"tags":[459,301],"class_list":["post-4944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-pregame-anxiety","category-pressure-from-parents","category-pressure-in-sports","category-sports-parenting","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-motivation-in-youth-sports","tag-pressure-in-youth-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.8 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Seventy-five percent of young athletes quit sports by the age of 16. The reasons vary, but most often, the child is no longer having fun. Read more.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patrick Cohn\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 4.9.8\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#article\",\"name\":\"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit | Sports Tips\",\"headline\":\"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit.jpg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-29T17:19:36-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-10T06:44:24-04:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Confidence in Young Athletes, Pregame Anxiety Articles, Pressure from Parents, Pressure in Sports Articles, Sports Parenting, Sports Psychology for Young Athletes, Youth Sports Psychology Articles, Motivation in Youth Sports, Pressure in Youth Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Sports Psychology for Young Athletes\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sports Psychology for Young Athletes\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/pressure-in-sports\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Pressure in Sports Articles\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/pressure-in-sports\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Pressure in Sports Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/pressure-in-sports\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Sports Psychology for Young Athletes\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/pressure-in-sports\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Pressure in Sports Articles\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Peak Performance Sports, LLC\",\"description\":\"Online Mental Performance Coach for Young Athletes & Parents\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/\",\"email\":\"coach@peaksports.com\",\"telephone\":\"+14079091700\",\"foundingDate\":\"2014-06-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":0,\"maxValue\":6},\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/12\\\/sports-parent-logo-new.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":600,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Youth Sports Psychology\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#organizationLogo\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/\",\"name\":\"Patrick Cohn\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6239ee1eafee4d6dadb49fb8d946e1fe94dc55a9943a1eb2b4281e09fac2b028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/\",\"name\":\"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit | Sports Tips\",\"description\":\"Seventy-five percent of young athletes quit sports by the age of 16. The reasons vary, but most often, the child is no longer having fun. Read more.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/author\\\/doccohn\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/06\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-06-29T17:19:36-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-10T06:44:24-04:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Youth Sports Psychology By Peak Performance Sports\",\"description\":\"Online Mental Performance Coach for Young Athletes & Parents\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro -->\r\n\t\t<title>What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit | Sports Tips<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit | Sports Tips","description":"Seventy-five percent of young athletes quit sports by the age of 16. The reasons vary, but most often, the child is no longer having fun. Read more.","canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#article","name":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit | Sports Tips","headline":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure"},"datePublished":"2018-06-29T17:19:36-04:00","dateModified":"2025-07-10T06:44:24-04:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Confidence in Young Athletes, Pregame Anxiety Articles, Pressure from Parents, Pressure in Sports Articles, Sports Parenting, Sports Psychology for Young Athletes, Youth Sports Psychology Articles, Motivation in Youth Sports, Pressure in Youth Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/#listItem","name":"Sports Psychology for Young Athletes"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Sports Psychology for Young Athletes","item":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/pressure-in-sports\/#listItem","name":"Pressure in Sports Articles"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/pressure-in-sports\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"Pressure in Sports Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/pressure-in-sports\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#listItem","name":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/#listItem","name":"Sports Psychology for Young Athletes"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#listItem","position":4,"name":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/pressure-in-sports\/#listItem","name":"Pressure in Sports Articles"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/#organization","name":"Peak Performance Sports, LLC","description":"Online Mental Performance Coach for Young Athletes & Parents","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/","email":"coach@peaksports.com","telephone":"+14079091700","foundingDate":"2014-06-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":0,"maxValue":6},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/sports-parent-logo-new.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#organizationLogo","width":600,"height":100,"caption":"Youth Sports Psychology"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#organizationLogo"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/author\/doccohn\/","name":"Patrick Cohn","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6239ee1eafee4d6dadb49fb8d946e1fe94dc55a9943a1eb2b4281e09fac2b028?s=96&d=mm&r=g"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/","name":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit | Sports Tips","description":"Seventy-five percent of young athletes quit sports by the age of 16. The reasons vary, but most often, the child is no longer having fun. Read more.","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/author\/doccohn\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#mainImage","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"How to Help Sports Kids Feel Less Pressure"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-want-to-quit\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2018-06-29T17:19:36-04:00","dateModified":"2025-07-10T06:44:24-04:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/","name":"Youth Sports Psychology By Peak Performance Sports","description":"Online Mental Performance Coach for Young Athletes & Parents","inLanguage":"en-US","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/#organization"}}]}},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"4944","title":"What to Do When Sports Kids Want to Quit | Sports Tips","description":"Seventy-five percent of young athletes quit sports by the age of 16. The reasons vary, but most often, the child is no longer having fun. Read more.","keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"Article","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[],"defaultGraph":"","defaultPostTypeGraph":""},"schema_type":null,"schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"seo_analyzer_scan_date":"2026-05-13 21:15:09","breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"reviewed_by":null,"open_ai":null,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":[],"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2020-12-21 17:01:59","updated":"2026-06-02 11:15:08"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4944","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=4944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4944\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}