How would you like to know what’s going on inside the mind of your son or daughter? Would you like to know exactly what you should do to best help them succeed in their sport and be happy in their life? […]
What To Do When You're Stuck With A Bad Youth Sports Coach "Craig, Any tips to help an athlete "get through" a season when they are stuck with a bad coach (overly critical, aggressive, demeaning, etc) so they don't lose their confidence?" Yes. I often see athletes in this predicament. The secret is in appreciating the fact that the difficult coach pushes you into seeking some help in building mental toughness and having the opportunity to practice it in real life. I have run into many athletes who go through many years of “good” coaches [...]
We, at the Mental Toughness Academy, want to support girls in sports and those girls owning their power! Today, we have a guest post from Dr. Andrea Corn, a sports psychologist and Ethan Skolnick, a sports columnist to give us some insights into the minds of female athletes they have worked with. As a child growing up outside of Pittsburgh in the 1980s and 1990s, Swin Cash wasn't that different from the boys of that time: She idolized Michael Jordan. Not only did she idolized him, she imitated him. "I remember him having these fierce, competitive eyes," she said recently. "I [...]
Taking risks is essential for a youth athlete's development and success at his or her chosen sport! Doing so will open up new opportunities to greatness! In every sport, there are times when you have to show up and perform under pressure or do something you don't normally do. This is the time to find your courage. It's there and you don't need any special superhero abilities to access it. Discover How Taking Risks Makes You A Better Youth Sports Athlete by watching the video below. In this video, Peter Vidmar, the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic History, will [...]
Youth athletes need to build trust in themselves and their coaches to move up to the next level in their sport! Without trust, development is impossible! Just ask Olympic Gold Medalist Peter Vidmar. In this video, Peter shares how trusting his coach fully to teach him how to acquire new difficult moves and skills helped him gain self-esteem and confidence. We'd love to hear your thoughts about How To Build Self Esteem By Trusting Your Coach, please do leave a comment below! Early on I started to realize that Makoto Sakamoto, my coach, would never ask me to [...]
Let's talk about the Psychology of Competition in Sports. How do you create a winning mindset so you are prepared and ready when it comes to competition time? Today we are sharing insights on The Psychology of Competition from Olympic Gold Medalist Peter Vidmar. This is Part One from Wendy Lynne, Director of Mental Toughness Academy's interview with Peter. I had a motto and many of us in the gym have this motto at UCLA. And the motto is this, "Practice as if its competition, but compete as if its practice." Meaning everyday matters. It is easy in [...]
Support from parents is essential in making sure youth athletes reach their full potential on and off the game. This is part 9 in the series of our interviews with Coach Dan Clemens. Here, he talks about How To Be A Supportive Parent In Youth Sports. Read on as Coach Dan shares tips on how you can give all the support your children need. We'd love to hear what you have to say, please do leave a comment below. The best way and biggest thing parents can do to support their kids is to know what their kids [...]
Parents can sometimes be too pushy when it comes to their children playing their sport. In this video Coach Dan shares with us the best ways a youth sports coach can deal with parents. This video is the 7th part of our series of interviews with Coach Dan. What you are about to read is about Best Ways Coaches Can Deal With Parents. Make your thoughts known by leaving a comment below. You don't want to get in between the player and the parent. A lot of times I will talk to the kid. I won't contradict anything [...]
Concentration is key in being successful in any sport. Youth athletes need all the help they can get when it comes to improving their ability to concentrate. This is part 8 of our series of interview with Coach Dan Clemens. In this video he discusses ways on How To Help Athletes Concentrate Better In Sports. Here, Coach Dan gives tips on how to help your athlete concentrate better. Make your thoughts known by leaving a comment below. I try to find something the kids are really good at where they are able to focus. That is usually off of the [...]
In this video Coach Dan Clemens discusses ways on how to Help Kids Cope With Frustration. This is part 6 of the series of our interview with Coach Dan Clemens. Read on below to discover how Coach Dan helps kids deal with frustration in sports. If a kid is upset after a game, it depends on the kid. At some point, all kids are going to be upset. They are going to be crying. They are going to be mad or they are going to be frustrated or angry or whatever it is. Let them vent a little [...]
