{"id":12595,"date":"2025-03-27T16:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T20:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=12595"},"modified":"2025-08-11T04:36:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T08:36:02","slug":"how-to-cope-with-disappointment-in-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-cope-with-disappointment-in-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"How to\u00a0Cope with Disappointment\u00a0in Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kidssportspsychology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/dissappointment-in-sports.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3204\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_you_Deal_with_Disappointment_as_an_Athlete\"><\/span>How do you Deal with Disappointment as an Athlete<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\/how-to-cope-with-disappointment-in-sports\/#How_do_you_Deal_with_Disappointment_as_an_Athlete\" >How do you Deal with Disappointment as an Athlete<\/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\/how-to-cope-with-disappointment-in-sports\/#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-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-cope-with-disappointment-in-sports\/#THE_COMPOSED_SPORTS_KID_DIGITAL_DOWNLOAD\" >THE COMPOSED SPORTS KID (DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disappointment<\/strong> comes in all shapes and sizes for young athletes. They may experience losses, underperform in a competition, have reduced playing minutes, fall short of a personal best or fail to make a cut for a championship meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every athlete in every sport experiences their share of <strong>disappointment<\/strong>. When sports kids allow <strong>disappointment<\/strong> to fester inside, it stirs up negative emotions, lowers confidence, depletes their mental energy and decreases their motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can think of <strong>disappointment<\/strong> as an overstuffed suitcase. When kids carry that weight around every time they go to practice, games, and competitions, it will wear them down. The more they think about a loss, mistake, missed shot or falling short of a goal, the heavier the weight becomes, impeding the growth of the young athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key to handling <strong>disappointment<\/strong> is to unpack the event. In other words, kids need to process what happened and what they can do differently in similar circumstances, then work on that aspect of their game so they are prepared for competitive situations in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Handling <strong>disappointment<\/strong> is freeing and gives kids the confidence, focus and motivation to take their game to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disappointment<\/strong> may hit kids hard, but it doesn\u2019t have to knock and hold them down. Successful athletes all have one thing in common: the ability to handle <strong>disappointment<\/strong>, learn from it and improve because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. Women\u2019s National Team suffered its first loss in the era of coach Emma Hayes. Japan defeated the U.S. soccer squad 2-1 to win the SheBelieves Cup title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. team had won the five previous SheBelieves Cup titles and was battling for the sixth in a row. In the end, the team made costly mistakes, had too many turnovers and struggled to consistently finish when on the offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the game, Hayes talked about <strong>disappointment<\/strong> and the process of moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s OK to be <strong>disappointed<\/strong>. I told the players that,\u201d said Hayes. \u201cIt\u2019s really important to remember moments like this and the learnings that we take from it, and I look forward to the next opportunity we\u2019re together to build on some of that progress and learn the most important things when you play a top-class opponent. I\u2019d rather do that now than much later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Hayes pointed out, setbacks are a part of the learning and improvement process and necessary for an individual or team to reach their potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, a tough loss is <strong>disappointing<\/strong>, and feeling those emotions is normal.<br>However, at some point, kids need to choose: Are they going to allow this loss or mistake to defeat them or will they take ownership of their part and use this experience to improve their game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disappointment<\/strong> is an opportunity in disguise. Kids need to look for the lesson, then do the work to improve their game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key to getting over <strong>disappointment<\/strong> is to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.<br>Sports kids should not react passively and allow disappointment to dominate their mindset. When they take an active approach to handling disappointment, a potential negative becomes a positive.<\/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\/helping-young-athletes-with-coaches-who-yell\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes with\u00a0Coaches Who Yell<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-control-emotions\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes Control Emotions<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/the-benefits-of-keeping-score-in-youth-sports\/\"><strong>The Benefits of Keeping Score in Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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_COMPOSED_SPORTS_KID_DIGITAL_DOWNLOAD\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-composed-sports-kid-digital\">THE COMPOSED 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\/the-composed-sports-kid-small.jpg\" alt=\"Help Athlete Learn Composure\" class=\"wp-image-2100\" style=\"width:160px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The Composed Sports Kid&#8221; audio&nbsp;and workbook digital download program for young athletes and their parents or coach helps kids cope with frustration and anger in sports. Help your sports kids learn how to manage expectations and let go of mistakes so they can keep their head in the game.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Thank you for the Composed Sports Kid online series you have put together. After going through your weekly course mid-season, we did see&nbsp;marked improvement in his enjoyment of the sport. I also wanted to tell you how&nbsp;helpful the course was for me being a parent&nbsp;and being completely lost on how to help a highly competitive, sensitive, and emotional kid. The mini goals&nbsp;altered his focus and helped him to be more emotionally level&nbsp;and he will continue to use them going forward.&#8221;<\/em><br>~&nbsp;<strong>Ralph Fleck, Sports Parent<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\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-composed-sports-kid-digital\" style=\"border-radius:10px\">GET DETAILS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you Deal with Disappointment as an Athlete Disappointment comes in all shapes and sizes for young athletes. They may experience losses, underperform in a competition, have reduced playing minutes, fall short of a personal best or fail to make a cut for a championship meet. Every athlete in &#8230; <a title=\"How to\u00a0Cope with Disappointment\u00a0in Sports\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-cope-with-disappointment-in-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to\u00a0Cope with Disappointment\u00a0in Sports\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[264,301],"class_list":["post-12595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","tag-confidence-in-young-athletes","tag-pressure-in-youth-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12595","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=12595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}