{"id":5084,"date":"2018-12-20T21:23:10","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T21:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=5084"},"modified":"2025-07-10T06:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T10:00:09","slug":"when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/","title":{"rendered":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think"},"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\/2018\/12\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think.jpg\" alt=\"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think\" class=\"wp-image-5086\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think-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=\"Do_Your_Athletes_Have_a_Need_to_Impress_Friends\"><\/span>Do Your Athletes Have a Need to Impress Friends?<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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#Do_Your_Athletes_Have_a_Need_to_Impress_Friends\" >Do Your Athletes Have a Need to Impress Friends?<\/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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#The_first_thing_your_young_athletes_must_do_is_keep_their_focus_on_the_game\" >The first thing your young athletes must do is keep their focus on the game.<\/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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#The_Tree_Rs_of_Refocusing_include\" >The Tree R&#8217;s of Refocusing include:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#Remind_them_that_everyone_makes_mistakes_its_only_human\" >Remind them that everyone makes mistakes; it\u2019s only human.<\/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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#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-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A young athlete asks:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;I\u2019m a volleyball player on the same team for the third year in a  row. We recently played another team which one of my best friends plays  on, and I played great until she came in and everything went wrong. She  had never seen me play and I made every possible mistake I could when  usually I make very few. Is this because I was nervous or just not that  good or because I started from a bad warm up?&#8221;<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When young athletes play worse in front of certain people, be it a best friend, a family member, or anyone else, they are dealing with <strong>social approval<\/strong> challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your sports kids want people to approve of and admire their ability in sports, which creates <strong>pressure<\/strong> because they worry&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your kids are <strong>distracted<\/strong> by the presence of these people and worried about what they may think of their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This leads to the type of <strong>nervous<\/strong>, <strong>tentative<\/strong> play that can hurt their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_first_thing_your_young_athletes_must_do_is_keep_their_focus_on_the_game\"><\/span>The first thing your young athletes must do is keep their <strong>focus<\/strong> on the game.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remind them that whatever is happening in the stands is not relevant to the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Help your sports kids let go of what their friends might think about their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often your athletes are engaging in mind reading. They don&#8217;t really know what others think of their games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remind them that the only way to play their best is to not care about what others think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Point out the irony of this situation: <\/strong>their desire to impress their friends leads to an un-impressive performance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When athletes are playing, it\u2019s a common challenge that they\u2019ll  think about their friends in the stands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Help them learn how to refocus as soon as possible. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As soon as they notice their attention has drifted, they should use the Three Rs of Refocusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Tree_Rs_of_Refocusing_include\"><\/span>The Tree R&#8217;s of Refocusing include:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Recognize<\/strong> they\u2019re distracted<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regroup<\/strong>, or pull their attention away from the distraction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Refocus<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> That means getting back to <strong>focusing<\/strong> on the game. They should practice doing this until they can do it quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, understand that if they make mistakes while their friends are watching, they may freeze up due to<strong> fear of failure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this case, they need to learn how to <strong>let go of mistakes<\/strong> and move on, trusting in their practice and in themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Remind_them_that_everyone_makes_mistakes_its_only_human\"><\/span>Remind them that everyone makes mistakes; it\u2019s only human.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more about how to overcome <strong>social approval<\/strong> challenges, be sure to check out our 10-Minute Pregame Prep program here:<\/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\/do-your-sports-kids-worry-about-what-people-think-of-them\/\"><strong>Do Your Sports Kids Worry About What People Think?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-sports-kids-who-worry-about-what-everyone-thinks-of-them\/\"><strong>Helping Sports Kids Who Worry About What Everyone Thinks of Them<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-sports-kids-overcome-negative-thinking-in-sports-and-life\/\"><strong>Help Sports Kids Overcome Negative Thinking\u2014In Sports and Life<\/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=\"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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 wp-block-paragraph\"><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>Do Your Athletes Have a Need to Impress Friends? A young athlete asks: &#8220;I\u2019m a volleyball player on the same team for the third year in a row. We recently played another team which one of my best friends plays on, and I played great until she came in and &#8230; <a title=\"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,6],"tags":[301,637],"class_list":["post-5084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-parenting","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-pressure-in-youth-sports","tag-social-approval-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=\"When young athletes play worse in front of certain people, they are dealing with social approval challenges. Your kids want people to approve of and admire.\" \/>\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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/\" \/>\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\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#article\",\"name\":\"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think | Sports Tips\",\"headline\":\"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think\",\"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\\\/12\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think-1.jpg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"High Intensity for Athletes\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-20T21:23:10-05:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-10T06:00:09-04:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Sports Parenting, Youth Sports Psychology Articles, Pressure in Youth Sports, Social Approval in Youth Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#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\\\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Youth Sports Psychology Articles\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Youth Sports Psychology Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think\"},\"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\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/category\\\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Youth Sports Psychology 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\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":600,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Youth Sports Psychology\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#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\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/\",\"name\":\"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think | Sports Tips\",\"description\":\"When young athletes play worse in front of certain people, they are dealing with social approval challenges. Your kids want people to approve of and admire.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#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\\\/12\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think-1.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150,\"caption\":\"High Intensity for Athletes\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\\\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\\\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-20T21:23:10-05:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-10T06:00:09-04:00\"},{\"@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>When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think | Sports Tips<\/title>\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think | Sports Tips","description":"When young athletes play worse in front of certain people, they are dealing with social approval challenges. Your kids want people to approve of and admire.","canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/","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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#article","name":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think | Sports Tips","headline":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think","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\/12\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think-1.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"High Intensity for Athletes"},"datePublished":"2018-12-20T21:23:10-05:00","dateModified":"2025-07-10T06:00:09-04:00","inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Sports Parenting, Youth Sports Psychology Articles, Pressure in Youth Sports, Social Approval in Youth Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#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\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\/#listItem","name":"Youth Sports Psychology Articles"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Youth Sports Psychology Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#listItem","name":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think"},"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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/category\/youth-sports-psychology-blog\/#listItem","name":"Youth Sports Psychology 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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#organizationLogo","width":600,"height":100,"caption":"Youth Sports Psychology"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#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\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/","name":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think | Sports Tips","description":"When young athletes play worse in front of certain people, they are dealing with social approval challenges. Your kids want people to approve of and admire.","inLanguage":"en-US","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#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\/12\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think-1.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#mainImage","width":150,"height":150,"caption":"High Intensity for Athletes"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-athletes-worry-about-what-friends-think\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2018-12-20T21:23:10-05:00","dateModified":"2025-07-10T06:00:09-04:00"},{"@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":"5084","title":"When Athletes Worry About What Friends Think | Sports Tips","description":"When young athletes play worse in front of certain people, they are dealing with social approval challenges. Your kids want people to approve of and admire.","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":[]},"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 07:15:05","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 12:15:14","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\/5084","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=5084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}