The Role of Mental Game Skills for Sports Kids

Volleyball is 90 Percent Mental: These Skills Can Help

What helps young athletes remain mentally tough after a hard loss in volleyball? What helps them bounce back after difficult circumstances? How can kids turn losses into wins?

Many volleyball players would say hard work is the key here. Of course, the ability to work harder than opponents, push teammates to their limits and out-hustle opposing team members is an important quality.

Without this kind of effort, kids often don’t realize their potential.

While hard work helps young athletes succeed in volleyball, mental game strengths are just as important.

To boost their mental game, kids should concentrate on building confidence, improving their focus, remaining composed under pressure, managing their emotions, re-focusing after making mistakes and pushing forward when they’re tired. They should also work on mental game skills that allow them to keep trying when they’re tired and mount comebacks when they’re behind.

With these skills, sports kids can boost their performance a notch or two.

Keep in mind that it’s important for sports parents to encourage kids to work hard, but mental skills help kids work harder and smarter.

The women’s volleyball team at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse understands the importance of mental game skills. The team is using mental strategies to improve performance in 2019, after a 16-13 record last year.

Senior Abbey Fox said, “We work a lot on our mind training or the mental aspect of the game as well, so I think that’s going to make a big difference coming into the season. We didn’t focus on that as much last season.”

Wisconsin sophomore Emma Lawrence echoed Fox’s sentiments.

“I think all around in society and sport that psychology is becoming such a bigger part and 90 percent of the game is mental which is crazy to think about, so I feel like making ourselves stronger in that way is only going to make us better.”

She’s right. The mental game is critically important to athletes’ success.

Now more than ever, professional players, Olympic athletes, national-level athletes, collegiate athletes and young athletes are searching for ways to gain an edge on their opponents. They understand that by boosting their mental game, they can improve their performance. But that’s not all. They can also lift up their confidence and happiness–in sports and life.

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Boost Your Self-Confidence With Expert Mental Game Coaching!

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You can learn more about our mental coaching programs here.

What are our mental coaching students saying?

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~Stephanie Starling, Justin’s Mother

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Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!

Do your young athletes:

• Criticize themselves often after making mistakes?
• Lose confidence after working with a negative coach?
• Freeze up and look scared when faced with competitive pressure?
• Perform like stars in practice but freeze up or play tentatively during games or competitions?

If so, check out The Ultimate Sports Parent!

The Ultimate Sports Parent will teach you powerful mental toughness secrets to improve your child’s success in sports.

What’s in “The Ultimate Sports Parent: A 14-Day Plan for Kids’ Success in Sports?”

• DAY 1 – Positive Communication with Your Athlete
• DAY 2 – Helping Your Athlete Establish Appropriate Goals
• DAY 3 – Providing Positive Motivation for Your Young Athlete
• DAY 4 – Instilling a Confident Mindset in Young Athletes
• DAY 5 – Boosting Performance by Improving Your Child’s Focus
• DAY 6 – Helping Kids Stop Worrying About What Everyone Thinks
• DAY 7 – Teaching Kids No One is Perfect
• DAY 8 – Guiding Your Children as they Cope with Difficult Feelings
• DAY 9 – Dealing with Kids’ Difficult or Negative Coaches
• DAY 10 – Helping Young Athletes Deal with Competitive Pressure
• DAY 11 – Freeing Your Athletes to Trust Their Skills on Game Day
• DAY 12 – Providing Athletes with Positive Support After Defeat
• DAY 13 – Helping Your Child or Teen Cope with Little Playing Time
• DAY 14 – Instilling a Competitive Edge in Your Young Athlete

Get proven strategies form leading youth sports experts!

The Ultimate Sports Parent: a 14-Day Plan For Kids’ Success in Sports