Building Confidence in Young Athletes

Sports kids face a number of challenges when their identity is wrapped up in sports, said Dr. Becca Wallace, a clinical pediatric psychologist at Children's Hospital in New Orleans.

When they get overly involved in sports, their identity becomes closely tied to being athletes.

If they're injured or have to stop playing sports, it can be devastating for young athletes whose identity is too tied to sports, she said. She suggests that parents help young athletes create more balance in their lives.

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There's so much goodness that can come from participating in youth sports, but ensuring kids experience that goodness requires teams to establish team cultures based on clear expectations of players, parents and coaches.

Team agreements and ethical coaching can help create the opportunity for sports kids to benefit from all that sports offers.

That's the word from Katie Steele and Dr. Tiffany Brown, co-founders of the nonprofit organization Athletes Mental Health Foundation.

Brown and Steele describe how coaches and leagues can forge team agreements and focus on ethical coaching.

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Kids get emotional in street hockey. They might throw their hockey sticks because they missed a shot, for example. Coaches with the Charlotte Street Hockey League deal with such behavior by inviting kids to express their feelings, and then trying to help them find more appropriate ways to communicate. The coaches also focus on teamwork and equal playing time, all the while searching for teachable moments, said Josh Greco, the nonprofit organization's youth director.

For more information about the league, visit Joshuargreco.com.

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The L.E.A.D. Center for Youth in Atlanta focuses on helping Black kids and teens learn skills that help them excel in life--and the program is working.

About 60% of Black students in Atlanta public schools graduate, said Kelli Stewart, co-founder of the program. Those who participate in the L.E.A.D. program have a 100% graduation rate.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Field Champion DeAndre Dukes recently led his players--from underserved communities in L.A.--to a baseball championship game by focusing on mental game skills, emotional intelligence and connection.

Coach Dukes' team played in the "World Series," and made it as far as the championship game, which took place in Florida at the Jackie Robinson Training Center.

Dukes concentrated on learning about the kids and their families, bonding with them and teaching them emotional intelligence skills.

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When kids' sports culture is toxic--when coaches yell at and embarrass kids, for example, it can hurt kids' mental health and self esteem.

Hillary Cauthen, a sports psychologist and author of "Hello Trauma: Our Invisible Teammate" gives tips for helping kids cope with toxicity in youth sports. Kids can do deep breathing or take time for mindfulness exercises, she says.

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Kaig Lightner founded Portland Community Football Club 10 years ago, providing coach mentors, free uniforms and no-cost or low-cost opportunities for immigrants and others living in low-income communities.

The program focuses on creating a culture of connection, encouragement and trust. Player growth is more important than winning games.

Now the program has 235 players, 15 coaches and three staff members in Portland, Oregon, and Lightner has plans to expand to other areas of the country through its Liberate Sports program, which aims to remove the barriers that prevent low-income kids from participating in sports.

Learn more about the program: https://www.liberatesports.org/

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With hula hoops, teddy bears and competitions, Rally Day Camps aims to ensure youth sports is fun for all ages.

Kevin Hoover, CEO of Rally Day Camps and a former baseball player at Fordham University, explains why having fun is critical to young athletes and discusses how sports fun translates into other areas of kids' lives.

He also describes how the camps reward kids who demonstrate strong mental game skills.

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Archery can provide many benefits to kids, including confidence, focus and a feeling of success.

Kids realize these benefits quickly because they often feel successful early into their training, said Tommy Floyd, president of the National Archery in the Schools Program. Floyd is a former school principal who says archery is an especially important way to engage kids who otherwise don't engage in school activities.

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Kids' mental game is critical to youth sports--and improving mental health can boost kids' mental game and performance.

That's the word from Laura Erickson-Schroth, chief medical officer at The Jed Foundation (JED), which works in school sport programs and sports organizations to improve kids' mental health.

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Kids and teens say they lack connections with adults in their schools, says Paul Caccamo, CEO and founder, Up2Us Sports, a coach training program. Youth coaches can fill in the gap and build resilience, improved focus and self-esteem in young athletes, he says. To meet that goal, Up2Us partners with schools and community groups, and works on the ground to entice kids to join teams. Send us podcast ideas:

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When kids skip breakfast, they have trouble focusing and underperform in sports, said Steph Magill, a registered dietitian and mother to two teen athletes.

Too often, young athletes don't eat enough because they have such busy schedules.

She gives suggestions for when and what to eat before games, and gives specific suggestions for meals and snacks. 

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When sports kids see other young athletes perform well in social media, they make comparisons, which can sink their confidence.

Often, a 10-second clip on a social media site involves many takes, and can be misleading. But sports kids often don't realize this and feel like they don't measure up, says John Willkom, a former Division 1 basketball player and author of Walk-On Warrior and No Fear in the Arena.

Young athletes should focus on their own strengths, he said.

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When athletes feel pressure, they naturally tend to panic, said Conor Hogan, author of The Gym Upstairs: The Neuroscience of Future Champions. If they understand some of the neuroscience of sports, they can calm themselves with techniques like visualization and meditation, he said.

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In high school, girls in sports drop out at higher rates than boys.

Kathryn Ackerman, a physician and dirctor of the Female Athlete Program in the sports medicine division of Boston's Children's Hospital says that girls in sports deal with numerous societal pressures. They feel like they should look feminine, should avoid acting "bossy" and should have certain body types--among other issues.

Girls and women also experience higher rates of concussions and ACL tears than male athletes, she said. Another challenge is a condition called "relative energy deficiency" caused in part by not eating enough.

Ackerman gives tips for parents of girls in sports and suggests parents visit https://www.childrenshospital.org/programs/female-athlete-program to learn more about the challenges female athletes face.

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Sports kids coping with performance anxiety, low confidence and other mental game challenges can benefit from hypnotherapy, said Lark Ericson, a certified hypnotherapist and life coach.

During her sessions, she walks kids through possible games or competitions, raises their stress level, then helps them reduce stress on their own.  

Her techniques are a much deeper dive than visualization, she said.

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Empathy is a powerful confidence builder on youth sports teams, says Dr. Conor Hogan, author of The Gym Upstairs: The Neuroscience of Future Champions. 

Empathy from coaches and teammates can help young athletes cope with pressure, he said. The athletes know that the team members will always support them.

When young athletes feel empathy from team members, they are less likely to get hung up in negative thinking, he said.

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Performance anxiety, mistakes and low confidence are some of the mental game struggles girls grapple with on Leah Jantzen's high school volleyball team.

Jantzen, an Ironman and marathon runner and a mental health and performance coach for Ward Melville High School, says that setting intentions is one way to address these challenges. In addition, she suggests that sports kids set short- and long-term goals and focus on the process--not the score or win.

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Karate is all about the mental game, says Master Rande Lawrence, head instructor at Lawrence World Class Karate in Fayatteville, N.Y. He helps Matthew Killian--a blind 23-year-old who has autism spectrum disorder--use his strong mental game in karate. 

Killian won two gold medals at his first competition, April 30. Lawrence explains how he achieved this feat.

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Athletes need to park their egos at the door and embrace teamwork, says Syd Abernathy, a two-time All-American former Navy lacrosse player who was recently inducted into the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

He explains why it's important to be a "serving leader" who has an open mindset.

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