{"id":11135,"date":"2024-07-25T08:22:03","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T12:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=11135"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:13:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:13:28","slug":"unlock-your-athletes-full-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/unlock-your-athletes-full-potential\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlock Your\u00a0Athlete\u2019s Full Potential"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/mental-performance.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/mental-performance.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/mental-performance.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/mental-performance-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Youth_Athletes_Need_to_Understand_Mental_Coaching\"><\/span>Youth Athletes Need to Understand Mental Coaching<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/unlock-your-athletes-full-potential\/#Youth_Athletes_Need_to_Understand_Mental_Coaching\" >Youth Athletes Need to Understand Mental Coaching<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/unlock-your-athletes-full-potential\/#Mental_coaching_helps_athletes_and_parents_with_these_challenges\" >Mental coaching helps athletes and parents with these challenges.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/unlock-your-athletes-full-potential\/#Related_Youth_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Youth Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/unlock-your-athletes-full-potential\/#Ultimate_Sports_Parent_Workbook_and_CD_Program\" >Ultimate Sports Parent Workbook and CD Program<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Young&nbsp;athletes often resistant mental performance coaching because they don\u2019t understand what it is&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We know that athletes often have the wrong impression of what mental coaching is. Athletes often think mental coaching is therapy. They assume it&#8217;s only because something is wrong with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But this is not the case&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents need to help young athletes understand that mental performance coaching is another asset kids can use to excel. When your athletes know about its benefits, they are more likely to engage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But mental coaching may not be appropriate for all athletes&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mental performance coaching teaches kids to focus on the process, trust in their training, manage expectations, and become more proactive about building their confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the main signs that athletes need mental coaching is when they have trouble transferring performance from practice to games.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During practice, many athletes perform well. But once they compete, it&#8217;s common for athletes to start worrying about failing and about what coaches, parents and peers think of their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mental_coaching_helps_athletes_and_parents_with_these_challenges\"><\/span>Mental coaching helps athletes and parents with these challenges.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During competition, kids might also struggle with high expectations and fragile confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mental performance coaching can also help kids who are struggling with pressure, worry, or anxiety, which can make them more likely to drop out of sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help kids embrace mental game training, you might talk with them about role models\u2013professional athletes\u2013who benefit from mental training. Examples include Iga Swiatek and Roger Federer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents and coaches can then tell athletes that mental training is coaching, not therapy. We teach mental skills to athletes that help them perform better in competition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents can also help young athletes understand what mental performance coaching involves&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We meet with kids in person or online once a week. And we begin with a mental game assessment\u2013a series of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are not counseling athletes&#8211;instead we and coaching athletes to think better about their performance and how the react to challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Youth_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Youth Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-to-play-functionally\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes to Play Functionally<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-young-athletes-struggle-with-self-doubt\/\"><strong>When Young Athletes Struggle With Self-Doubt<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-the-mental-game-is-as-important-as-talent-for-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Why The Mental Game is as Important as Talent For Young Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-2af4b66a-7a25-46fc-b627-e07fc2853075\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ultimate_Sports_Parent_Workbook_and_CD_Program\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" title=\"Ultimate Sports Parent Workbook and CD Program\">Ultimate Sports Parent Workbook and CD Program<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\" id=\"block-59efff1d-7aae-4218-86ef-46a87932eb50\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/confident-sports-kid-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/confident-sports-kid-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Composed Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-11169\" style=\"width:160px\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want&nbsp;their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can&nbsp;<strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong>&nbsp;who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids&nbsp;<strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong>&nbsp;that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s difficult for sports parents<strong>&nbsp;to watch their kids under-perform<\/strong>&nbsp;in sports and&nbsp;<strong>lose self-esteem<\/strong>&nbsp;due&nbsp;<strong>to fear, doubt and tentativeness<\/strong>. It\u2019s hard to stand idle and watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The solutions are not obvious. However, you, as a parent, can learn how to respond to your athletes\u2019 fears, doubts, and frustrations.&nbsp;You can develop happy, successful kids who are \u201cmentally tough\u201d in sports \u2013 and life!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-3cbe56a4\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-7d812b4c wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-25\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-medium-font-size has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" style=\"border-radius:9px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DETAILS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-25\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-medium-font-size has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/confident-sports-kid-series-digital-version\/products\/the-confident-sports-kid-digital\" style=\"border-radius:9px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BUY NOW<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Youth Athletes Need to Understand Mental Coaching Young&nbsp;athletes often resistant mental performance coaching because they don\u2019t understand what it is&#8230; We know that athletes often have the wrong impression of what mental coaching is. Athletes often think mental coaching is therapy. They assume it&#8217;s only because something is wrong with &#8230; <a title=\"Unlock Your\u00a0Athlete\u2019s Full Potential\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/unlock-your-athletes-full-potential\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Unlock Your\u00a0Athlete\u2019s Full Potential\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[309,301],"class_list":["post-11135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-in-youth-sports","tag-pressure-in-youth-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}