What Parents of Confident Athletes do differently

Every parent wants to raise a young athlete who believes in themselves. But confidence doesn’t appear overnight. It’s built slowly, through daily habits, small choices, and the environment parents create at home.

Here are the five things parents of confident athletes consistently do differently:

1. They focus on effort, not results

Effort is something kids can control. Results aren’t. Parents should emphasize that the medals are won in practice, and you just pick them up in competition. What matters most is showing up and giving each day their all.

2. They encourage independence and ownership

These parents let their athletes take the lead. Packing their own bags. Communicating with coaches. Setting goals. Making decisions. Ownership creates accountability. Accountability builds maturity. And maturity creates confidence—not just in sport, but in life.

3. They treat setbacks as life lessons

Every missed jump, bad meet, or tough practice becomes a chance to learn resilience. Confident athletes grow up understanding that progress comes from getting back up, learning to make changes, and trying again.

4. They avoid comparing their child to others

Comparison steals joy, confidence, and focus. By removing the comparison pressure, kids learn to measure success internally. Not by outperforming others, but by outperforming yesterday’s version of themselves.

And that’s where real confidence comes from.

5. They join communities that reinforce these values

Confident athletes don’t grow alone. They grow with support systems that speak the same language.

That’s why more and more families are joining Back The Team.

Back The Team connects young athletes with Olympians and Paralympians who’ve lived the journey at the highest level. These mentors help kids develop:

• Confidence

• Mindset tools

• Resilience

• Self-belief

• A joy-driven relationship with sport

Parents tell us all the time how “you can say things as a coach and parent, but it’s different hearing them from someone else who’s actually been there. It’s really special. Thank you so much for what you’re doing.”

Confident athletes are built through community, consistency, and support. Back The Team gives families a place where all of that comes together.