Hi Guys,

Here's some more great info from our friends
Dr. Patrick & Lisa Cohn at www.peaksports.com.

As the fall sports season begins, it’s a great idea to 
look at ways to boost your kids’ confidence in sports. 

Going into a season equipped with the mental-game 
strategies to stay mentally tough will help your kids 
throughout the season and the year.

Doubt is the Number One confidence killer for young 
athletes, so you should begin by addressing this big 
one as the season starts.

Sports kids who are hard on themselves tend to doubt 
themselves more. They tend to be pessimistic, 
perfectionists, or expect a lot of themselves. 

Often, they doubt their abilities even before they 
start a competition or make a mistake. 

As you might imagine, these kids can let doubt run 
rampant in their minds. After goofing up, they might 
ask themselves:

--“Am I tall enough to play this position?” 

--“Am I weari ng the right shoes?”

--“Do I have enough natural talent to play?”  

--“Can I really beat my opponent?”

Such thoughts can drain the confidence out of any 
athlete!

The key for sports parents and coaches is to help kids 
identify common doubts and understand when they’re 
doubting themselves. You then need to teach them how 
to turn doubts into statements of self-confidence and 
positive self-talk.

First of all, help your young athletes identify when 
they’re experiencing doubts. Ask them what they tell 
themselves after making a mistake. Have them list 
their top five doubts.

Next, take some of these doubts and turn them into 
positive statements…

For example, if your sports kids tell themselves, “I’m 
too small to make that shot,” suggest that they tell 
themselves instead, “I’ve made this shot in practices 
hundreds of times. I know I can do it.” 

Or if they tell themselves, “I’m not a talented 
player,” you might suggest something like, “I’m a hard 
worker, I’ve been successful in the past, I know I can 
succeed.”

And what are people saying about our programs?

"I think you guys need to open a branch up here in 
Detroit, Michigan because there are a lot of parents 
and kids up here that need this information. Your 
follow up techniques have been appropriate and 
effective…Keep up the good work!"
~Scott, a sports dad

Confidence is the number one mental skill that kids 
need to be successful in sports and life!

Sincerely,

Patrick Cohn, Ph.D. and Lisa Cohn

P.S. If you’d like to learn more about the top 
confidence busters for sports kids--and ho w to overcome 
them--be sure to check out our "Confident Sports Kid" 
program here:

http://www.peaksports.com/the_confident_sports_kid.php