{"id":785,"date":"2010-09-23T15:10:50","date_gmt":"2010-09-23T15:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=785"},"modified":"2025-08-07T06:18:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:18:08","slug":"how-negative-labels-hurt-young-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-negative-labels-hurt-young-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"How Negative Labels Hurt Young Athletes"},"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\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg\" alt=\"How Choking Hurts Athletes\u2019 Performance\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-9099\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/youth-sports-mindset-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=\"Negative_Self-Lables_in_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Negative Self-Lables in Youth Sports<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 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\/how-negative-labels-hurt-young-athletes\/#Negative_Self-Lables_in_Youth_Sports\" >Negative Self-Lables in Youth Sports<\/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\/how-negative-labels-hurt-young-athletes\/#Negative_Self-Labels\" >Negative Self-Labels<\/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\/how-negative-labels-hurt-young-athletes\/#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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-negative-labels-hurt-young-athletes\/#Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\" >Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>When sports kids start calling themselves &#8220;losers,&#8221; &#8220;chokers,&#8221; &#8220;wimps&#8221; or other negative names, it&#8217;s a bad sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Young athletes who label themselves with these negative terms are hurting their <strong>confidence<\/strong>. They&#8217;ve got a little voice in their head that&#8217;s constantly putting them down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, as we&#8217;ve said many times before, <strong>confidence<\/strong> is what sports kids need most to feel <strong>successful,<\/strong> improve and have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Too often, however, kids fall into this trap\u2014especially if there&#8217;s a big <strong>focus<\/strong> on winning. If they&#8217;re on a losing team, for example, they&#8217;re likely to call themselves &#8220;losers.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We recently chatted with the head of a unique program that aims to take the <strong>negative labels<\/strong> out of sports&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His name is Jere Johnson, and he runs an elementary sports program for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in which kids play flag football and are only coached by high school athletes. The <strong>focus<\/strong> is on being great team mates\u2014not being winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;So often the ultimate <strong>goal<\/strong> is the win. That&#8217;s okay; there will be winners and losers. But from a <strong>mental game<\/strong> point of view, kids start to label themselves as &#8216;I&#8217;m a winner&#8217; or &#8216;I&#8217;m a loser,'&#8221;<\/em> says Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each week, kids have a project to work on\u2014a character lesson. The idea is to help kids think about more than just winning or losing, says Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Negative_Self-Labels\"><\/span>Negative Self-Labels<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The end result, says Johnson. Sportsmanship is high. Kids are kinder on the playing field. They&#8217;re less likely to label themselves in <strong>negative terms<\/strong>. They love the league: Ninety-five percent of his athletes return year after year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they do choose to go to the local tackle football league, they often come back, saying they didn&#8217;t feel as supported as they did playing for Johnson&#8217;s league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your kids can&#8217;t enroll in leagues like Johnson&#8217;s, but tend to label themselves in negative ways, there&#8217;s lots you can do to help them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, help them identify the <strong>negative labels<\/strong> they use to describe themselves. They could be &#8220;I&#8217;m not a pressure player,&#8221; or &#8220;I&#8217;m too small,&#8221; or &#8220;I always strike out.&#8221; These are all <strong>confidence busters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tell your kids to do whatever they can to rid themselves of these labels. They could write them down on a piece of paper, and tear it up. They could do <strong>breathing exercises<\/strong> that involve exhaling and pushing the labels out of their systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, ask your kids to write down three <strong>positive labels<\/strong> that describe their efforts in sports. These could be &#8220;I&#8217;m a great team player,&#8221; &#8220;I know how to nab those rebounds,&#8221; or &#8220;I&#8217;m quick on my feet.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tell your athletes to use these labels as often as possible&#8211;even when they&#8217;re talking to other kids or parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn more about how you can help your kids <strong>avoid negative labels<\/strong> and <strong>boost their confidence<\/strong>? At Kids&#8217; Sports Psychology, we&#8217;ve got lots of resources for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>E-books, some written specifically for sports parents, and some written specifically for sports kids, that explain how to boost confidence in sports;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Informative audio interviews like the one we conducted with Johnson;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Videos for young athletes that tell them how to identify confidence busters and take action to improve their performance and confidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our &#8216;Inside The Minds of Young Athletes&#8221; Series, video interviews with young athletes, plus Dr. Cohn&#8217;s analysis of their mental game.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>That&#8217;s not all. We&#8217;ve got articles, Q and As, and much more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/helping-sports-kids-who-call-themselves-negative-names\/\"><strong>Helping Sports Kids Who Call Themselves Negative Names<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/athletes-who-use-steroids-negatively-influence-youth-athletes\/\"><strong>Athletes Who Use Steroids Negatively Influence Youth Athletes [Podcast]<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-its-so-important-for-athletes-to-avoid-negative-thinking\/\"><strong>Why It\u2019s So Important for Athletes To Avoid Negative Thinking<\/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>\u00a0<\/strong>on 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-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\"><\/span><strong>Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mental-training-for-young-athletes.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6868\" style=\"width:138px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re certain that, as a parent,&nbsp;you want to help your child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life.&nbsp;And as a sports parent, you\u2019d love for your children to reach their potential in sports.&nbsp;But encouraging your child to <strong>strive for greatness without pressuring them<\/strong> can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can get expert mental coaching with us from anywhere. Meet with us via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or phone call. With today\u2019s video technology, we are able to connect with athletes and coaches all over the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Call Us Today to Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Session.<\/strong><br><strong>Find Out How Your Athlete Can Benefit From One-on-One Mental Coaching!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Negative Self-Lables in Youth Sports When sports kids start calling themselves &#8220;losers,&#8221; &#8220;chokers,&#8221; &#8220;wimps&#8221; or other negative names, it&#8217;s a bad sign. Young athletes who label themselves with these negative terms are hurting their confidence. They&#8217;ve got a little voice in their head that&#8217;s constantly putting them down. And, as &#8230; <a title=\"How Negative Labels Hurt Young Athletes\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-negative-labels-hurt-young-athletes\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Negative Labels Hurt Young Athletes\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,17,6],"tags":[64,168,177,79,117],"class_list":["post-785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-sports-parenting","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence","tag-kids-sport-psychology","tag-negitive-labels","tag-self-esteem","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\/785","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=785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}