Avoid Comparisons to Try and Increase Your Athlete’s Confidence
As a sport parent, you want to be the best possible role model for your children. You want your child to play and compete with confidence. However, the intensity and stress of sport can bring out the negative. It’s important to actively pay attention to how your attitudes, mindset, and words can influence your children.
In those moments of negativity, well-intentioned sport parents can actually undermine their children’s confidence and belief in their ability to perform, leading to your children having less fun and, possibly, worse performance.
Avoid Comparisons All Together
Comparing your athlete to siblings, teammates, or opponents may seem like an great way to increase motivation and confidence in your athlete but any positive effect is short-term and can have long-term negative effects.
Comparing your athlete will have negative consequences on their confidence. Comparisons lead to athletes focusing on outcomes rather than focusing on their process of playing and improving. Your athlete will be likely to put others on pedestals if the other athlete wins or is faster. Your athlete will rely on being better than others in order to feel confident. Once your athlete feels that someone is better or they feel like they are losing the lead they will lose confidence.
Instead, your athletes should be focusing on their own strengths. Athletes who are focused on their own performance will have more fun, play their sport longer, and experience improved performance.
As a sport parent, remember that the purpose of sport is to have fun and learn valuable lessons that will help your children grown into confident adults. Build teamwork, communication, confidence, values, and integrity through sport. None of these characteristics have to do with winning or losing. Highlight these factors rather than talking about other athletes.
Focus on the process
Tell your children that you love them and show unconditional love no matter how they perform. Most kids feel pressure to perform well for parents, even when you are incredibly supportive.
Communicating that you love your children helps them learn the positive lessons from sport. It helps build their confidence and encourages them to have fun playing.
If you want to learn more about how to improve communication with your athlete CLICK HERE!
