Award winning parenting writer Lisa Cohn and Youth Sports Psychology expert Dr. Patrick Cohn are co-founders of The Ultimate Sports Parent. Pick up their free e-book, “Ten Tips to Improve Confidence and Success in Young Athletes” by visiting http://www.youthsportspsychology.com
As a sports psychology expert, I often work very closely with my students’ parents when I provide one-on-one mental coaching for young athletes. That’s because it helps me—and my students--when parents are knowledgeable about “mental game” strategies for young athletes.
Yes, parents need mental training, too!
Parent sometimes can impede my mental coaching process, even though they have the best intentions.
Parents’ expectations can pressure young athletes. Parents will often impose their own expectations on their kids, thinking that they are actually boosting their confidence. But often, the opposite is true.
When coaching my students in golf, I try to help the parents and athletes understand that strict expectations limit kids’ performance. They often do this by undermining kids’ confidence.
Confidence leads athletes into the winner’s circle. Expectations lead athletes to frustration when they are not performing up to their self-imposed ideals.
When working with students, I teach these concepts and help young athletes identify expectations that hurt their performance.
Parents, in their efforts to be supportive, often say or do things that are interpreted by the child as expectations. Let’s get back to my golf example. A parent, with good intentions, might say, “You should be able to shoot even par on this course today – you have done it before.”
It sounds supportive and seems like the correct thing to say, right? Not from a mental game perspective. Young golfers can interpret such statements in surprising ways. In this case, the child may think he should shoot even par and if he doesn’t, he’s letting down his parents.
I know…sounds like a stretch, but this is how the mind of the young athlete works. He internalizes your high expectations, then becomes more conscious about his score for the day. He believes he should shoot even par for the day.
This is why parents need mental training too. You need to impart the mental game lessons that I teach my students.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Four Common Sports Parenting Challenges
- Sports Parents Play Critical Roles in Boosting Kids’ Confidence
- Sports Parents Need Mental Training Too
- When Should Parents Complain About a Youth Sports Coach’s Behavior?
- Ensuring Young Athletes Don't Drop Out of Sports
- How to Evaluate your Athlete’s Youth Sports Coach
- How to Help Young Athletes Set Goals in Sports
- When are Sports Parents Too Involved?
Pool Table Equipment
By: Mark Addison | 30/12/2009To play the game of pool successfully, it is quite evident that you need solid equipment. Without these, the only thing possible is some sublime rest on the table itself. The felts are required to lend the table support and the ball racks are there to arrange the frame properly after every game and before starting one.
Bowling Ball Care Tips
By: Evan Leeway | 30/12/2009As a bowler, you need to develop your bowling techniques and also care for your bowling equipment, which in numerous times is very dear to purchase. This may help you conduct easy-going and smooth games through making improvements to the games' conditions.
Free Slots No Download Online Slot Games
By: Jacob Dunner | 30/12/2009The free slots no download games are offered by casinos as Java slot games or Flash slot games. If you do not have Java or Flash on your computer, you would be required to download Java software or Macromedia Flash Player on to your computer before you play these free slots no download games. Most of the modern computers are provided with Java and Flash software. Even if you do not have them, download of Java and Flash are free and hence, you need not shell out extra money for them.
Get the Most Strongest Rage Broadheads 2 Blade Practice 3 Pack
By: Jenn Jamie | 30/12/2009Old And Easy Broadheads Are Worries Stellar fear of legion of established broadheads is that they do not deliver the goods to break in the prey very badly. Furthermore when the tiptoe of traditional broadheads meets the skin or bone, there is a plenty of detrition included. Very frequently, makers of...
Golf and Your Child
By: Nicky Michael | 30/12/2009More children are learning to play golf today than ever before. A big reason for this is Tiger Woods. He has taken the sport and popularized it among children of all ages. What used to be a boring game for kids to play has suddenly become increasingly popular.
How to Pick the Right Golf Clubs
By: Nicky Michael | 30/12/2009Golf trainers who have been to high level training sessions, such as any PGA program, know the discipline of picking the right golf clubs.
What is a Golf Slice?
By: Nicky Michael | 30/12/2009Fix golf slice is a thought on many amateur golfers' minds. Studies reveal over 80% of all amateur golfers slice the ball. There have been more training aids, drills and tips to fix the golf slice that I can't even begin to count.
Physical Requirements for Golf
By: Nicky Michael | 30/12/2009The fitness components for golf are a select few, but they are critical to a golfers success. The golf swing is a physically demanding movement on the human body. It involves coordination, balance, stability, muscular strength and endurance, and dynamic sequence of motion just to name a few.
When are Sports Parents Too Involved?
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessOne sports parent began training his son at the age of four to become a pro football player. The dad quit his job to facilitate his son’s coaching. The boy is now 12 and spends 10 hours per day training with his father.
Filling an Athlete’s “emotional Tank”
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessHow can parents and coaches fill a young athlete’s “emotional tank?”
When Talented Kid Athletes Face High Expectations
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessChris, the sports mom of an 8-year-old athlete, faces a difficult dilemma: Her son is a talented goalie in hockey, but he's so good that his team mates and coaches rely on him.
Helping Young Athletes Trust in Their Skills When Competing
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessDo your sports kids excel in practice, but freeze up in competition? Do they have a hard time just being spontaneous and “free” when they compete? Are they so afraid of making mistakes that they don’t take risks?
Ensuring Young Athletes Don't Drop Out of Sports
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessDid you know that 75% of all young athletes drop out of sports by the time they are 13? They drop out because taking part in youth sports is no longer enjoyable for them.
How to Help Young Athletes Set Goals in Sports
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessToo often, sports parents set goals for their kids that are different than the kids’ goals. It’s important to help sports kids identify their own goals and then help them follow through on them.
Parenting Perfectionist Young Athletes
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessOften, parents worry about young athletes who are hard on themselves, become easily frustrated, and take disappointment home with them. You’re likely familiar with these types of athletes. They’re perfectionists.
How to Evaluate your Athlete’s Youth Sports Coach
By: Dr. Patrick Cohn And Lisa Cohn | 21/12/2007 | Sports & FitnessIn my 15 years as a sports parent, one of the most difficult challenges I ever faced was dealing with an abusive coach. My son was a 7th grader who loved basketball more than anything in the world, and his coach was a nightmare. He yelled at the boys, threw basketballs at them, and called them names.