Kids sports psychology articles for sports parents, young athletes, and team coaches to improve and learn mental game performance and consistency.
Does Money Add Pressure to Youth Sports? Yes, and it’s reaching younger athletes every year. NIL income is now touching high school and even younger players, most of whom receive money before they’ve learned how to manage it. Financial expert and former All-American Tom Henske says the resulting stress doesn’t … Read Sport Psychology Tip
What Is Burnout In Sports? Article Summary: Burnout in young athletes can develop when training, competition, pressure, and expectations become greater than an athlete’s ability to recover. Signs can include physical exhaustion, frustration, declining motivation, poor concentration, reduced confidence, and losing enjoyment in the sport. Burnout in sports happens when … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How do Eating Issues Affect Athletes’ Mindset? Article Summary: For young athletes, the mental game usually gets talked about in terms of confidence, focus, resilience, and staying present under pressure. What gets talked about far less is how much of that mental space can be quietly taken up by something … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Can You Help Athletes Manage Stress and Pressure? Summary: Parents can help young athletes handle pressure by anticipating the stress that comes with each stage of development instead of reacting after it hits. Pressure tends to spike at predictable moments: joining a first team, navigating puberty, and competing for … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Does Your Child Choke Under Pressure? Summary: Probably more often than they’ll admit. Choking happens when a young athlete underperforms in games compared to how they play in practice. It’s not a talent problem. It’s a mental one. Three factors drive it: negative self-talk, a fear-based perspective on pressure situations, … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How Does bad Officiating Derailed Your Athlete’s Performance? One moment your young athlete is focused, competing well, and in control. Then the referee makes a call they disagree with. Suddenly, everything changes. Their body language drops. Their focus disappears. Their performance falls apart. This is one of the most common … Read Sport Psychology Tip