Youth athletes kids sports psychology articles for athletes, sports parents, and team coaches to improve performance and perform better. Read articles for sport parents.
For neurodiverse young athletes, struggles on the field, court or in the gym may have little to do with effort or motivation. Lisa Richer, founder of Journey to Bloom, says that coaches and parents need to look beyond performance and understand the individual athlete. Richer, a former elite gymnast who … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Craig Young, author of Growing Up Young: One Family’s Faith Journey to the NFL and father of Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, says he damaged his relationship with his son by being overbearing about Bryce’s success in sports. “I was just hell-bent on, ‘he is not going to squander this gift,’” he … 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
Helping Young Athletes Stay Confident During a Shooting Slump Where do your child’s thoughts go when they are in a shooting slump? Do they get frustrated and try to “fix their shot” mid-game? Do they obsess over stats, numbers, or results instead of staying engaged in the game? Do they … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Andy Whittier knows how to cope with pressure. He transitioned from playing college football to representing the U.S. in the skeleton sport, a solo, head-first sled race down an icy track at speeds of up to 89 mph. At first, it was terrifying, he said during an interview with our … Read Sport Psychology Tip
Build Confidence in Kids Summary: Sports build a child’s confidence by teaching them that confidence is not genetic but a skill developed through effort and practice. When kids train consistently, improve weak areas, and commit to growth, their confidence rises. Confidence grows as young athletes set goals, track progress, and … Read Sport Psychology Tip