Sport Psychology for Youth Athletes

Presentation for the Fall 2014 New York State Psychological Association Conference on Saturday, November 1st, 2014.

Transcript

1. Sport Psychology & Youth Athletes Craig W. Cypher, Psy.D. NYSPA Fall Convention 2014 - Rochester, NY 1
2. About Me Craig W. Cypher, Psy.D. NYS Licensed Psychologist 30B Grove Street - Pittsford, NY 14534 www.cypherpsych.com doctorcypher[at]cypherpsych[dot]com @doctorcypher 2
3. Sport Psychology and Youth Athletes Brief Overview of Current Trends in Youth Sports Adapting Sport Psychology Skills for Younger Athletes Motivation and Climate Time, Commitment, and Family Balance Recognizing/Responding to Signs of Burnout Additional Resources for Psychologists 3
4. Current Trends in Youth Sports 4
5. Institute for the Study of Youth Sports - Michigan State at least 30 million kids ages 6-17 play youth sports (70-75%) 35% of children drop out of an organized sport each year Over 50% stop playing by the time they are 12 70-80% of youth 13-15 drop out of organized sports entirely 5
6. Reasons? (“Go Out and Play” - Women’s Sports Foundation, 2008) 1. Not having fun 2. Focus more on studying/grades 3. Health problem/injury 4. Coach Issues 5. Teammate Issues 6. Skill Level/”Not good enough” 7. Family worries about injury 6
7. In the last 5 years . . . Developmental/Recreation -> Highly Competitive for ages 10-13 Leads to: Competitive Anxiety Coach Conflicts Anger Management within Sport Balance/Family Life Issues 7
8. Adapting Sport Psychology Skills for Youth Athletes 8
9. The 5 C’s (Harwood, 2008) Commitment (effort, self-improvement, persistence) Communication (with teammates, coaches) Concentration (focus in sport, blocking distractions) Control (emotional control and regulation) Confidence (positive attitude and beliefs, responding positively to negative situations) 9
10. Inverted U Hypothesis (Yerkes and Dodson) 10
12. Control - Regulation Skills PMR - Muscle Relaxation Diaphragmatic breathing - Belly Breathing Visualization - Success Focus/Imagery Autogenic Phrasing - “Green Zone” Phrase 12
13. The Importance of Sports Environment/Climate 13
14. Elements of an Optimal Sports Environment Affiliation with Peers (connection, belonging) Effort Expenditure (active, challenging, engaging) Self-Referenced Competency (getting better/ developing, self-focus) Task Climate 14
15. Task Climate Positive Reinforcement for: Effort/Working Hard Demonstrating Improvement Cooperation/Helping Peers Each player’s contribution is important/ valued 15
16. Ego Climate Focused on “the product” above all - winning, trophies, championships Poor performance will be punished Highest ability athletes receive the most attention Competition/Comparision between team members is encouraged 16
17. Working with Parents 17
18. Common Issues with Families Time/Commitment/Family Life - Balance? Communicating Concerns with Coaches/ Administrators Recreation vs. Competitive Focus - Two Extremes Managing Siblings “Delusional Parent Disorder” 18
19. “Delusional Parent Disorder” Credit to former NBA player Keith Van Horn - www.layupsandrebounds.com “Parents who have false or unrealistic beliefs about their children even when confronted with facts.” Or youth sports . . . 19
20. The Extracurricular Rat Race 20
21. Recognizing Burnout 21
22. Burnout in Youth Sports Chronic stress causing a young athlete to cease participation in a previously enjoyable activity (Smith, 1986) Sport specialization appears to be a factor Tied to worries about failure & adult expectations Risk factors: higher incidence in females, individual sports, higher levels of competition 22
23. Signs of Burnout Fatigue Depressed mood, irritablity, agitation, anxiety Loss of motivation/interest, lack of concentration Appetite and sleep disturbance or insomnia Frequent illness, multiple “minor” injuries 23
24. Athletes Prone to Burnout High degree of perfectionism Need to please others, nonassertive Unidimensional identity or self-concept Low self-esteem, high perception of stress High training volume and demand Demanding performance expectations, frequent intense competition Little personal control in sport decision making 24
25. Opportunity and Impact Individual work with athletes Family work, working with parents Within Community Organizations or Schools Within Youth Sport Organizations Coaching? Other? 25
26. Resources for Psychologists APA Division 47 - Sport and Exercise Psychology - www.apadivisions.org/division-47 AASP - Association for the Advancement of Sport Psychology- www.appliedsportpsych.org Sportpsy and Division 47 Email Listservs Continuing Education Opportunities: Dr. Jack Lesyk - www.sportpsych.org Dr. Kate Hays - www.theperformingedge.com 26
27. Thank You! Questions? Comments? www.cypherpsych.com Twitter: @doctorcypher 27