{"id":579,"date":"2010-02-04T02:01:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-04T02:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports_psychology_blog\/?p=579"},"modified":"2025-06-16T02:34:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T06:34:58","slug":"how-coaches-and-parents-expectations-hurt-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-coaches-and-parents-expectations-hurt-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"How Coaches&#8217; and Parents&#8217; Expectations Hurt Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/pressuring-young-athletes.jpg\" alt=\"pressuring-young-athletes\" class=\"wp-image-6718\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/pressuring-young-athletes.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/pressuring-young-athletes-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"posterous_autopost\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sport_Parents_Do_You_Pressure_Your_Young_Athletes\"><\/span>Sport Parents: Do You Pressure Your Young Athletes?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-coaches-and-parents-expectations-hurt-athletes\/#Sport_Parents_Do_You_Pressure_Your_Young_Athletes\" >Sport Parents: Do You Pressure Your Young Athletes?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-coaches-and-parents-expectations-hurt-athletes\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-coaches-and-parents-expectations-hurt-athletes\/#The_Confident_Athlete\" >The Confident Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">Youth coach Doug Donaldson says he knows intuitively when one of his young athletes<strong><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\"> feels pressured by a parent\u2019s expectations<\/span><\/strong>. And he also knows the problems such well-meaning <strong><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">expectations<\/span><\/strong> can create in young athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">For example, one of his player\u2019s mothers wants the child to play goalie in Lacrosse. But when the mother isn\u2019t listening, the boy says he wants to play defense. \u201cIt\u2019s a real quandary for him. He\u2019s looking for Mom and worrying about what Mom thinks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">Donaldson says he can sense when his young athletes are driven to do something to meet their parents\u2019 expectations. They feel pressured. \u201cThis affects their passion and their interest,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">How do parents\u2019 and coaches\u2019 expectations affect kids\u2019 passion and interest? Not in good ways. Not in ways that improve their mental game\u2013or performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">Read more\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/\">How Coaches&#8217; and Parents&#8217; Expectations Hurt Athletes at Youth Sports Psychology<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 10px;\">Posted via email from Peaksports.com Posterous<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/fear-of-meeting-others-expectations-and-pressure\/\"><strong>Fear of Meeting Other\u2019s Expectations and Pressure<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/when-athletes-fail-to-meet-others-expectations\/\"><strong>When Athletes Fail to Meet Others\u2019 Expectations<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/helping-athletes-manage-high-expectations\/\"><strong>Helping Athletes Manage High Expectations<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> <\/strong>on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Confident_Athlete\"><\/span>The Confident Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/confident-athlete-audio250.jpg\" alt=\"The Confident Athlete Audio\" class=\"wp-image-16347\" style=\"width:198px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me help you put a <strong>stop to the confidence leak<\/strong>. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and <strong>how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Confident Athlete\u201d is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was <strong>developed for any athlete \u2013 junior to professional \u2013<\/strong>that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-0b39f7aa\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-a74417ae gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-461ab57c gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-confident-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sport Parents: Do You Pressure Your Young Athletes? Youth coach Doug Donaldson says he knows intuitively when one of his young athletes feels pressured by a parent\u2019s expectations. And he also knows the problems such well-meaning expectations can create in young athletes. For example, one of his player\u2019s mothers wants the child to play goalie in Lacrosse. But &#8230; <a title=\"How Coaches&#8217; and Parents&#8217; Expectations Hurt Athletes\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-coaches-and-parents-expectations-hurt-athletes\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Coaches&#8217; and Parents&#8217; Expectations Hurt Athletes\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,9,17],"tags":[888,72,726,889,489,403,92,887],"class_list":["post-579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fear-of-failure-in-sports","category-social-approval","category-sports-confidence","tag-coach-expectations-for-kids","tag-fear-of-failure","tag-fear-of-mistakes","tag-parents-expectations-for-athletes","tag-passion-in-sports","tag-perfectionism-in-sports","tag-pressure","tag-youth-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Youth coach, Doug Donaldson, says he knows intuitively when one of his young athletes feels pressured by a parent\u2019s expectations. 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