Kids in Sports: How To Guide Your Young Athlete

If you are a parent or coach interested in helping your child or your players, I thank you for taking a sincere interest in kids sports.

Kids and teens respond VERY WELL to sports hypnosis and mental game training and they are my favorite clients.  How you play is how you live - my clients typically enjoy much more than just sports improvement. They learn how to deal with their emotions, they skyrocket their confidence, and they learn communication skills that benefit them for the rest of their life in personal and professional relationships.

Youth sports have become extremely competitive these days. Far more than just a generation ago and there are so many pitfalls to "training a Tiger" (Woods). Scholarships and professional contracts have made it very attractive to parents to get involved with their kids' sports development.

Everyone wants to win... including the kids. Sometimes, the parents want the kids to win too much and this causes the athlete far too much stress and pressure for such a young age.

There are many ways a parent or coach can have a lifelong positive impact on kids in sports.  The most important 2 things to keep in mind for kids are:

Recognize, communicate, and model the correct perspective about everything to do with sports. This usually requires the adult to first take a self-inventory around this issue.  It is not about the adult, it's about the child or teen. Most kids will tell adults how much fun and excitement they get from playing and winning at their sport.  Those same kids can be very reluctant to voice their difficulties and disappointments with how their adult is relating to them with regard to the sports.

Always remember to make sure the athlete is having fun.  Check in every once-in-awhile and just ask. Even the most dedicated professional athlete will tell you that having fun is at the heart of why they play their sport and when that ends, it's time to do something else.  When you have fun, you perform better, it's that simple.

Give your child unconditional love no matter whether he/she plays well or not, wins or not.  You must remember that even when kids say they're ok, they may not be. It's up to you to give them positive suggestions (You as a parent or coach are their #1 Hypnotist) at all times, especially when they lose or don't play well.  Watch what you say and your actions. 

Legendary baseball manager Sparky Anderson said of Hall of Famer Pete Rose that he was the same person after a game, win or lose.  Strive to support your young athlete to live that.

In my office, the parent is welcome to sit in on the sessions with some exceptions that are agreed upon by all parties. I encourage parent participation as we work together to improve sports performance and

increase self-esteem and performance in school and home!!

Call 425-457-7777 for an appointment