{"id":6043,"date":"2018-10-23T18:41:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T18:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=6043"},"modified":"2025-07-10T06:18:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T10:18:03","slug":"sports-parents-top-dilemma-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/sports-parents-top-dilemma-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Young Athletes Kick Perfectionism and Fear of Failure"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Helping<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Nearly every athlete struggles with some form of perfectionism or fear of failure<\/strong>. Kids who look like stars in practice will often choke up or under perform during games or competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other athletes expect too much of themselves\u2014then get frustrated when they don\u2019t meet their high expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or they\u2019re extremely hard on themselves.<\/strong> In all cases, this causes young athletes to play it safe. They refuse to take the important risks that help them excel and improve their confidence. Suddenly, they\u2019re held back by fear, indecision, and hesitation. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sports parents and coaches who contact us are bewildered<\/em>. They watch kids go through this cycle and feel as if they have no clue about how to help their kids.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, rather than supporting their young athletes\u2019 mental game, they often pour salt in the wound<\/strong>, saying and doing things that cause their kids to freeze up even more<\/strong> and become more frustrated, more tense and less productive in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Helping Your Athletes<\/span><\/h3>
\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n