Maybe Your Kid Doesn’t Need More Lessons; They Need More Confidence
You know the drill.
Your kid practices all week. They look great in warm-ups. But once the game starts, it’s like they forget everything they’ve worked on.
It’s frustrating. You want to help, so you sign them up for more lessons. Extra coaching. More reps.
That’s what we’re told to do—practice more. Train harder.
But here’s something nobody really talks about:
Sometimes, the issue isn’t their skill.
It’s their confidence.
Practice Can’t Do It All
Practice matters, no doubt about it. But all the private lessons in the world can’t make your kid believe in themselves if that belief isn’t there to begin with.
We see it over and over:
Kids who are solid in training but freeze up when it counts.
Kids who feel like they have to be perfect to be good enough.
Kids who lose their spark because they’re so worried about messing up.
It’s not that they don’t care. They care so much that the pressure gets in the way.
Confidence Turns Practice Into Performance
The way a young athlete talks to themselves can have a bigger impact than any drill.
If their inner voice says:
“I’m probably going to blow this,”
or
“I have to be perfect,”
…they’re already fighting an uphill battle.
Confidence is what lets kids step into the moment and trust their training.
More Lessons Won’t Build Belief
When the default fix is more; more coaching, more critique, more reps; kids can start to feel like they’re never enough.
Over time, it chips away at their love of the game. And that’s when confidence really disappears.
Confidence Is a Skill, Too
Confidence isn’t something you either have or don’t. It’s built, the same way you build a stronger swing or a faster sprint.
It comes from:
Learning how to handle mistakes.
Recognizing progress in small steps.
Talking to themselves with the same encouragement they’d give a teammate.
Knowing they’re more than any single play or game.
What If You Focused on That First?
Before you commit to more lessons, ask yourself:
Does my kid need more training? Or do they need to believe they’re capable?
When kids trust themselves, everything else starts to fall into place.
They play with freedom.
They have more fun.
And they grow in ways that last far beyond sports.
At FoursUp, we help parents and kids build the mindset and confidence to thrive on and off the field.