What Should Sports Kids Focus On?
Too often, kids worry about what others think of how they’re performing or playing.
And of course, this worry affects kids in other area of their lives, too. If they can get it under control in sports, they may also learn to control it in school and during social activities.
That’s what’s great about athletics. Kids learn critical skills that they can transfer to other areas of their lives.
Here’s an example:
A dad writes us about his 12-year-old son who plays baseball. The boy says that he worries about disappointing his coach, teammates and parents, and worries that they’ll think less of him when he makes mistakes.
When kids worry about what others think, they can get really distracted. Instead of thinking about what they need to do to play well, they think, “What’s my friend going to say if I blow this shot?” or “My parents are going to be so disappointed if I don’t look like a star today.”
Of course, if their minds are occupied with such worries, they don’t perform well. The same is true in other areas of their (and our) lives. Think about how hard it is to get things done when you’re worrying about what others are thinking!
Here at Kids’ Sports Psychology and The Ultimate Sports Parent, we’ve got a number of tips for helping kids who get distracted by such worries.
First of all, help them identify what they worry about. They may not be aware of the ideas that keep popping into their minds.
Second, ask them to keep a watch out for such worries—and then identify what happens when they worry about what others think. Often, they’ll discover they don’t perform well when their minds are occupied with such thoughts.
Next, ask them to refocus. They need to focus on what they need to do well—not on what others are thinking. This is a skill that requires practice. They need to identify the distraction, and then try to quickly refocus.
Again, kids have to know they’re distracted in the first place before they can refocus.
Related Articles on Youth Sports:
- Helping Sports Kids with “What if” Thinking
- How the Mental Game Helps Elite Athletes and Others
- When Kids Worry About Others Judging Them
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