Youth Sports Psychology Tips: A Confidence Checklist for Parents

As a parent seeing your child playing their sport with zero confidence can be very tough

As a parent you may be hugely invested in your child and the sport they play. You may experience a roller coaster ride of emotions. Feeling their pain when they lose or make a mistake. Worry about them when they lose motivation or confidence.

Below is a simple checklist you can look back at from time to time to ensure your behaviours are helpful in promoting an independent, motivated and confident sporting child.

Statement	Tick Box if you agree
I know why my child or children play sport
I know why I want my child or children to play sport
I help my child or children to recognize how they feel when they are in love with their sport.
Before training, matches or competitive events I don’t offer tips to my child or children.
In the build up to a competition I never place any emphasis on other competitors or team-mates of my child or children.
I help my child or children mentally prepare before training, matches or competitive events by talking them through positive past experiences so that they can visualise when they have performed at their best.
When they train or compete I simply watch and quietly encourage from the sidelines.
When they train or compete I do not compare their performance with the performance of others.
Together with my child or children we often set mini goals for training sessions, matches or competitive events – and go on to rate certain skills or actions out of 10. Such having fun, bouncing back from an error, playing fearlessly, trying hard throughout.
After training sessions, matches or competitive events I always focus on giving positive feedback and support, picking out some things they did well.
With my child or children we often have fun making positive video’s of things they do well in training, matches or competitive events to improve their visualisation skills.
With my child or children we get creative, designing and amending their Confidence CV showcasing their successes and achievements, big and small.

If you found this checklist for parents useful feel free to share this with other parents or coaches. For regular updates to gain a better understanding of how sport psychology can help your child or children sign up to “The Mental Edge”.

Or to get in touch for one 2 one Sports Psychology Coaching with a Leading Sport Psychologist, David Charlton, based near Newcastle – Face to face, via the telephone, SKYPE or online via email available.

Best Wishes

David Charlton

Online Sports Psychologist and Mental Skills Performance Coach who supports children Sports Psychology Coaching all around the world from Wales to Wellington, New Zealand, using ONLINE Video Conferencing.

Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence, Host of Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub. With over a decades’ experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, faster.

T: +44 7734 697769

E: [email protected]