Building Confidence in Young Athletes

Negative thinking hurts sports kids' confidence and performance. But juggling, hypnosis and posting notes all over a sports kids' house can combat this way of thinking, said Ignacio Segovia, a hypnotherapist, psychologist and mental performance coach. Juggling--or even tossing a ball from one hand to the other before a

Young athletes should respond thoughtfully to setbacks, using visualization and breath control to ensure they don't react with emotion. That's the message from Dayton Hansen, COO at ICL Academy, an online school that helps kids pursue passions such as sports. When kids learn to respond this way to mistakes or other set

Good coaches can motivate athletes to try their hardest. They can help kids move on from mistakes. They can even change kids' lives, said Dylan Meyer, 22, founder of Legacy of Legends, which helps parents choose sports camps for their young athletes. Send podcast ideas: https://www.youthsportspsychology.com/contact-ult

Young athletes have very open minds, which is good and bad news in sports, says Susan Williams, a clinical hypnotherapist at SportHypnotherapy.com. On the one hand, criticism from coaches and parents can affect them at the subconscious level, creating mental roadblocks. But beccause kids' minds are so open. such challe

Cathy Spaas was a professional equestrian show jumper at a young age and suffered from pressure to perform. At age 14, she was riding at international shows, but began to feel like she wasn't good enough, she said. She lost her confidence and passion for the sport. Now, her goal at Your Success Trainer--Cathy Spaas is

Young athletes who set high expectations often get frustrated when they don't meet their expectations. Mike Mancini, a certified mental performance coach, explains why setting process goals is important and gives examples of these goals. The aim is for young athletes to stay grounded in the moment, and avoid focusing o