{"id":11303,"date":"2024-11-21T12:27:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T17:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=11303"},"modified":"2025-10-13T16:24:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T20:24:27","slug":"debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Debunking Myths About\u00a0Mental Training for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/truth-about-mental-training.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/truth-about-mental-training.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11304\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/truth-about-mental-training.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/truth-about-mental-training-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=\"Truth_About_Mental_Training_for_Kids\"><\/span>Truth About Mental Training for Kids<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\/debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids\/#Truth_About_Mental_Training_for_Kids\" >Truth About Mental Training for Kids<\/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\/debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids\/#Myths_About_Mental_Training_for_Athletes\" >Myths About Mental Training for Athletes<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids\/#The_same_challenge_exists_for_therapists_and_psychologists_today\" >The same challenge exists for therapists and psychologists today.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/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\/debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids\/#Related_Kids_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Kids Sports 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\/debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids\/#THE_FOCUSED_SPORTS_KID_DIGITAL_DOWNLOAD\" >THE FOCUSED SPORTS KID (DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Do your athletes avoid <strong>mental<\/strong> coaching because they don&#8217;t understand it? To help your athletes, you must first know why athletes avoid <strong>mental<\/strong> coaching&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on our survey with sports parents, a whopping 53% of the parents said their athletes resist <strong>mental<\/strong> training&#8211;for many reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One reason is that athletes buy into myths about working with a <strong>mental<\/strong> performance coach&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The truth is, improving their <strong>mental<\/strong> game skills can improve their happiness and performance-in and out of sports. And keep athletes in sports longer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <strong>mentally<\/strong> strong and confident athletes stay composed after making mistakes. They can grind it out and finish the game strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myths_About_Mental_Training_for_Athletes\"><\/span><strong>Myths About Mental Training for Athletes<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s the problem:&nbsp;<\/strong>Sports kids believe a number of myths&#8211;silly myths, really&#8211;about the value of <strong>mental<\/strong> performance coaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are just a few:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Kids think they are already mentally tough.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even kids who are <strong>mentally<\/strong> tough can find ways to improve their game For example, do they excel in practice, but freeze up during games? Do they worry about what others think of them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>mental<\/strong> training, athletes, parents, and coaches can identify common confidence busters, see if their athletes suffer from them and take steps to address them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Kids say their coaches don&#8217;t value mental training-so neither should they.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not every coach focuses on <strong>mental<\/strong> training. Some coaches have strengths in other areas. Or some provide <strong>mental<\/strong> training intuitively, but don&#8217;t directly call&nbsp;it <strong>mental<\/strong> training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They might say,&nbsp;<em>&#8220;I know you tend to freeze up when your parents walk into practice. You need to focus on what you&#8217;re doing, instead of what&#8217;s&nbsp;going on off the court.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they say this, they&#8217;re giving a <strong>mental<\/strong> game tip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We try to simplify <strong>mental<\/strong> training for athletes so they can grasp the concepts and apply them easily to sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Kids think something must be wrong with them to work with a mental coach.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We know athletes worry that others will label them for being weak if they work with a <strong>mental<\/strong> coach. This is false&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_same_challenge_exists_for_therapists_and_psychologists_today\"><\/span>The same challenge exists for therapists and psychologists today.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If athletes know that their role models engage in <strong>mental<\/strong> coaching, they are more likely to accept it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, athletes don&#8217;t have to have challenges\/problems to work with a <strong>mental<\/strong> performance coach. We also help athletes improve practice habits and perform more consistently.<\/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\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Kids_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Kids Sports 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\/sports-parents-and-the-problems-with-focusing-on-kids-mistakes\/\"><strong>Sports Parents and The Problems with Focusing On Kids\u2019 Mistakes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/dealing-with-favoritism-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>The Problems with Favoritism in Youth Sports Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/kids-fear-of-mental-coaching\/\"><strong>Kids Fear of Mental Coaching<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"THE_FOCUSED_SPORTS_KID_DIGITAL_DOWNLOAD\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-focused-sports-kid-digital\" title=\"\">THE FOCUSED SPORTS KID (DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)<\/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\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidssportspsychology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/focused-sports-kid-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Focused Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-2352\" style=\"width:164px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Focused Sports Kid\u201d helps sports kids who get easily distracted and can\u2019t maintain their focus in competition. In this program, you and your athlete learn concentration-boosting strategies to help young athletes develop laser focus during competition. \u201c<em>The Focused Sports Kid<\/em>\u201d is two programs in one. You get a manual and Audio program for parents\/coaches, and a PDF workbook and audio programs for young athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWe just completed the first ten tips,&nbsp;it has helped tremendously&nbsp;for (our daughter) and us. We\u2019ve learned to keep our behavior and comments in check. She\u2019s&nbsp;letting mistakes happen&nbsp;and&nbsp;not worrying about them, she\u2019s&nbsp;now just moves on&nbsp;to the next play with the same attitude as before the mistakes. She\u2019s&nbsp;playing more aggressively&nbsp;all game. Her coach even mentioned that whatever we are doing, keep doing because&nbsp;it\u2019s working.\u201d<\/em><strong> ~Scott, Sports Dad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-759e76d9\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-focused-sports-kid-digital\">Get Details<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Truth About Mental Training for Kids Do your athletes avoid mental coaching because they don&#8217;t understand it? To help your athletes, you must first know why athletes avoid mental coaching&#8230; Based on our survey with sports parents, a whopping 53% of the parents said their athletes resist mental training&#8211;for many &#8230; <a title=\"Debunking Myths About\u00a0Mental Training for Kids\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/debunking-myths-about-mental-training-for-kids\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Debunking Myths About\u00a0Mental Training for Kids\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[609,183],"class_list":["post-11303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-mental-coaching-for-young-athletes","tag-mental-game-coaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11303","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=11303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}