Psychology of Tryouts: Part I
Note: This is the first in a series of four articles that explore the psychology of tryouts that I recently published on YSPN360.com, a great new website and organization whose values about youth sports align with mine. Subsequent articles in the series will look at what young athletes can do to mentally prepare for tryouts; what […]
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Great Sports Performance is About Feelings
One of the greatest strengths of the athletes I work with, whether a junior, collegian, Olympian, or pro, is their intelligence. Their ability to explore, understand, analyze, critique, and find answers and solutions is an essential tool that helps them pursue their goals. At the same time, one of the greatest weaknesses that holds them […]
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In Sports, You Need to Fight from Start to Finish
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to young athletes in their training and competitive efforts. For example, it drives me crazy to see athletes not prepare themselves fully for a practice session (but you can’t do that in a competition!). Or, young athletes standing around and chatting it up before drills […]
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Vlog: 7 Key Messages to Send to Your Young Athletes
In this week’s vlog segment, I share with you seven important messages related to your children’s sports participation that you want to send them. These messages are so valuable because they will set the tone for how your young athletes approach their sports involvement. If your messages are about results, expectations, and pressure, three bad things […]
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Interview: Raising Young Athletes
I was recently interviewed by John Bennett, “The Travel Ball Dad,” on a variety of issues and concerns related to raising young athletes. The interview explores how parents can best support their children in their sports participation, the challenges created by the “youth sport industrial complex,” and questions and answers about when young athletes should […]
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A Gift for the New Year-50% Off Online Courses
Happy New Year!! And with 2018 just around the corner, many of us are thinking about the New Year’s resolutions we want to establish in which we want to be a better us in some aspect of our lives. If your New Year’s resolution is to be the best athlete, coach, or parent you can […]
Read MoreVlog: Break the Chain of Frustration
In my seventh of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I examine the impact that frustration has on athletes in their training and competitive efforts. Frustration is typically defined an emotional reaction that arises when the path toward a goal is blocked and can’t be readily cleared. Common sources of frustration for athletes […]
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What to Say to Your Young Athletes Before and After Games
The day of a game is a stressful time for athletes and parents alike. Athletes are putting their efforts on the line and must accept that those efforts don’t always pay off in sports. Parents want the best for their children and it pains us beyond pale to see our kids not find the success […]
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Vlog: What You Should Do for Yourself as a Sport Parent
In this week’s vlog segment, I share with you my insights into what you as a sport parent can do for yourself to make your children’s athletic experiences as positive as possible for both them and you. As you well know, what you think, feel, and do as an active participant in your children’s athletic lives, […]
Read MoreVlog: Create an Ideal Competitive Focus
In my sixth of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I focus on, well, focus in your training and competitive efforts. When I talk about focus, I mean two things. First, your ability to pay attention to things that help you perform your best including technique, tactics, your mind, conditions, or your opponents. […]
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