Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / Quick Tips to Help Kids Have their Best Summer Sports Season Yet

Quick Tips to Help Kids Have their Best Summer Sports Season Yet

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | May 28, 2014

No Comments

4dfbc42aad51b.image_-624x395

Summer is just around the corner and soon baseball, softball and soccer fields will be filled with young athletes trying to play their best.  The #1 thing we want to do as adults (whether we are parents or coaches) is to help make sure kids have a fun, safe, and meaningful sports experience, but that doesn’t limit us from helping kids also have their best performance season, too.  This week I would like to offer a few quick sport psychology tips to help kids improve their mental toughness and therefore reach their full athletic potential:

  • Positive attitude.  The attitude we choose each day has a dramatic impact on our performance, so choose wisely!  Kids need to be reminded that they can chose to smile, have fun, and be a great teammate and friend to the kids they compete with this summer.  When kids have fun and keep a positive attitude, their focus, motivation, and resiliency improve, allowing them to have the best chance of playing up to their potential.
  • Goal setting.  Sit down with your child and write down specific, measurable, controllable goals.  Try to also develop goals with short-term, mid-term, and long-term targets to help with motivation, as well as help your child see the progress he or she has made.  Goal setting has been proven to help with self-confidence, which in turn is related to playing at a peak level.
  • Focus.  Help kids see that by focusing on the next play they quickly move past the last mistake, error, or foul, allowing for the best chance to continue to have a great game.  Having a short memory and focusing only on relevant cues (like who to pass to) while allowing irrelevant cues to be ignored (like who is in the crowd watching the game) will help your child make great plays and help the team win.
  • Resiliency.  It is important for adults to help kids see that stress, frustration, adversity, and failure are all parts of normal human development.  When kids learn to accept that life isn’t always perfect only then can they begin to quickly bounce back from tough times and regain their composure for the rest of the game.
  • Teachable moments.  There are so many life skills, or what I like to call athletic transferable skills, that kids can learn through sports and apply to life if we as adults help them make this connection.  Be sure to offer hearty praise for respecting coaches and officials, helping teammates, and being a great sport with opponents – and then show kids how those behaviors help with life success.

Make this summer your best sports season yet by helping guide kids through youth sports.  For more immediate help and hands-on tips, check out The Mental Toughness Guide to Athletic Success today!

www.drstankovich.com

 

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • December 8, 2023 The Psychology of Successful Sports Coaching
  • December 4, 2023 Turn off the Noise for Improved Mental Health
  • November 28, 2023 Understanding Psychology: The Backfire Effect, and Why Facts Don’t Always Matter
  • November 28, 2023 Artificial Intelligence is Delivering Your News More Often than You Think
  • November 20, 2023 Experiencing Depression isn’t a Bug, it’s a Feature of the Human Condition

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

Could PTSD be the Next Lawsuit for the NFL After Concussions, Pain Pills?

NEXT POST

Lance Stephenson’s Antics Prompt Discussion Around Sportsmanship v. Gaining Competitive Advantage

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Boys Sports , Coaching , Communicating with Coach , Girls Sports , League Operator , Mental Toughness , Parent Training , Performance Enhancement , Prep , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sports Administrators , Sports Culture and Society , Sports Leadership , Sports Parenting , Sports Performance Science , Sports Safety , Team Building , Team Chemistry , Team Cohesion , Training and Development , Youth and Interscholastic Sports

Tags

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • The Psychology of Successful Sports Coaching
  • Turn off the Noise for Improved Mental Health
  • Understanding Psychology: The Backfire Effect, and Why Facts Don't Always Matter
  • Artificial Intelligence is Delivering Your News More Often than You Think
  • Experiencing Depression isn't a Bug, it's a Feature of the Human Condition
  • Rather than Focus on Youth Sport Results, Try Embracing the Power of Play
  • Exercise Patience with Growing Kids Working Hard for Sport Success
  • The Impact of Psychological Identity Development on Young Athletes
  • Here's What Your Kid Might Not Tell You, But Tells Me
  • Examining Mental Toughness: Attitude, Desire, & Determination
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1207 Grandview Ave., Suite #218, Columbus, OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482

    Media & General Inquiries

    information@drstankovich.com

    Sales & Product Support

    sales@drstankovich.com

  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓