{"id":6899,"date":"2020-12-02T16:08:26","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T16:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=6899"},"modified":"2025-08-11T02:14:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T06:14:55","slug":"building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Sports Kids\u2019 Confidence by Creating Community"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community-1.jpg\" alt=\"Building Sports Kid's Confidence\" class=\"wp-image-6900\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community-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=\"Boost_Young_Athletes_Communication_and_Cooperation\"><\/span>Boost Young Athletes&#8217; Communication and Cooperation <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\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/#Boost_Young_Athletes_Communication_and_Cooperation\" >Boost Young Athletes&#8217; Communication and Cooperation<\/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\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/#Team_Growth_Through_Communication\" >Team Growth Through Communication<\/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\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/#Listen_to_the_Ultimate_Sports_Parent_Podcast\" >Listen to the Ultimate Sports Parent Podcast<\/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\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/#Related_Kids_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Kids Sports Psychology Articles:<\/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\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/#The_Confident_Sports_Kid\" >The Confident Sports Kid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chasta Hamilton, author of \u201cTrash The Trophies: How To Win Without Losing Your Soul,\u201d was seeing red flags in her dance studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The owner and artistic director of Stage Door Dance Productions thought that the often expensive \u201cpay to play\u201d dance scene was creating too many <strong>expectations<\/strong> about winning trophies. She saw dance studios performing routines that were seen as \u201cwinners\u201d simply so they could win competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She took a step back and re-invented her dance program to focus on <strong>boosting kids\u2019 social skills<\/strong>, collaborating and giving back to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, before this shift, the students had a hard time looking each other in the eye or introducing themselves to others&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They practiced these skills at a leadership lab created by Hamilton. They also started dancing at senior centers, hospitals and festivals. Young dancers participated in fundraisers for the philanthropy shows, and had to learn how to give possible donors \u201celevator pitches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This focus, she says, reaped a \u201creturn on investment\u201d for the dancers and their parents. This type of focus can yield benefits for kids who participate in any extracurricular activity, she stresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Team_Growth_Through_Communication\"><\/span>Team Growth Through Communication<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBefore we made this shift, I was noticing students had trouble looking others in the eye or standing up and introducing themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But she saw a boost in the dancers\u2019 <strong>confidence<\/strong> after they started focusing more on community and working together. In these efforts, one of Hamilton\u2019s most important goals is <strong>focusing on the process<\/strong>, not the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are constantly talking about process over end product. If you have process, product happens,\u201d she says. Rather than focusing on winning competitions, they concentrated on <strong>building people skills<\/strong> and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hamilton says that the dance program, with its fundraisers, focus on collaboration and philanthropy shows became \u201cthe heart of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She believes that teams involved in any sport can follow this example and learn better <strong>communication and cooperation skills<\/strong>. They can also develop&nbsp;pride in contributing to the larger community. And all of that, she says, builds <strong>confidence<\/strong> in and out of sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Listen_to_the_Ultimate_Sports_Parent_Podcast\"><\/span>Listen to the Ultimate Sports Parent Podcast<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/21564362\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/4188b5\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>\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_Kids_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Kids Sports Psychology Articles:<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\/anxiety-and-depression-in-sports-kids\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-building-community-boosts-confidence-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>How Building Community Boosts Confidence in Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/creating-a-culture-of-connection-and-encouragement-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>Creating a Culture of Connection and Encouragement in Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-youth-sports-coaches-can-build-resilience-in-kids\/\"><strong>How Youth Sports Coaches Can Build Resilience in Kids<\/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 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> <\/strong>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_Confident_Sports_Kid\"><\/span>The Confident 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 decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidssportspsychology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/the-confident-sports-kid-workbook250.jpg\" alt=\"Help Athletes Improve Confidence\" class=\"wp-image-2101\" style=\"width:148px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When kids lack confidence, <strong>they doubt themselves, stop taking risks, play tentatively, and are hard on themselves<\/strong>. As a result, kids often lose their motivation to improve. Ultimately, these barriers keep them from enjoying sports and making the most of their physical talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c<strong>The Confident Sports Kid<\/strong>\u201d program is actually <strong>two programs: one<\/strong> that teaches sports parents how to boost their kids\u2019 confidence, and another that teaches young athletes age 8 to 18 <strong>how to improve their self talk, avoid negative thinking, overcome expectations that limit confidence<\/strong>, and much more. The program will help kids boost their confidence in sports and life\u2026and enjoy sports more.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-6feea2fc\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-148d177e 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-5827f924 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-confident-sports-kid-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boost Young Athletes&#8217; Communication and Cooperation Chasta Hamilton, author of \u201cTrash The Trophies: How To Win Without Losing Your Soul,\u201d was seeing red flags in her dance studio. The owner and artistic director of Stage Door Dance Productions thought that the often expensive \u201cpay to play\u201d dance scene was creating &#8230; <a title=\"Building Sports Kids\u2019 Confidence by Creating Community\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/building-sports-kids-confidence-by-creating-community\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Building Sports Kids\u2019 Confidence by Creating Community\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[382,264,582],"class_list":["post-6899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-parent-podcast","tag-communication-with-sports-kids","tag-confidence-in-young-athletes","tag-expectations-for-young-athletes"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899","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=6899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}