{"id":688,"date":"2010-06-09T14:33:43","date_gmt":"2010-06-09T14:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=688"},"modified":"2025-08-07T06:38:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:38:49","slug":"what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"What Hurts Young Athletes&#8217; Confidence in Sports?"},"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\/2016\/11\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports-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=\"Instilling_Confidence_in_Young_Athletes\"><\/span>Instilling Confidence in Young Athletes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 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-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports\/#Instilling_Confidence_in_Young_Athletes\" >Instilling Confidence in Young Athletes<\/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-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports\/#How_do_your_kids_lose_confidence_in_sports\" >How do your kids lose confidence in sports?<\/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-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports\/#How_does_a_lack_of_confidence_affect_kids_play\" >How does a lack of confidence affect kids\u2019 play?<\/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-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports\/#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-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports\/#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>We believe that <strong>confidence <\/strong>is the most important asset that leads athletes to sporting excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s critical for your kids to feel <strong>confident<\/strong>\u2014to<strong> believe<\/strong> in their abilities\u2014in order to realize their physical potential. <strong>Confidence <\/strong>helps them bounce back after mistakes, hang in there when things get tough, transfer the skills they learn in practice to competition, and much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;You still have to have <strong>confidence.<\/strong> If you don&#8217;t have <strong>confidence,<\/strong> you can forget about it. Every time you go up, you have to have a good feeling. You have to think you&#8217;re going to get a hit. If you don&#8217;t, you&#8217;re out before you even go to the plate.\u201d<\/em><br><strong>~Derek Jeter, pro baseball player<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We want to help you boost your kids\u2019 <strong>confidence<\/strong> in youth sports\u2014that&#8217;s our mission actually. But, we need your help&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_your_kids_lose_confidence_in_sports\"><\/span>How do your kids lose confidence in sports?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What experiences or which people take it away?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many of you have written to us already:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cHow do I help my young athlete believe in herself and bring herself out of a negative slump?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cHow do we find ways to help our child feel good about herself with a coach who favors certain players, gives them more playing time, and benches the players who are not producing in the way he wants them to?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cMy biggest challenge is trying to help my child build <strong>confidence<\/strong> in her abilities\u2026She does great during practices, but self-doubt seems to overtake her during a game.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cMy daughter\u2019s <strong>self-confidence<\/strong> is at an all-time low due to negative comments from her coach and negative self-talk.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please share with us your stories. For example, high expectations from parents and coaches, <strong>perfectionism,<\/strong> doubt, criticism and <strong>fear of failure<\/strong> are top on our list of <strong>confidence<\/strong> busters for young athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_a_lack_of_confidence_affect_kids_play\"><\/span>How does a lack of confidence affect kids\u2019 play?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Kids who lack <strong>confidence<\/strong> will often derail their own <strong>success,<\/strong> play tentatively, experience trouble bouncing back from mistakes, and yell at themselves&#8211;to name just a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s the good news:<\/strong> Our goal is to help you boost your kids\u2019 <strong>confidence<\/strong> and <strong>success<\/strong> in sports. Help us achieve our mission by sending us your stories about what hurts and what helps kids\u2019 <strong>confidence<\/strong> in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please share your stories or experiences below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We look forward to your input!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>P.S. Your input is critical to helping us help you better. Please share with us how your kids lose or gain <strong>confidence<\/strong> in sports below.<\/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-this-sport-builds-confidence-and-focus-in-kids\/\"><strong>How This Sport Builds Confidence and Focus in Kids<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-social-media-hurts-sports-kids-confidence\/\"><strong>How Social Media Hurts Sports Kids\u2019 Confidence<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/addressing-anxiety-mistakes-and-low-confidence-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>Addressing Anxiety, Mistakes and Low Confidence in Youth Sports<\/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-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>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>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>Instilling Confidence in Young Athletes We believe that confidence is the most important asset that leads athletes to sporting excellence. It\u2019s critical for your kids to feel confident\u2014to believe in their abilities\u2014in order to realize their physical potential. Confidence helps them bounce back after mistakes, hang in there when things &#8230; <a title=\"What Hurts Young Athletes&#8217; Confidence in Sports?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-hurts-young-athletes-confidence-in-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about What Hurts Young Athletes&#8217; Confidence in Sports?\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,5,7,6],"tags":[159,158,58,67,49,157,156,117],"class_list":["post-688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-kids-in-sports","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-killers-for-athletes","tag-expectations-and-confidence","tag-expectations","tag-fear-of-failure","tag-pressure","tag-self-confidence-young-athletes","tag-sports-kids-confidence","tag-youth-sports-psychology","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688","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=688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}