{"id":7530,"date":"2022-06-30T11:13:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T15:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=7530"},"modified":"2025-08-11T02:16:38","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T06:16:38","slug":"constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Constructive Criticism Tips for Young Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7542\" style=\"width:840px;height:420px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes-1-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_your_athletes_respond_to_constructive_criticism\"><\/span>How do your athletes respond to constructive criticism?<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\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/#How_do_your_athletes_respond_to_constructive_criticism\" >How do your athletes respond to constructive criticism?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/#Athletes_are_afraid_of_constructive_criticism_for_several_reasons\" >Athletes are afraid of constructive criticism for several reasons:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/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\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/#Are_Your_Athletes_Receptive_To_Criticism\" >Are Your Athletes Receptive To Criticism?<\/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\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/#When_young_athletes_receive_criticism_they_should_ask_themselves_three_questions\" >When young athletes receive criticism, they should ask themselves three questions:<\/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\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/#They_should_then\" >They should then:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/#Help_your_young_athletes_have_fun_and_stay_in_sports\" >Help your young athletes have fun and stay in sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why do some athletes reject corrections or constructive feedback from their coaches?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Athletes_are_afraid_of_constructive_criticism_for_several_reasons\"><\/span>Athletes are afraid of <strong>constructive criticism<\/strong> for several reasons:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They feel they are negatively being judged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>criticism<\/strong> confirms some self-doubt they have about themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They have perfectionist standards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They fear they are letting others down.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They are given feedback in an aggressive or disapproving tone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some athletes see the <strong>criticism<\/strong> as a list of everything they do wrong. In these instances, they dismiss or ignore feedback. Other athletes view <strong>criticism<\/strong> as constructive. They see it as advice about how to improve their game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accepting and using feedback is a critical mental skill for athletes. When kids develop this skill, they won\u2019t feel attacked when coaches give them feedback. It will feel more like a suggestion about improving their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, not every coach or parent is skilled in providing feedback effectively. That means young athletes must figure out how to find the message in the <strong>criticism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Your_Athletes_Receptive_To_Criticism\"><\/span>Are Your Athletes Receptive To Criticism?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s a practical example from the Boston Celtics. The Celtics had built an 18-point lead against the Golden State Warriors in the first half of Game 3 in the 2022 NBA Finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boston built the lead by playing tough defense and controlling the ball on offense. The Celtics became reckless with the ball, committing foolish turnovers and allowing the Warriors to climb back into the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the fourth quarter, Boston head coach Ime Udoka was fuming during a timeout. After the timeout, the Celtics collected themselves, regained their composure, and eventually won the game 116-100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the game, Boston guard Marcus Smart commented on how the team acted in response to the coach\u2019s feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou want to know what you\u2019re doing wrong so you can fix it,\u201d said Smart. \u201cYou can\u2019t fix (anything) if you don\u2019t know what the problem is. So we definitely appreciate his honesty and his openness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Criticism<\/strong> can feel like an attack, but often kids can find a message in it and disregard the negative tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s normal for sports kids\u2019 defense mechanisms to kick in, but <strong>criticism<\/strong> can be helpful. Rather than throwing out the message due to the negative delivery, kids should grab hold of the parts of the feedback that can help their game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_young_athletes_receive_criticism_they_should_ask_themselves_three_questions\"><\/span>When young athletes receive criticism, they should ask themselves three questions:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is the message?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How does this message help me?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How sill I use this feedback to improve my game?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"They_should_then\"><\/span>They should then:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Communicate with the person giving the feedback. They should ask for clarification about the message if they\u2019re confused.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Challenge their defensiveness. They should try to understand why they don\u2019t like receiving feedback.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Focus on the message itself, not how the message is delivered. The message is more important than the delivery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask themselves how they can apply it to their game and what to do.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:post-content -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading {\"level\":3} -->\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"help-your-young-athletes-have-fun-and-stay-in-sports\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_your_young_athletes_have_fun_and_stay_in_sports\"><\/span>Help your young athletes have fun and stay in sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"right\",\"id\":2911,\"sizeSlug\":\"full\",\"linkDestination\":\"media\"} --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":11157,\"width\":\"170px\",\"sizeSlug\":\"full\",\"linkDestination\":\"custom\",\"align\":\"right\",\"className\":\"wp-block-image alignright size-full\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image 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\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:170px\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\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 tap into our secrets to sports success 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 challenges young athletes face. In our 14-day program, you and your young athlete will learn just what it takes to cultivate confidence, focus, and composure in sports!<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Through our extensive research, we\u2019ve discovered that the <strong>parents of top-performing, happy, young athletes<\/strong> know how to support their kids in sports. These parents understand just how to:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>Communicate<\/strong> with coaches<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Boost their kids\u2019 <strong>confidence<\/strong> on game day<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Help kids <strong>stop worrying<\/strong> about what others\u2019 think<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Teach kids <strong>no one is perfect<\/strong><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Give kids <strong>appropriate feedback<\/strong> after defeat<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><strong>Free kids<\/strong> to trust in their own abilities, and<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Help kids <strong>focus on what\u2019s most important<\/strong>\u2026.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>And more!<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- wp:atomic-blocks\/ab-button {\"buttonText\":\"LEARN MORE\",\"buttonAlignment\":\"center\"} --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:atomic-blocks\/ab-button -->\n\n<!-- wp:html -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-button ab-block-button\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"ab-button ab-button-shape-rounded ab-button-size-medium\" style=\"color: #ffffff; background-color: #3373dc;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\">LEARN MORE<\/a><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:html -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do your athletes respond to constructive criticism? Why do some athletes reject corrections or constructive feedback from their coaches? Athletes are afraid of constructive criticism for several reasons: Some athletes see the criticism as a list of everything they do wrong. In these instances, they dismiss or ignore feedback. &#8230; <a title=\"Constructive Criticism Tips for Young Athletes\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/constructive-criticism-tips-for-young-athletes\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Constructive Criticism Tips for Young Athletes\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,12],"tags":[309,117],"class_list":["post-7530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-youth-sports-tips","tag-confidence-in-youth-sports","tag-youth-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7530","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=7530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}