Enjoying Youth Sports
Sports parents have lots of theories about why their kids aren’t performing well or enjoying youth sports.
They say things like, “He’s really talented, but he stops trying after he makes mistakes. He needs to feel more secure.”
Or: “Whenever the coach gives my daughter any kind of feedback, she freezes up. She needs to have a different coach.”
Or: “When her friends are watching her games, my daughter plays badly. Her friends shouldn’t come to her games.”
The situations above describe common distractions that hurt kids’ performance.
The truth is, many of these challenges boil down to one thing:
Focus
When kids learn to be aware of what distracts them and focus better in sports, they excel.
The boy who makes mistakes and feels insecure is dwelling on his mistakes.
One solution:
He should learn to stop dwelling on his mistakes–the past–and focus on the tasks that will help him perform better right now.
The girl who freezes up when her coach gives her feedback is also dwelling on the negative–any criticism her coach gives her.
She needs to focus less on her coach’s negative comments, and more on her positive attributes (which the coach likely points out, in addition to ways to improve).
One thing to keep in mind:
Kids make their own decisions about what to focbus on—and they can teach themselves how to change their focus!
The girl who plays badly when her friends are around gets distracted by the presence of her friends.
She needs to learn to ignore them and focus on what’s right in front of her—the ball, her opponent, her next move.
So, before you assume that you should ban your players’ friends from the sidelines, find a new coach, or boost your kids’ security levels, think about focus.
What are they focusing on that’s distracting them?
And remember, one of the keys to performing well is learning how to focus on the here-and-now, to stay in the present moment. It’s not always so easy.
Related Articles on Kids’ Mental Game:
- Why Kids’ Identities Shouldn’t be All About Sports
- Getting All the Goodness Out of Youth Sports
- Sports Parents: Learn from Simone Biles’ “Twisties” During the Olympics?
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