{"id":11284,"date":"2024-08-29T09:45:09","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T13:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=11284"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:07:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:07:01","slug":"helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Athletes\u00a0Cope with Distractions"},"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\/09\/coping-with-distractions.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/coping-with-distractions.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/coping-with-distractions.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/coping-with-distractions-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_You_Feed_Off_the_Crowd_or_Lose_Focus\"><\/span>Do You Feed Off the Crowd or Lose Focus?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 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\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/#Do_You_Feed_Off_the_Crowd_or_Lose_Focus\" >Do You Feed Off the Crowd or Lose Focus?<\/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\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/#A_Crowds_impact_on_Focus\" >A Crowds impact on Focus<\/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\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/#It_is_important_to_remember_that_focus_is_a_choice_that_kids_can_control\" >It is important to remember that focus is a choice that kids can control.<\/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\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/#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-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/#Instill_Confidence_and_Success_in_Young_Athletes\" >Instill Confidence and Success in Young Athletes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Crowd noise can be a big <strong>distraction<\/strong> in sports competitions. Whether it\u2019s cheering, booing, taunting or hurling insults, the crowd\u2019s impact on young athletes can be significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The people sitting in the stands can only influence the outcome of a competition without even being on the playing field if athletes let them. For sports kids, performing at peak despite rowdy fans comes down to managing <strong>focus <\/strong>and emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once kids start noticing the crowd noise, their <strong>focus <\/strong>is diverted away from performing the task at hand. Some athletes who feed off the crowd become over excited when the crowd is pumped up. They feel the heavy weight of expectations to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These athletes struggle to regulate their excitement. They ditch their game plans, and try to do too much to please the fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Crowds_impact_on_Focus\"><\/span>A Crowds impact on Focus<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On the flip side, some young athletes who focus on the crowd noise become fearful of embarrassing themselves, making mistakes and losing by a significant margin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These athletes become overwhelmed by the moment, anxious and have difficulty regaining their <strong>focus<\/strong>. In both instances, focusing on the crowd noise, an external <strong>distraction<\/strong>, leads to unproductive emotions and under performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An effective way to overcome external <strong>distractions<\/strong> is to focus inward. Sports kids can focus internally by directing their attention toward the movement of their body or on bodily sensations, such as breathing or relaxing their muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since kids can\u2019t focus on internal and external stimuli simultaneously, <strong>focusing <\/strong>inward minimizes the impact of crowd noise. In the 1,500-meter track event at the 2024 Olympics, the crowd noise was deafening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much anticipation revolved around the race between two of the best runners in the world: Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the defending Olympic champion, and Josh Kerr, the reigning world champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, USA runner Cole Hocker pulled off the upset by bettering his personal best by nearly 3 seconds and setting an Olympic record in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the race, Hocker commented on the 80,000 screaming fans in the arena and the top runners in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a deafening noise,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve never heard that in a stadium before. I kind of lost feeling in my body, and it didn\u2019t feel like the Olympics anymore until it did\u2026 [Ingebrigtsen and Kerr] had all this added pressure and all that and noise. I think that\u2019s part of this. This job is blocking out that noise and it gets harder and harder the more you excel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When kids <strong>focus <\/strong>on their game plan or breathing, they reduce the impact of the crowd and foster peak performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"It_is_important_to_remember_that_focus_is_a_choice_that_kids_can_control\"><\/span>It is important to remember that focus is a choice that kids can control.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing that they have control over their focus is empowering and sparks more robust athletic confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deep breathing is a quick and easy <strong>refocusing <\/strong>strategy. Intentional, conscious breathing helps ground kids in the present moment and slows down the body\u2019s stress response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will relax young athletes\u2019 muscles, enhance fluid play and enable better decision-making.<\/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-cope-with-pregame-distractions\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes Cope with Pregame Distractions<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dont-let-spring-distractions-hurt-sports-kids-focus\/\"><strong>Don\u2019t Let Spring Distractions Hurt Sports Kids\u2019 Focus<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/top-performance-busting-distractions-for-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Top Performance-Busting Distractions 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=\"Instill_Confidence_and_Success_in_Young_Athletes\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-kids\/\" title=\"Instill Confidence and Success in Young Athletes\">Instill Confidence and Success in Young Athletes<\/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\/2024\/03\/teen-sports-psychology.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/teen-sports-psychology.jpg\" alt=\"Teen Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-9326\" style=\"width:185px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/teen-sports-psychology.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/teen-sports-psychology-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re certain that, as a parents,&nbsp; you want to help your child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life.&nbsp;And as a sports parent, you\u2019d love for your children to reach their potential in sports.&nbsp;But encouraging your child to&nbsp;<strong>strive for greatness without pressuring them<\/strong>&nbsp;can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both you and your young athlete can learn how to\u00a0<strong>build mental toughness and improve performance<\/strong>\u00a0with\u00a0<strong>sports psychology<\/strong>\u00a0coaching for kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Learn more about one-on-one virtual mental performance coaching for young athletes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-a31e04c5\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 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-text-align-center has-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-kids\/#\" style=\"border-radius:9px\">GET COACHING<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do You Feed Off the Crowd or Lose Focus? Crowd noise can be a big distraction in sports competitions. Whether it\u2019s cheering, booing, taunting or hurling insults, the crowd\u2019s impact on young athletes can be significant. The people sitting in the stands can only influence the outcome of a competition &#8230; <a title=\"Helping Athletes\u00a0Cope with Distractions\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Helping Athletes\u00a0Cope with Distractions\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[283,39],"class_list":["post-11284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-distractions-in-sports","tag-kids-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11284","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=11284"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13035,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11284\/revisions\/13035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}