Youth Athletes

Improving Young Athletes’ Thinking to Boost Performance

Kids Sports Psychology for Parents and Young Athletes

It’s possible to speed up young athletes’ thinking and reaction time, says Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, a sports dad, professor and president of NeuroCatch, a medical device startup that evaluates cognitive function. For example, he recently used red light therapy to speed up a football player’s cognitive processing by 70 milliseconds. … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Choosing Neutral Thinking When Facing Adversity in Youth Sports

Kids Sports Psychology for Parents and Young Athletes

When sports kids face adversity, it’s not always easy to quickly shift from making mistakes to positive thinking. Instead, they should choose neutral thinking first, said Donovan Dreyer, owner of Get Ready Coaching and a sports dad with three teens. This involves focusing on a specific task that needs improvement. … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Why Kids’ Identities Shouldn’t be All About Sports

Kids Sports Psychology for Parents and Young Athletes

Sports kids face a number of challenges when their identity is all about sports, said Dr. Becca Wallace, a clinical pediatric psychologist at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. Children often get overly involved in sports, leading to their identity being closely tied to their athletic performance. She offers tips for creating … Read Sport Psychology Tip