Building Confidence In Young Athletes1

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Lumuli Kyumba, a high school track and field coach who says her young athletes often perform better in practice than during competition. She gives tips for helping them trust their instincts and improve their performance during competition.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Twan Russell, a former Miami Dolphins player and current Director of Youth Programs for the Dolphins. He talked about how pre-game jitters help sports kids--and why pre-game fear hurts them. He says that a top issue for young football players is maintaining composure.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Kirk Mango, a coach, National Champion, 3-Time All-American, and Hall of Fame Athlete and writer working on a book, “Becoming A True Champion." Our topic: Determination and how it affects kids in sports, especially when they face adversity. Providing commentary is Dr. Patrick Cohn, mental game expert.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Andrea Leib, a former teacher who is founder of stayontrack.net, which is an online school for athletes who need to homeschool due to demanding travel and practice schedules. Does homeschooling provide a relief for these kids or does it add pressure? Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Christopher Hickey, executive director of the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education, about how parents can deal with difficult or bully coaches. Mental game expert Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

What’s best for sports kids as they aim for college teams? Ultimate Sports Parent Radio's Lisa Cohn talks to Joe Rice, a coach for 20 years with a website called kudda.com. The parent of two college players, he says why aiming solely for Division 1 sports is not a good idea. Mental game expert Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Rob Barber, president of USAthletic Baseball, which provides baseball training programs. Barber, who has coached a number of baseball players who went on to become major league players, talks about helping kids commit to developing as players. That includes ensuring they don't blame others for setbacks. Mental game expert Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Kirk Mango, a coach, national champion, 3-Time All-American, Hall of Fame Athlete and writer working on a book, “Becoming A True Champion” about why talent is over-rated. He talks about why hard work, commitment and strong mental game skills are just as, if not more important, than talent in youth sports.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Steve, a sports dad and hockey coach. He tells stories about racial bullying and its effect on kids in sports, giving an example of one young athlete who dropped out of sports. Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary and advice.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Dave Dupont, a former sports parent and coach who is now CEO of TeamSnap, a web-based service that helps teams manage players, games and team payments. Our topic: How to be a committed sports parent who also strikes the balance between being over-involved and under-involved? What's best for sports kids? Mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Monika Schloder, a sports consultant who was trained in sports pedagogy, and is the recipient of 14 international coaching and teaching awards and was Alberta 2008 Coach of the year. She discusses how sports kids are affected by their parents' and coaches' body language. Mental game expert Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

As part of our Sports Parents' Coach series, Ultimate Sports Parent interviews John, the father of an 11-year-old soccer play who is a perfectionist and tends to criticize his teammates. Mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn and Lisa Cohn provide ideas and tips.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews John Poncy, a sports dad, youth coach, and former soccer player for the Armed Forces National Team about his role as sports parent to passionate young players. How much should he push his kids? At what point are sports parents pushing too hard? Mental game expert Dr. Patrick Cohn provides advice as part of Kids' Sports Psychology's Sports Parents' Coach program.

How can parents and coaches help kids develop character and confidence in youth sports? Communication is key, says Michael Langlois, co-owner of Prospect Communications, which helps parents, coaches and administrators develop more effective communication approaches. The father of four grown sons who played many sports, Langlois gives tips about what to say before a game, after a mistake, and more.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Ray Lokar, a lead trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance who has coached youth sports for more than 30 years and is the director of basketball4all.net. He talks about the importance of being big on the little things, rewarding effort and other issues. Mental Game Coach Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary. Published?:

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio releases the first in a new audio series called "Sports Parents Coach," during which sports parents share their kids' mental game challenges, and Dr. Patrick Cohn and Lisa Cohn offer ideas for dealing with these challenges. The first interview is with Jennifer, the mother of an 8-year-old who seeks help building her son's confidence.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews J. Parker Adair, a coach who started a high school lacrosse program and has run programs for athletes aged 3 to high school. He has taken his sports lessons to the business world with his website CoachAdair.com. Our topic: building success through goal-setting and accountability. Mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

How are kids' mental games affected when they feel too pressured to perform? Lisa Cohn of Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Mike Green, founder of thesportsfamilyclub.org, a seasoned youth sports coach and sports dad to four athletes. Mental game expert Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Jere Johnson, who runs an elementary sports program for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in which kids play flag football and are only coached by High School athletes. He describes the benefits of this unique program--including ensuring kids avoid labeling themselves as "losers" or "winners." Mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.

Ultimate Sports Parent Radio interviews Kim Cristofoli, a former college gymnast and sports mom to three athletes, one of whom is a United States Hockey League player. She’s the co-founder of yourchildathlete.com, a freelance sportswriter and a Positive Coaching Alliance champion. Our topic: Helping athletes envision who they want to be in sports--and how it helps them succeed in sports. Mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn provides commentary.