Using Your Mental Game For a Competitive Edge
An athlete told us recently, “I am pretty much doing everything wrong from a mental perspective and just beginning to work on understanding better ways to think.”
Athletes of all ages struggle with mental game challenges. They need to understand that mental game problems lead to lower performance. Kids will feel lower confidence, anxiety and frustration, and will be distracted if they struggle with staying mentally tough. Such problems can set up a negative cycle.
Here’s what other athletes have told us about their mental game:
- “Mentally, I’m breaking down in games.”
- “I’m not sure what I need to work on mentally.”
- “I don’t know how to fix these mental areas of my game.”
First of all, it’s important for young athletes to recognize how their mental game affects performance. It’s even better if they can identify what causes mental game breakdowns.
Awareness is key to making changes. Once kids are more aware of what stirs up issues such as lack of focus and lowered confidence, they can work on their mental toughness.
Sometimes kids say they don’t know what to work on mentally. They may struggle with confidence, managing their emotions, staying cool under pressure, staying focused and overcoming adversity.
Kids need to focus on improving one mental skill at a time.
At the same time, they need to think of mental game training as an effort that allows them to build skills, similar to physical conditioning. It’s not about fixing problems; it’s about learning skills.
Kids can study mental game training, or they can work with a mental game coach to improve their performance. They should focus on boosting their mental game during practice, as well as during games.
Take It From Lebron
Lebron James is one of the best athletes and basketball players the world has ever seen. James says his high level of play is due to being mentally conditioned as much as being physically conditioned.
“For me, what gets lost in translation over time is that athletes forget that there’s more than just a physical side. At this point in my life, it’s not that I’ve recognized that the mental side is important — I knew that as a kid when I was younger, but now I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to tap into it and take advantage of it. And take advantage of the benefits because there’s only so much you can do with the physical. There’s only so far you can get with the physical side,” James said.
Don’t let young athletes forget that sports involves both physical and mental training. Like James, they should consider tapping into their mental game training and reaping its many benefits.
Learn Mental Game Lessons to Help Young Athletes With Their Pregame Prep!
Young athletes and their parents and coaches tell us that sports kids often struggle with these pregame mental game challenges:
- They fail to take charge of their confidence before the compete
- They don’t trust in their skills when they go from practice to competition
- They hang on to mistakes and dwell in them in competition
- They worry too much about what others think about their performance
- They feel pressure to excel from expectations they feel from others
- They focus too much on the outcome instead of the process
- They tighten up and play safe when they feel pressure to succeed
- They interpret pregame jitters as harmful to their performance
“10 Minute Pregame Prep” will tell you everything you need to know about ensuring your sports kids avoid classic mental game pitfalls before a game, learn how to trust their instincts, and just go for it. It provides lots of advice for you, too…
With our program, you can stop wondering what to do and relax before your kids’ games!
Learn more about “10-Minute Pregame Prep”….
Sign up for our free report to receive weekly emails and tips:
“10 Tips to Improve Confidence And Success in Young Athletes”
Leave a Reply