Taking Practice Confidence to Games in Youth Sports
Lisa Cohn here to tell you we are seeing more and more perfectionist athletes today.
And that’s good news and bad news when it comes to sports.
For example, my 6-year-old son loves to practice, but freezes up during games.
If asked why, most athletes say things like, “I’m worried I may do something wrong. The other kids are better than me.”
Sometimes the issue is when athletes raise to a higher level of competition—and the game may be overwhelming or they feel intimidated.
But for my son, he’s given me a few clues suggesting that he feels he should be the best. That means he has high expectations for his performance, which is a characteristic of perfectionist athletes.
When kids are perfectionists, they tend to do well in practice, but freeze up during games. They go in thinking they’ll be a top scorer or a top athlete on defense, and feel frustrated when they’re not.
Perfectionists also fear failure. They don’t want to make mistakes. When they do, they get frustrated.
And frustration leads to playing it safe. Which is not how we want young athletes to play. We want them to just go for it, and trust their instincts. That helps them get “in the zone.”
You can help your perfectionists by identifying their high expectations, and asking them to set smaller, achievable mini-goals. That might include playing well on defense, or making two good shots on the goal during a quarter.
Help them focus on the process—not on the score, the stats or the win.
Want to learn more about how to help young athletes who are perfectionists?
We’ve got a great program for you aimed at helping young athletes kick perfectionism and fear of failure. Check it out here:
Helping Young Athletes Kick Perfectionism
You and your young athletes will learn everything you need to know to get their perfectionism under control and help them enjoy sports more!
Related Articles on Kids’ Mental Game:
- Athletes Who Do Well in Practice, But Struggle During Games
- When Kids Play Better in Practice Than Games
- Help Your Athlete With Focus During Competitions and Practice!
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