{"id":715,"date":"2010-07-28T15:53:59","date_gmt":"2010-07-28T15:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=715"},"modified":"2025-08-07T06:28:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:28:12","slug":"what-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do When Sports Kids Don\u2019t Believe in Themselves"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/close-games.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/close-games.jpg\" alt=\"How Young Athletes Can Win Close Games\" class=\"wp-image-9073\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/close-games.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/close-games-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reasons_Why_Sports_Kids_Dont_Believe_in_Themselves\"><\/span>Reasons Why Sports Kids Don&#8217;t Believe in Themselves<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-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves\/#Reasons_Why_Sports_Kids_Dont_Believe_in_Themselves\" >Reasons Why Sports Kids Don&#8217;t Believe in Themselves<\/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-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves\/#When_kids_dont_believe_in_themselves_they_hurt_their_performance_and_enjoyment_of_sports\" >When kids don\u2019t believe in themselves, they hurt their performance and enjoyment of 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-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves\/#One_of_the_problems_says_Veautour_is_parents\" >One of the problems, says Veautour, is parents.<\/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-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves\/#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-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves\/#The_Composed_Sports_Kid\" >The Composed Sports Kid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>For a number of reasons, many sports <strong>kids don\u2019t believe in themselves<\/strong>\u2014and that\u2019s bad news for them, their teams and their coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are just a few causes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They <strong>doubt their abilities<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They\u2019re <strong>perfectionists <\/strong>and expect too much<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their <strong>parents pressure<\/strong> them too much<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_kids_dont_believe_in_themselves_they_hurt_their_performance_and_enjoyment_of_sports\"><\/span>When kids don\u2019t believe in themselves, they hurt their performance and enjoyment of sports.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Kymber Veautour, a Top Warner cheer coach who has garnered two national wins, says this is the main problem that hurts her team members\u2019 <strong>mental game<\/strong>. But she has lots of ideas for overcoming this challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI continuously have to be an advocate for the children on my teams. For some reason they have blocks that lead them to failure. I tell them the only thing that\u2019s stopping themselves is themselves.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"One_of_the_problems_says_Veautour_is_parents\"><\/span>One of the problems, says Veautour, is parents.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>They have a hard time striking that fine balance between pushing kids too hard and simply supporting them, she says. It\u2019s a hard balance to achieve, she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cStrong involvement from parents can be detrimental,\u201d<\/em> she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, parents need to be <strong>supportive.<\/strong> They can\u2019t back off entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cYou can see the effects on kids. They try so hard to please their parents. It affects everything they do.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here at <strong>Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology<\/strong>, we agree with Veautour and believe that a number of other factors affect whether kids believe in themselves&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Often, for whatever reason, kids embrace beliefs that cause them to doubt themselves. For example, they give themselves negative labels. <em>\u201cI\u2019m not a good tumbler,\u201d <\/em>they say. Sometimes, external factors are the influence. One example is coaches who only <strong>focus<\/strong> on the negative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the good news. Veautour\u2014who after all, has garnered a few national championships\u2014has some <strong>strategies for helping these kids<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, she tells kids to <strong>take it step by step<\/strong>. If they can conquer one step in cheering, they\u2019re ready for the next. And the next\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We call this <strong>focusing on the moment<\/strong>\u2014not on outcomes like wins. Kids need to <strong>focus<\/strong> on what they need to do right now to get the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, Veautour <strong>removes labels<\/strong>. She tells kids they\u2019re all cheerleaders\u2014not bad tumblers or bad jumpers. She reminds them that they\u2019re all good at something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third, Veautour works one-on-one with kids who have had bad days. She <strong>doesn\u2019t focus on the negatives<\/strong>, but reminds them that tomorrow is another day. <em>\u201cI tell them to go home, take a shower, relax and think about what they did. Take it one step at a time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And fourth, we\u2019d like to remind parents that kids need to understand they can\u2019t be perfect every day. It\u2019s okay for sports kids to have a bad day as long as they grow and learn from their mistakes\u2014instead of beating themselves up.<\/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\/help-sports-kids-grow-from-adversity\/\" title=\"Help Sports Kids Grow From Adversity\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-who-criticize-themselves\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes Who Criticize Themselves<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dont-believe-sports-kids-are-bullied-learn-about-cnn-poll\/\"><strong>Don\u2019t Believe Sports Kids Are Bullied Too? Learn About CNN Poll<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-stop-overthinking\/\" title=\"How Athletes Can Stop Overthinking\u00a0\"><strong>How Athletes Can Stop Overthinking\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a><\/strong>\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_Composed_Sports_Kid\"><\/span>The Composed 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 loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/composed-sports-kid-small-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Composed Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-11173\" style=\"width:170px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Composed Sports Kid&#8221; audio&nbsp;and workbook digital download program for young athletes and their parents or coach helps kids cope with frustration and anger in sports. Help your sports kids learn how to manage expectations and let go of mistakes so they can keep their head in the game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>The Composed Sports Kid system<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;is really two programs in one\u2013one program to train parents and coaches how to help their kids practice composure, and one program that teaches young athletes\u2013<em>ages 6 to 13<\/em>\u2013how to improve composure, let go of mistakes quickly, have more self-acceptance,&nbsp;<strong>and thus enjoy sports more<\/strong>!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-26bcd9b3\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-903b6244 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-3275f4fd gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/confident-sports-kid-series-digital-version\/products\/the-confident-sports-kid-bundle-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reasons Why Sports Kids Don&#8217;t Believe in Themselves For a number of reasons, many sports kids don\u2019t believe in themselves\u2014and that\u2019s bad news for them, their teams and their coaches. Here are just a few causes: When kids don\u2019t believe in themselves, they hurt their performance and enjoyment of sports. &#8230; <a title=\"What to do When Sports Kids Don\u2019t Believe in Themselves\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-to-do-when-sports-kids-dont-believe-in-themselves\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about What to do When Sports Kids Don\u2019t Believe in Themselves\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,23,6],"tags":[166,64,168,39,50,157,251],"class_list":["post-715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","category-sports-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-cheerleading","tag-confidence","tag-kids-sport-psychology","tag-kids-sports-psychology","tag-self-confidence","tag-self-confidence-young-athletes","tag-youth-sports","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715","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=715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}