{"id":5022,"date":"2018-10-04T19:11:26","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T19:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=5022"},"modified":"2025-07-10T06:19:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T10:19:40","slug":"how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive-1.jpg\" alt=\"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive-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=\"Do_Your_Athletes_Have_Pre-Game_Jitters_or_Anxiety\"><\/span>Do Your Athletes Have Pre-Game Jitters or Anxiety? <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#Do_Your_Athletes_Have_Pre-Game_Jitters_or_Anxiety\" >Do Your Athletes Have Pre-Game Jitters or Anxiety?<\/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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#Pregame_jitters_are_a_common_source_of_anxiety_for_players\" >Pregame jitters are a common source of anxiety for players.<\/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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#This_type_of_anxiety_can_undermine_a_strong_confident_performance\" >This type of anxiety can undermine a strong, confident performance.<\/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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#%E2%80%9CGet_the_butterflies_to_fly_in_formation%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Get the butterflies to fly in formation.&#8221;<\/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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#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\"><strong>A sports parent asks:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts! Is there anything I can do?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pregame_jitters_are_a_common_source_of_anxiety_for_players\"><\/span>Pregame jitters are a common source of anxiety for players.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep in mind that the <strong>jitters<\/strong> are different than performance <strong>anxiety<\/strong> or <strong>fear.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your sports kids may feel some completely normal <strong>pregame jitters<\/strong> when the natural adrenaline kicks in&#8230; They are excited about the upcoming competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Excitement can easily be mistaken for <strong>anxiety,<\/strong> especially if your sports child has a history of getting <strong>nervous<\/strong> during games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their memory of these <strong>nerves<\/strong> hurting their performance in previous matches may cause them to mistake adrenaline for <strong>anxiety,<\/strong> which will only cause more <strong>anxiety.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"This_type_of_anxiety_can_undermine_a_strong_confident_performance\"><\/span>This type of anxiety can undermine a strong, confident performance.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An <strong>anxious<\/strong> player will be <strong>unfocused, unassertive,<\/strong> play <strong>tentatively<\/strong> and will not have fun. It&#8217;s important that you help your sports children frame their <strong>pregame jitters<\/strong> as just that, <strong>pregame jitters,<\/strong> and nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first thing to do is let your sports children know that pregame jitters&#8211;butterflies in stomach, higher heart rate, sweaty palms, etc.&#8211;are completely natural and are a natural reaction to help them perform well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Studies have shown that <strong>anxiety<\/strong> reappraisal\u2014when kids tell themselves that their <strong>pregame jitters<\/strong> is actually excitement\u2014is a very effective method for embracing their feelings before competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Help your sports kids <strong>reframe<\/strong> these jitters by saying things like, <em>&#8220;Those jitters will give you the energy to play through the whole game!&#8221; <\/em>or,<em> &#8220;Use those jitters to concentrate that energy into achieving your personal goals!&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The late mental coach, Ken Ravizza, would tell athletes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CGet_the_butterflies_to_fly_in_formation%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><em>&#8220;Get the butterflies to fly in formation.&#8221;<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you can help your sports kids start viewing these <strong>pregame jitters<\/strong> as a <strong>positive,<\/strong> they will actually work for them instead of against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When they start thinking of the feeling as &#8220;pumped up&#8221; instead of <strong>anxious,<\/strong> they can use the energy to take their play to another level.<\/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\/do-your-athletes-have-pregame-jitters-or-performance-anxiety\/\"><strong>Do Your Athletes Have Pregame Jitters or Performance Anxiety?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/young-atheltes-pregame-jitters-podcast\/\"><strong>Young Athletes Who Suffer From Pregame Jitters Podcast<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-pregame-mental-prep-is-critical-for-athletes\/\"><strong>Why Pregame Mental Prep is Critical for Athletes<\/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<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>Do Your Athletes Have Pre-Game Jitters or Anxiety? A sports parent asks: &#8220;My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts! Is there anything I can do?&#8221; Pregame jitters are a common source of anxiety for players. &#8230; <a title=\"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,31,30,17,7,6],"tags":[367,633],"class_list":["post-5022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pregame-anxiety","category-pregame-jitters","category-pregame-nerves","category-sports-parenting","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-anxiety-in-youth-sports","tag-pregame-jitters-in-youth-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 5.0.0.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A sports parent asks: My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts!\" \/>\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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO Pro (AIOSEO) 5.0.0.1\" \/>\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\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#article\",\"name\":\"Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive | Sports Tips\",\"headline\":\"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\",\"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\\\/10\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive.jpg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-04T19:11:26-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-10T06:19:40-04:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Pregame Anxiety Articles, Pregame Jitters, Pregame Nerves, Sports Parenting, Sports Psychology for Young Athletes, Youth Sports Psychology Articles, Anxiety in Youth Sports, Pregame Jitters in Youth Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#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\\\/pregame-nerves\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Pregame Nerves\"},\"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\\\/pregame-nerves\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Pregame Nerves\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/pregame-nerves\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\"},\"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\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/sports-psychology-for-kids\\\/pregame-nerves\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Pregame Nerves\"}}]},{\"@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\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":600,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Youth Sports Psychology\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#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\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/\",\"name\":\"Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive | Sports Tips\",\"description\":\"A sports parent asks: My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts!\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#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\\\/10\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-04T19:11:26-04:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-10T06:19:40-04:00\"},{\"@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>Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive | Sports Tips<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive | Sports Tips","description":"A sports parent asks: My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts!","canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/","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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#article","name":"Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive | Sports Tips","headline":"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive","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\/10\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive"},"datePublished":"2018-10-04T19:11:26-04:00","dateModified":"2025-07-10T06:19:40-04:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Pregame Anxiety Articles, Pregame Jitters, Pregame Nerves, Sports Parenting, Sports Psychology for Young Athletes, Youth Sports Psychology Articles, Anxiety in Youth Sports, Pregame Jitters in Youth Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#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\/pregame-nerves\/#listItem","name":"Pregame Nerves"},"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\/pregame-nerves\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"Pregame Nerves","item":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/pregame-nerves\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#listItem","name":"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive"},"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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#listItem","position":4,"name":"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/sports-psychology-for-kids\/pregame-nerves\/#listItem","name":"Pregame Nerves"}}]},{"@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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#organizationLogo","width":600,"height":100,"caption":"Youth Sports Psychology"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#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\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/","name":"Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive | Sports Tips","description":"A sports parent asks: My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts!","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#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\/10\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#mainImage","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"How to Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-turn-pregame-jitters-into-a-positive\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2018-10-04T19:11:26-04:00","dateModified":"2025-07-10T06:19:40-04:00"},{"@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":"5022","title":"Turn Pregame Jitters into a Positive | Sports Tips","description":"A sports parent asks: My sports kid gets especially nervous before some games and seems to kind of psych himself out before the game even starts!","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 05:15:03","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 11:15:21","focus_keyword":null,"additional_keywords":null,"truseo_locale":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022","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=5022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}