7 Tips For Young Athletes To Build Confidence
One of the best methods for kids to build confidence is to participate in sports—but paradoxically, they also need confidence to get involved in the first place and stay in the game! Here are seven ways you can encourage children to believe in themselves as they train and compete.
7. It’s OK To Make Mistakes
It is inevitable that even the most skillful athletes will fumble on the field or in the court. Let your child or student know that making mistakes are just part of life, and nothing to be afraid about. They will be less fearful of making a mistake during the game and be more confident as a result.
6. Don’t Compare
Another helpful way to build confidence in a child is to refrain from comparing their athletic performance to others, and to encourage them to not engage in comparisons as well. While it is sometimes helpful to analyze the work of your fellow teammates or competitors, it shouldn’t be a case of “better/worse than.”
5. It’s The Journey, Not The Destination
Teach children to enjoy the sport for its own sake; for the process rather than the desired final result (a trophy or gold metal). It also teaches them to perform more in the moment rather than with the finish line or future home run on their mind, which will make them a better player.
4. Maintain A Training Routine
Having a disciplined routine of workouts and training sessions will instill confidence in young athletes by giving them solid evidence that they are prepared for the game.The steady practice will of course also make them better at their sport!
3. Little Steps Before Big Ones
A interesting trick to increase confidence is to start tackling smaller goals before bigger ones. For example, a boy or girl on the basketball team can start by trying to achieve some easy throws—working up to harder ones and enjoying the victories as he or she proceeds.
2. Take A Holistic Approach
The self-esteem of an athlete is not just a matter of physical training and skill—but a complex set of factors including emotions, outside stressors, proper diet and rest, and more. Consider all those elements when encouraging confidence in your child or student, and you place them on the winning track!
1. Doing One’s Best Should Be The Goal
If you encourage your child or student to focus on just giving the game their best shot, they will always have a reasonable goal to aim for that feels within their control. They can’t win every competition or make a perfect play every time—but they can be confident that they did their all.
We hope these tips to increase the confidence of the young athletes in your life helps them find a path of personal success in the sport of their choosing!
IMPROVE ATHLETE PERFORMANCE WITH ATHLETE INTELLIGENCE
Don’t forget that you can also improve your sportsmanship with our Athlete Intelligence system. With advanced impact and performance metrics, our sensors can help improve your technique, reduce the risk of injury, and keep playing to your full potential. All the data is translated into what we call Coachable Moments, which provide actionable recommendations for improvement.
For example, our using the Vector MouthGuard in football our smart system will notice when an athlete is taking more hits to the crown of their heads in fourth quarter. It will automatically provide the athlete or coach with a Coachable Moment that recognizes the athlete is tiring and dropping his head. The athlete can then recognize that do to overexposure on the field his technique has begun to decrease in performance and may result in injuries.
While using the Cue Sport Sensor in soccer our Athlete Intelligence system can recognize when players are using improper heading techniques and will provide Coachable Moments on proper technique in order to reduce the risk of serious injury.
To learn more about our system please download our Info Booklet below.
