Mental Game Resources
Coach Tony Acosta came to us with a tough problem.
His kids, 10- to 11-year-olds who play Australian rules football, didn’t believe they could beat a tough opponent in a championship game.
“A few weeks ago a parent told me he had heard a boy say, ‘We just can’t beat those guys. They have an ex-Pro coaching them, they have two groups to choose from, we have no chance’,” Tony wrote us.
“I truly believe if my group does their best and believe they can win, they will win,” Coach Tony continued. “I would appreciate some ideas on how you would recommend addressing this group this week and on game day.”
The answer to this challenge is not necessarily obvious, and we congratulate Coach Tony for reaching out to find answers.
With Dr. Patrick Cohn and our Kids’ Sports Psychology membership website, not only did Coach Tony find resources that helped his kids win the championship; his players learned that with the right mental game attitude, they can overcome seemingly un-surmountable challenges.
Here’s how it happened:
Dr. Patrick Cohn suggested that Tony download KSP’s “Appreciate Your Talents: How To Avoid Making Comparisons” eBook written specifically for kids.
Not only did Tony download it; he created a summary for his players and scheduled a training session during which a parent read the summary to the kids and focused on ensuring they understood it.
The summary provided these and other tips:
- Focus on what you need to do to get job done
- Don’t think opponents are better than you. Focus on your strengths.
- Remember that your opponent is only human. All competitors have weaknesses.
- Tony also asked his team to focus on its strengths; the fact that his team is a physically stronger team.
Tony also concentrated on feeling confident, in his own heart and mind, that his team would win. He concentrated on watching how he used language. “You will win,” was his message to his players.
On the eve of the game, he asked another coach to once again go over the mental-game-tips summary with the team.
In the end, it was a close game, but Tony’s team won.
Listen to this success story using the player below:
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- How the Mental Game Helps Elite Athletes and Others
- Why Sports Kids Resist Mental Game Training—And What Parents Should Do
- How Your Pregame Talk Can Turn Into Pressure For Athletes
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Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids who struggle with the “inner” game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.
You can benefit from our 15-plus years’ of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research. Now, you can tap into our secrets to sports success through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top “mental game” challenges that sports parents face—and the top challenges young athletes face.