Mentally strong athletes—those who have done some mental game training—don’t balk after making mistakes.
They don’t call themselves negative names. And they’re often great team players because they’re so positive.
Truth is, however, that sports kids resist mental training, and miss out on these and other important benefits.
Why? Because they hold onto myths about mental training that don’t really make sense.
Let’s look at two of these myths.
Kids often say they’re already mentally tough, and therefore don’t need mental training.
Truth is, everyone can benefit from mental training. Even if they are mentally tough, they can work on their mental game and make it even better!
Kids say they think mental training involves a psychologist who sits them on a couch and analyzes all their deep-seated problems.
This is a funny stereotype, and is not true. Kids need to understand that mental training means working with an expert who can help them boost their skills.
It’s no different than working with an expert to improve other skills—like boosting their physical game, for example.
Let’s get back to the benefits of mental training. Above we mention that kids who have done mental training are less likely to balk when they make mistakes.
This is a critical skill that boosts kids’ confidence and helps them play intuitively and freely—critical traits for young athletes!
Check out our video of the week, How To Boost Your Confidence In Sports And The Confidence Roller Coaster.
Want to learn more about how to explain to kids the benefits of mental training?