{"id":1292,"date":"2011-07-06T23:10:13","date_gmt":"2011-07-06T23:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1292"},"modified":"2025-08-11T04:41:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T08:41:04","slug":"how-to-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Simplify What Your Kids Focus on During Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/why-having-fun-helps-sports-kids-perform-well.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/why-having-fun-helps-sports-kids-perform-well.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/why-having-fun-helps-sports-kids-perform-well-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=\"Pregame_Routines_For_Sports_Kids\"><\/span>Pregame Routines For Sports Kids<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-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition\/#Pregame_Routines_For_Sports_Kids\" >Pregame Routines For Sports 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\/how-to-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition\/#Today_were_going_to_address_a_common_challenge\" >Today we&#8217;re going to address a common challenge:<\/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-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition\/#Sports_kids_should_follow_four_steps_when_using_a_pregame_routine\" >Sports kids should follow four steps when using a pregame routine:<\/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-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition\/#Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\" >Related Articles on Youth Sports:<\/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-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition\/#Help_Your_Young_Athletes_Improve_Focus_In_Sports\" >Help Your Young Athletes Improve Focus In Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>What kids <strong>focus<\/strong> on while playing sports can make or break their <strong>confidence<\/strong>&#8211;and performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply put, kids often <strong>focus<\/strong> on the wrong &#8220;cues&#8221; or too many things at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Today_were_going_to_address_a_common_challenge\"><\/span>Today we&#8217;re going to address a common challenge:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When kids are playing or performing, they often think they should <strong>focus<\/strong> on the details of what they learned during practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that can bog them down when in competition. Often, they&#8217;ll get lost in all the details, such as the mechanics of a sound forehand stroke, set up, and recovery. This is too much to <strong>focus<\/strong> on at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to help kids trust what they learned in practice and play <strong>intuitively.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pregame routines<\/strong> can help young athletes achieve these goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <strong>pregame routine<\/strong> is a final <strong>mental<\/strong> tune-up before kids compete. It helps them loosen up, <strong>focus<\/strong> their minds, boost their <strong>confidence<\/strong> and <strong>trust<\/strong> their abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sports_kids_should_follow_four_steps_when_using_a_pregame_routine\"><\/span>Sports kids should follow four steps when using a pregame routine:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shoot down any last-minute doubts that might hurt their <strong>confidence.<\/strong> They need to tell themselves they&#8217;re not too small, too slow or too wimpy!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set one or two <strong>process goals<\/strong> that will help them <strong>focus<\/strong> on execution. In tennis, that might be taking the ball early or mixing up shots. In triathlon, that might be monitoring their heart rate or staying with the lead pack.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rehearse<\/strong> their performance by seeing or feeling themselves playing with total <strong>focus<\/strong> and feeling <strong>confident<\/strong> about their abilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Concentrate<\/strong> on execution, not on the score or anything in the future. Kids should only think about the first two minutes of the start of the game and what they need to do to <strong>succeed<\/strong> in those two minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>As we&#8217;ve mentioned before, kids should be <strong>focusing<\/strong> on the here-and-now. They shouldn&#8217;t be analyzing what they learned yesterday, or thinking about what the game&#8217;s outcome will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And they definitely don&#8217;t want to remind themselves of past mistakes. They want to keep it simple. They need to be able to react quickly and instinctively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s what <strong>trusting<\/strong> in their practice is all about and <strong>focusing<\/strong> on the right cues can help them do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practice is a time to learn new skills. Competition is the time to <strong>focus<\/strong> on <strong>reacting<\/strong> and <strong>trusting<\/strong> what they have learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re getting the idea that you, as <strong>sports parents<\/strong> and coaches, understand the importance of <strong>focus.<\/strong> Your responses to our blog post address some of the issues that cause kids to lose <strong>confidence<\/strong> and perform badly as a result of <strong>focusing<\/strong> on the wrong things&#8211;their parents or their previous mistakes, for example.<\/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_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Related Articles on Youth Sports:<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\/help-your-athlete-with-focus-during-competitions-and-practice\/\"><strong>Help Your Athlete With Focus During Competitions and Practice!<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-young-athletes-avoid-freezing-up-during-competitions\/\"><strong>Help Young Athletes Avoid Freezing Up During Competitions<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-wing-it-during-games\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes \u2018Wing it\u2019 During Games<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<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>\u00a0on 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-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Your_Young_Athletes_Improve_Focus_In_Sports\"><\/span>Help Your Young Athletes Improve Focus In Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/focused-sports-kid-small-7.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/focused-sports-kid-small-7.jpg\" alt=\"the Focused Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-11217\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Are your young athletes easily <strong>distracted<\/strong> by people shouting on the sidelines? Do they obsess over their <strong>mistakes<\/strong>? Do they <strong>worry<\/strong> about what people think of them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These issues will cause their concentration and performance to suffer!<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-sports-kid-cd-program\/\">The Focused Sports Kid<\/a> helps kids overcome distractions that can hurt their performance in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-sports-kid-cd-program\/\">The Focused Sports Kid<\/a> program is actually two programs: one for sports parents\/coaches that provides mental game tips especially designed for parents and coaches, and for young athletes, ages 8 to 12, that will walk them through 7 simple lessons in mental focus in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-2050113d\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-030447a4 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-af59ca3f gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-focused-sports-kid-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pregame Routines For Sports Kids What kids focus on while playing sports can make or break their confidence&#8211;and performance. Simply put, kids often focus on the wrong &#8220;cues&#8221; or too many things at once. Today we&#8217;re going to address a common challenge: When kids are playing or performing, they often &#8230; <a title=\"How to Simplify What Your Kids Focus on During Competition\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-simplify-what-your-kids-focus-on-during-competition\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Simplify What Your Kids Focus on During Competition\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[209,6],"tags":[464,463],"class_list":["post-1292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-concentration","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-concentration-for-young-athletes","tag-sports-kids-focus","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292","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=1292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}