Young athletes should practice with intention and complete focus. Focused practice should mimic the level of focus that is required in competition. Your kids should mimic what happens in competition with the same level of focus. This requires a baseball player to use the same intensity and focus in
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Sports Parents
Having Fun
All kids want to win unless they purely participate for the social aspect of sports. Winning is fun. However, kids don't always have full control over winning, but they do have full control over how much enjoyment they have in the moment. When kids are having fun and truly enjoying sports, practice
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Playing with a Fear of Failure
Athletes who play with a fear of failure are usually very dedicated athletes that really want to win, but are afraid to make mistakes and lose the game. It is Ironic that athletes who want to win so badly are the most afraid to lose or make errors. This causes them to have an avoidance mindset
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Teach Kids to Trust Their Abilities
Young athletes must balance what we call the practice mindset and the performance mindset. Athletes who embrace a practice mindset have a desire to improve. They love to train and are most comfortable with their practice routines. Too much of this mindset, they may lose faith in their skills during
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Improving Sport Parenting Skills
As a parent, you have the ability and responsibility to ensure that your child or teen reaps all the physical, social and emotional benefits of playing sports – and stays in the game. It is important that you support your young athletes as they are challenged with the many expectations and mental
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Helping Kids Cope with Mistakes
All athletes at some time become upset, frustrated, or angry at themselves (or other people). How your kids perform will depend on their ability to let go of mistakes and stay composed. Emotional control is the ability to stay even tempered, level headed, or to remain calm when challenged by mishaps
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Concentration Skills and Performance Cues
Every person who plays sports has the ability to concentrate and selectively attend to certain performance cues. Your kids must know what they need to focus on in order to throw a baseball or hit a slap shot. Task-relevant performance cues or important skills your kids need to focus on help them
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Why High Expectations Hurt Confidence
Strict or high expectations can undermine and hurt athletes' confidence. Young athletes’ confidence is all about their belief in their abilities. Expectations, on the other hand, are judgments and demands that your kids place on themselves. Your kids' expectations are usually about wanting to win or
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