All sports parents want their children to succeed and play up to their potential. Parents get frustrated when they think kids do not perform up to their potential. As a sports parent, sometimes it is difficult to know how to encourage your kids to perform well. It's hard to know when you may be
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iPeak Coach Tips
Entering the Zone
Entering the zone may sound Zen-like and magical, but in reality it is very simple. When you become immersed in achieving a goal, such as quick turns, attention is absorbed into the present - the here and now only. You think only about how to execute a turn with precision. Distractions are forbidden
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Two Practice Mindsets
Athletes perform their best under two distinct practice mindsets. The first is skill acquisition or skill mastery, in which athletes master sports skills. Here, coaches help athletes become competent with the technique or the "how to" of execution.
The second type of practice is specificity
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Use Specificity Training for Higher Performance
Peter Vidmar, an Olympic gymnast, used specificity training to prepare for the 1984 Olympics. Peter's goal was to make his practice as close to a real meet as possible. He wanted to practice with the same distractions and emotions that go with competition. Peter and his teammates simulated the
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Applying the Mental Game to Practice
Young athletes should practice with intention and complete focus. Focused practice should mimic the level of focus that is required in competition. Your kids should mimic what happens in competition with the same level of focus. This requires a baseball player to use the same intensity and focus in
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Motivating Your Athletes
For athletes and coaches alike, the motivation to excel in one's sport starts with a dream. The best athletes in the world have a commitment to greatness, which is often fueled by their mission. Motivation is the drive to strive for a goal, to improve daily, to practice hard day after day, and the
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Don’t Forget About Practice Goals
Setting goals are an important part of structuring practice and improving the quality of your performance. You wan to have clear goals about what you want to achieve in sport. However, when it comes to training and practice sessions, many athletes do not have well defined goals and this can help you
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Having Fun
All kids want to win unless they purely participate for the social aspect of sports. Winning is fun. However, kids don't always have full control over winning, but they do have full control over how much enjoyment they have in the moment. When kids are having fun and truly enjoying sports, practice
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