Confidence is Key in Youth Sports
Confidence helps young athletes accomplish a lot in their sport. However, for some athletes, crushing it at a high level can increase the pressure to stay on top or perform consistently at a high level.
High expectations from the outside world and within can cause athletes to feel they are supposed to win or achieve a personal best every time they compete.
When kids have excessively high expectations before competing, distractive thoughts swirl in their mind that detract from their preparation, focus and performance.
While athletes need to be confident in their ability to win, they must also temper their expectations. Confidence fuels performance while excessive pressure interferes with it.
Managing expectations allows kids to focus on executing their skills rather than obsessing over outcomes. They need to understand that outcomes are not entirely under their control.
Managing expectations is essential for peak performance. Sports kids can temper expectations by focusing on controllable factors such as effort, execution and mindset.
Certain thoughts can alert athletes that their expectations are excessively high. For example, “I need to win since I’m seeded first,” “What will others think of me if I lose,” or “My team expects me to be the best player on the field.”
These early warning signs can inform kids that it’s time to switch their focus.
Athletes can switch their focus away from outcomes by focusing on pre-competition routines, reminding themselves that outcomes are not fully under their control, or telling themselves, “I’ve prepared my best, let ‘s just see what happens.”
The key for kids is to prepare their best, which helps them feel confident in their abilities. The next step is for kids to get out of their own way by letting go of their expectations, trusting their training and putting forth their best effort.
Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell ran the second-fastest 100m hurdles time in history to open the 2025 Grand Slam Track Miami meet. Russell won in 12.17 seconds, five hundredths shy of the world record. Russell was highly confident heading into the track meet.
“I continue to say I’m one of the best hurdlers ever. I’m going to always stand by that,” Russell said. However, Russell understood that excessively high expectations can hold athletes back from competing freely and performing at their highest level.
“I didn’t expect that, but I just went out there and competed. It shows when you turn your brain off and compete, you don’t know what you’re capable of.”
Kids need confidence and tempered expectations to perform at peak.
While confidence lays the groundwork for peak performance, managing expectations keeps them steady, calm and focused during challenging competitions, allowing their talents and training to come forth.
Before every competition, athletes should examine their thoughts and determine if their expectations are problematic. If their expectations are too high, they should refocus on what they can control: their effort, focus and attitude.
Related Kids Sports Psychology Articles:
- Confidence Boosting Strategies for Young Athletes
- How Sports Can Build a Child’s Confidence
- 9 Ways to Build Confidence in Young Athletes
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“As parents, we supply our sports kids with all the best in equipment and coaches. But just having the right mindset using sports psychology is the least expensive and most effective investment in them.”
~Julia Dreyer, sports mom to two champion equestrians