Breaking Sports Kids’ Perfectionism
You may wonder why sports kids need to be freed from being perfectionists.
After all, perfectionist athletes work hard, show up on time, and listen to their coaches.
But here’s the downside of all that hard work: Perfectionists are so hard on themselves that they are their own worst enemies.
They hold high expectations for themselves, and get frustrated when they can’t meet those expectations. If they make mistakes during a game, for example, they’ll often freeze up and start playing it “safe.”
The last thing you want is for your sports kids to play it safe. When kids play it safe, they stop taking those essential risks that help them learn—and grow!
You need to free sports kids from the bonds of perfectionism. First of all, help them identify their high expectations—thoughts like “I have to be the top scorer in the game today,” or “I’m responsible for today’s win.”
Instead, ask them to focus more on the process—all the smaller tasks involved in executing skills. They might focus on making good shots at the goal, or being good defensive players, or communicating well with teammates, for example.
What’s more, ask them to identify their expectations, and talk to them about the dangers of having such high expectations. You might provide some examples about games in which high expectations worked against them.
For example, you might tell your point guard, “Last week you went into that game with the idea that you’d be the top scorer. As soon as you had a turnover, you stopped playing hard and just played to avoid mistakes. How could you do that differently?”
In our research, we’ve found that the number one challenge sports kids face is perfectionism and fear of failure.
Related Articles on Kids’ Mental Game:
- Helping Young Athletes Kick Perfectionism and Fear of Failure
- Helping Kids See the Good and Bad of Perfectionism in Sports
- How To Overcome Perfectionism In Sports
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