Burnout in our youth is a very real and prominent dilemma. Times have changed for young student-athletes (8-15 years old), training regimes have progressively become more intense, international competition exposure is not uncommon, and competing demands of homework and tuition is ever increasing. The fear of losing out (Kiasu), stemming from the Asian value of…
The Athlete Development Program (ADP) at the Australian International School is one-of-a-kind in Singapore schools, offering student-athletes the opportunity to train and be coached on a path to university scholarships and elite level sport. This semester, the ADP students added a new form of training to their repertoire, making further strides through sport psychology training…
Over the past few years, there has been an increase in visits to my office by parents with young athletes between 11–13 years of age. At first, this seemed like a positive movement, perhaps motivated by a desire to introduce mental skills training to help their children get ahead. However, there is one glaring dilemma…
Winning in match play isn’t just about hitting good shots and sinking putts. Match play is a mental battle with yourself and your opponent. Projecting an image of confidence when you are feeling edgy under pressure, keeping your cool when things don’t go your way, and being able to make great decisions at critical moments…
In my work as a performance psychologist, the conversation about raising self-confidence naturally comes up. I often here athletes tell me, “I know I need to be more self-confident, but I don’t want to be seen as cocky.” Some athletes have said they would rather be unconfident forever than be grouped into the cocky bunch…