{"id":5202,"date":"2019-04-18T19:39:46","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T19:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=5202"},"modified":"2025-07-10T05:30:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T09:30:38","slug":"important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Dos and Don&#8217;ts for Sports Parents Before Games"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games-1-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Help_Athletes_be_Relaxed_before_a_Game\"><\/span>How to Help Athletes be Relaxed before a Game<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games\/#How_to_Help_Athletes_be_Relaxed_before_a_Game\" >How to Help Athletes be Relaxed before a Game<\/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\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games\/#The_most_important_two_things_to_do_are_to_say\" >The most important two things to do are to say:<\/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\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games\/#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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games\/#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>Parents want to know what to tell their athletes before a game that will help them perform well and feel less <strong>pressure<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, parents say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>*Do you coach your kids on what to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>*Do you let them mentally prepare on their own?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>*Do you wait for them to talk about the game before saying anything?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just before a game, you want to help your athletes have a <strong>calm mind<\/strong> so they can play freely and intuitively. This is what&#8217;s most important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t want to fill kids\u2019 heads with technical instructions&#8211;the how to&#8211;because they should already know what to do. They have to trust the skills they have that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And you don&#8217;t want to talk about avoiding past mistakes or what outcomes you expect, such as goals scored or no errors. This can lead to kids feeling <strong>pressure <\/strong>to perform up to your instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, you do want to take their lead\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My daughter (Dr. Cohn), for example, did not want me to say anything before the tennis match. Anything I said would be interpreted as an expectation or something she MUST do during the match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_most_important_two_things_to_do_are_to_say\"><\/span>The most important two things to do are to say:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cEnjoy the competition!\u201d That means have fun and don\u2019t focus on mistakes, what others think, or what others expect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cFocus on the moment&#8211;not on the outcome.\u201d Outcomes are things like personal statistics or the score or win. Even worrying about what you might say to your athletes is under outcome thinking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Very young kids naturally know how to play in the moment or the here and now. As they grow older, they start to focus more on the outcome and develop fears about disappointing others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of this thinking leads to playing safe or performing tentatively!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes <strong>focus<\/strong> on the moment by thinking about performance cues, which are thoughts, feelings, communication from teammates, or cues from their surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A basketball player, for example, might focus on court awareness, creating space to accept a pass, controlling the dribbling, or shooting decisively. All of these cues have to do with being immersed in the second-by-second play of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anytime you <strong>focus<\/strong> your athletes on outcome, such as stats, wins, or avoiding mistakes, this makes it much harder for them to play intuitively in the moment and trust in their skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re here to help your sports kids learn how to prepare for games, avoid stress, <strong>pressure<\/strong> and have fun\u2026<\/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\" 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\/how-sports-parents-can-help-kids-before-games\/\"><strong>How Sports Parents Can Help Kids Before Games<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-young-athletes-can-win-close-games\/\"><strong>How Young Athletes Can Win Close Games<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/sport-is-the-athletes-journey-not-parents\/\"><strong>Sport is the Athletes\u2019 Journey, Not Parents<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\"><\/span><strong>Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mental-training-for-young-athletes.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6868\" style=\"width:138px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re certain that, as a parent,&nbsp;you want to help your child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life.&nbsp;And as a sports parent, you\u2019d love for your children to reach their potential in sports.&nbsp;But encouraging your child to <strong>strive for greatness without pressuring them<\/strong> can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can get expert mental coaching with us from anywhere. Meet with us via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or phone call. With today\u2019s video technology, we are able to connect with athletes and coaches all over the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Call Us Today to Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Session.<\/strong><br><strong>Find Out How Your Athlete Can Benefit From One-on-One Mental Coaching!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to Help Athletes be Relaxed before a Game Parents want to know what to tell their athletes before a game that will help them perform well and feel less pressure\u2026 For example, parents say: *Do you coach your kids on what to do? *Do you let them mentally prepare &#8230; <a title=\"Important Dos and Don&#8217;ts for Sports Parents Before Games\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/important-dos-and-donts-for-sports-parents-before-games\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Important Dos and Don&#8217;ts for Sports Parents Before Games\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,35,17,7,18,6],"tags":[96],"class_list":["post-5202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pregame-anxiety","category-pressure-from-parents","category-sports-parenting","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-young-athletes-pressure","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-pressure-from-sports-parents"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202","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=5202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}