Many young athletes avoid risks, go quiet in games, or play passively because of a fear of making mistakes or being criticised. For some, perfectionism leads to withdrawal from competitive situations and unrealistic expectations of themselves and others. Our articles and podcasts give parents and coaches practical ways to support children in overcoming fear of failure, reducing performance paralysis, and developing a healthier mindset toward sport.
Youth Sports Psychology Tips: How to Help Children Overcome Fear of Failure Does your child struggle to free themselves up when competing? In sport, the messages that children often get from coaches and parents include: “You must put in maximum effort.” “You can try harder, I saw you give up when……” “Keep going even when …
Youth Sports Psychology Tips: How to Support an Angry Young Athlete Anger is generally viewed negatively BUT… When we’re young, as children we often bite, push, shove, hit, kick and throw things in a rage. They’re normal behaviours that simply come with the territory of being a young child or infant. This is often the …
Youth Sports Psychology Tips: 5 Tips for Parents To Help Their Children Perform with Confidence Gaining control of a stressful situation Watching your children perform can be emotionally draining On a regular basis I am asked many questions by parents that relate to playing sport with confidence. Below are some common questions with some short …
Cricket Psychology Tips: Perfectionism in Cricket Trying to be perfect is a common challenge and can be overcome Are you a batsman or bowler who often feels great in the nets but struggles to bring that form into matches? Could it be that you are a perfectionist? Cricketers who can get caught up in chasing …
Sports Psychology Tips: How to Deal with Distractions on the Netball Court Are you guilty of losing focus? When playing netball, there are many potential distractions to contend with. For example, the crowd can be loud, people can move in your line of sight, there can be loud music playing or you can even have …
Cricket Psychology Tips: Control the Controllables An essential element of Mental Toughness is “control” So far, the recurring prominent themes in previous entries have revolved around the lockdown, coronavirus and the implications that this has had on athletes. However, now I want to move away from focusing on that ‘C’ word to focus on the …
Sports Psychology Tips: How to Swim Fearlessly Do you get overcome with fear and doubt before competing? Recently I reviewed emails that I had received from different swimmers and it helped me understand that fear is a pretty common thing for lots of swimmers. All in all, 9 emails mentioned the word FEAR in …
Cricket Psychology Tips: Batting with a Quiet Mind Do you often over think when batting? In July, I received a fascinating email from a batsman from Manchester. He went on to say: ‘I’m 19 years old and have ambitions to professional cricket but I have some serious worries about making it. When I am batting …
Cricket Psychology Tips: Why Play Cricket in Fear? Being fearful in cricket is very common I’ve been lucky enough to support a number of cricketers who have experienced a range of psychological challenges with a common theme – FEAR. Watching cricket on the TV as I do regularly, in every match this challenge is highlighted. …