Many athletes expect too much of themselves and easily lose confidence when they don’t perform up to their expectations. Often, sports kids harbor unrealistic or even irrational beliefs that hurt their confidence. For example, some athletes expect to make no mistakes or go 4-for-4 at-bat in a baseball game. When they do make a mistake, they can lose confidence quickly.
As coaches you should help your athletes understand which beliefs, expectations, or thoughts hurt their confidence. You also need to think about the things you do or say that might contribute to your young athletes’ negative or unhealthy beliefs. For example, you might raise their expectations or help them think the competition is too strong for them to succeed.
Help sports kids improve confidence and check out The Confident Sports Kid to find out how.