What Should Sports Kids Focus On?
Too often, young athletes focus too much on outcomes, such as the score, the win, or their statistics.
The problem?
This prevents them from playing in the moment and hurts confidence. When they focus too much on winning and statistics, it’s easy to get disappointed and lose their optimal level of intensity.
We bet you know a few kids like this…
Too many, in fact. Our culture focuses too much on winning, which hurts our young athletes time and time again.
The athletes we work with expect too much of themselves, think too much about the score and the win, get frustrated, and lose intensity or focus.
Just as important, they enjoy youth sports less and don’t grow as quickly when they focus too much on the win.
Instead, this spring, we encourage you to help your athletes learn how to get in the flow or achieve a “zone” focus.
And just what does that mean?
It means focusing on what’s happening right now, in the moment. It means athletes perform their best when they are reacting and playing in the now; focusing on the small things to help them get the job done.
It’s all about mastering the art of focus – a critical skill in youth sports. When athletes are truly focused, they can have a “zone” focus or get into “flow,” feel confident, not anxious about outcomes.
One of the best ways to help young athletes do this is by helping them focus on the process…
For example, you might ask young golfers to hit 8 fairways or pick a specific target before every shot. You might ask hockey players to focus on seeing the ice and making good passes on offense. Or you might tell football players to commit to the play call.
Again, the idea is to focus on what’s happening here and now! This is a must-have skill for peak performance in sports- for athletes of any age.
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- Help Young Athletes Get into a Flow State
- Teach Young Athletes How to Get Into the Flow
- How Young Athletes Find Flow in Sports
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Help Your Young Athletes Improve Focus In Sports!
Are your young athletes easily distracted by people shouting on the sidelines? Do they obsess over their mistakes? Do they worry about what people think of them?
These issues will cause their concentration and performance to suffer!The Focused Sports Kid helps kids overcome distractions that can hurt their performance in sports.
The Focused Sports Kid program is actually two programs: one for sports parents/coaches that provides mental game tips especially designed for parents and coaches, and for young athletes, ages 8 to 12, that will walk them through 7 simple lessons in mental focus in sports.
If you can keep kids focused on the moment all their energy is where it needs to be. Don’t worry about what is going to happen in five minutes because there are a million and one things that could happen between now and then. Instead, focus on the little things they can control right here and now.