{"id":12608,"date":"2025-04-10T21:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T01:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=12608"},"modified":"2026-04-28T10:50:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:50:46","slug":"how-to-win-as-an-underdog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-win-as-an-underdog\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Win as an\u00a0Underdog"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/underdog-mindset.jpg\" alt=\"How to Win as an Underdog\" class=\"wp-image-12609\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/underdog-mindset.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/underdog-mindset-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Your_Kids_Embrace_the_Underdog_Role\"><\/span>Do Your Kids Embrace the Underdog Role?<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\/how-to-win-as-an-underdog\/#Do_Your_Kids_Embrace_the_Underdog_Role\" >Do Your Kids Embrace the Underdog Role?<\/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-win-as-an-underdog\/#Embracing_the_underdog_role_requires\" >Embracing the underdog role requires:<\/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-win-as-an-underdog\/#How_Vanderbilt_Approaches_the_Underdog_Role\" >How Vanderbilt Approaches the Underdog Role?<\/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\/how-to-win-as-an-underdog\/#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\/how-to-win-as-an-underdog\/#The_Focused_Sports_Kid_%E2%80%93_Digital_Download\" >The Focused Sports Kid &#8211; Digital Download<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>When athletes are the <strong>underdog<\/strong>, they have two choices: believing they can win or believing they will lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If kids believe they are going to lose, their bodies and minds will likely follow suit. They won\u2019t prepare fully. Self-doubt will take over their minds. They\u2019ll lack confidence, which will create focusing challenges during the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All these mental and physical factors will hinder their performance. Believing they will lose will probably cause them to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, if young athletes embrace the <strong>underdog<\/strong> role and believe they can win, they will be able to tap into their mental and physical potential, maximize their efforts and put themselves in a position to achieve their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Embracing_the_underdog_role_requires\"><\/span>Embracing the underdog role requires:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ignoring outside noise<\/strong> \u2013 What others say means NOTHING. Kids should shut out the external noise and focus on executing their game plan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Preparing to compete and win<\/strong> \u2013 Preparation builds confidence, sharpens athletes\u2019 technical skills and improves their ability to perform under pressure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Playing with freedom<\/strong> \u2013 It\u2019s important to just play the game. The place for in-depth analysis is in the locker room and not on the court or field.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Turning negativity into motivation<\/strong> \u2013 Kids should let negativity from others ignite their competitive fire, rather than extinguishing it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Looking at the Facts<\/strong> \u2013 Both teams start 0-0 and the competition is not determined until the last second. Sports kids need to perform their best between those two points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Vanderbilt University enters the men\u2019s 2025 NCAA basketball tournament as an <strong>underdog<\/strong>. Vanderbilt (20-12), will face St. Mary\u2019s (28-5) in the first round.<br>Vanderbilt is a 5.5 point <strong>underdog<\/strong> against St. Mary\u2019s, which is ranked 19th in the AP poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vanderbilt surpassed the predictions forecasted by the media, and beat five tournament teams (Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Texas A&amp;M and Missouri) during the regular season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Vanderbilt_Approaches_the_Underdog_Role\"><\/span>How Vanderbilt Approaches the <strong>Underdog<\/strong> Role?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington reminded his team members that they have beaten the odds all season and this game is just another chance to do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were against the odds the entire season,\u201d Byington said. \u201cWith what we had to do building this team and how fast \u2026 a lot of times [doubters] said something can\u2019t be done. Then you\u2019re picked at the bottom of the league. So we were always against the odds. \u2026 We did it so far this year. Now is the next time to do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>underdog<\/strong> role is not a disadvantage, but a negative mindset is. It is up to athletes to refuse to accept limitations or expectations set by others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When kids prepare with confidence, embrace the situation and give themselves a chance to succeed, they can turn doubt into an advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Winning starts in the mind. When athletes choose to believe, anything is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being the <strong>underdog<\/strong> can either be an obstacle or a source of motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When most people predict that your athlete\u2019s team will lose, the team members face a critical decision: do they accept their judgment and let doubt take hold, or do they disregard their opinions and fight for victory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making that choice will shape how sports kids perform.<\/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\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-can-athletes-learn-from-the-us-open-semifinal-upset\/\">What Athletes Learn From the US Open Upset? [Podcast<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-a-sport-kids-intensity-leads-to-anger-and-upset\/\">When A Sport Kids\u2019 Intensity Leads to Anger and Upset<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-athletes-cope-with-distractions\/\">Helping Athletes&nbsp;Cope with Distractions<\/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=\"The_Focused_Sports_Kid_%E2%80%93_Digital_Download\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-focused-sports-kid-digital\" title=\"\">The Focused Sports Kid &#8211; 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\" 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>\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><br>~Scott, Sports Dad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-334fef19\">\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-custom-font-size wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-focused-sports-kid-digital\" style=\"border-radius:9px\">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\/products\/the-focused-sports-kid-digital\" style=\"border-radius:9px\">BUY NOW<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:22px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do Your Kids Embrace the Underdog Role? When athletes are the underdog, they have two choices: believing they can win or believing they will lose. If kids believe they are going to lose, their bodies and minds will likely follow suit. They won\u2019t prepare fully. Self-doubt will take over their &#8230; <a title=\"How to Win as an\u00a0Underdog\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-win-as-an-underdog\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Win as an\u00a0Underdog\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[309,39,182],"class_list":["post-12608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-in-youth-sports","tag-kids-sports-psychology","tag-sports-parents"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12608","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=12608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}