Young athletes play their best when they feel confident and can learn from their mistakes. After a game, follow these tips: (1) It’s important to be positive after the game. Both coaches and parents can find one or two positive things to say about how the kids played.
(2) Be clear that your
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Tips for Sports Parents
When Kids Adopt Parents’ Expectations
At Kids’ Sports Psychology, we’ve found that kids with high expectations--whether these expectations come from parents or from the kids themselves--are more likely to get angry. If they can’t achieve their own high standards, they get frustrated and angry rather quickly.
To help kids with high
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Sports Kids Who Try to Read Minds
Do your young athletes seek approval from their peers and coaches in order to feel confident about their abilities in sports? This is a common mental game challenge for young athletes! Sports parents must understand that athletes who need others to feel confident often become anxious or fear failing
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Do Your Kids Make Comparisons?
Sports kids today spend too much time making comparisons to their competitors or teammates! They focus on how others are performing, rather than concentrating on their own game. They do this in a number of ways—and none of them are good news for the young athletes.
Making comparisons hurts your
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Kids Who Feel Supported
You should be very careful about how you give your athletes feedback. If you criticize them too much, they’ll avoid making mistakes. That means they’ll start playing tentatively and will avoid taking risks. They’ll play scared. That’s not a good recipe for learning and growing!
What’s more, be
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The Positive Side of Failure
It’s important for both you and your young athletes to realize there’s a positive side to failing, facing adversity, or making mistakes. Defeat can sometimes motivate young athletes to try harder, to look at what they’re doing, and think about what needs improving.
Defeat gives kids the
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Kids Who Can’t Cope with Mistakes
Does your young athlete have trouble coping with mistakes? Do your athletes check out during games because they can’t let go of mistakes? In fact, 35% of sports parents we surveyed said that their young athletes struggle with letting go of mistakes.
In order to be successful, your young athletes
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Kids Who Resist Mental Training
Parents, young athletes come up with a lot of reasons for resisting mental training. They’ll tell you that their coaches and peers will think they’re weak if they embrace mental training. They’ll tell you they’re already tough. Your athletes will say their coaches don’t think mental training is
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