Kids sports psychology articles for sports parents, young athletes, and team coaches to improve and learn mental game performance and consistency.
Mental focus is especially critical in figure skating, where skaters have just four and a half minutes to perform over a dozen high-risk elements with confidence and accuracy, says Scott Smith, an internationally competitive figure skater and the alternate in the 2006 Olympic games. There are no second chances in … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Approach Sibling Rivalry Siblings naturally compete with each other in all areas of life; they fight for their parents’ praise and attention and compete to be recognized as the “better student” or the “better athlete.” Sports can increase sibling rivalry. Some siblings are jealous of each other and … Read Sport Psychology Tip
How to Gain Self-Control Pop quiz: When parents and coaches witness an “Are you kidding me?” call from the ref, do you: A. Shout “Boo” and jump up and down? Or.. B. Say nothing, and understand that bad calls are just part of the game. Of course, you know you’re … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Should You Give Last-Minute Advice? Do you have a few last minute pointers for your kid before the big match on nailing that serve? Save it. That’s the best way to help your kids succeed, according to Junior Tennis Players’ Preferences for Parental Behaviors, a study published by the Journal … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Keeping Expectations Under Control Regan McMahon, author of Revolution in the Bleachers: How Parents can Take Back Family Life in a World Gone Crazy over Youth Sports, explores parents’ expectations for their kids in sports. McMahon stresses that some parents use sports as an opportunity to live vicariously through their … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Individual Talent Alone won’t Make a Team Successful Team members must be able to understand and take advantage of each other’s strengths to be successful. That’s teamwork. Coaches play an important role in enhancing teamwork. They set the tone for the whole team. If the coach is committed to the … Read Sport Psychology Tip