{"id":1396,"date":"2011-09-15T13:40:51","date_gmt":"2011-09-15T13:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1396"},"modified":"2025-08-07T02:22:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T06:22:50","slug":"how-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win\/","title":{"rendered":"How Our Mental Game Tools Helped This Coach Win"},"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\/11\/does-more-spending-on-kids-sports-cause-more-pressure.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3471\" title=\"aussierules108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/does-more-spending-on-kids-sports-cause-more-pressure.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/does-more-spending-on-kids-sports-cause-more-pressure-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=\"Mental_Game_Resources\"><\/span>Mental Game Resources<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-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win\/#Mental_Game_Resources\" >Mental Game Resources<\/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-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win\/#Heres_how_it_happened\" >Here\u2019s how it happened:<\/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-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win\/#The_summary_provided_these_and_other_tips\" >The summary provided these and other tips:<\/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-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win\/#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-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Tony Acosta came to us with a tough problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His kids, 10- to 11-year-olds who play Australian rules football, didn\u2019t believe they could beat a tough opponent in a championship game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cA few weeks ago a parent told me he had heard a boy say, \u2018We just can\u2019t beat those guys. They have an ex-Pro coaching them, they have two groups to choose from, we have no chance\u2019,\u201d<\/em> Tony wrote us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI truly believe if my group does their best and believe they can win, they will win,\u201d <\/em>Coach Tony continued. \u201c<em>I would appreciate some ideas on how you would recommend addressing this group this week and on game day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer to this challenge is not necessarily obvious, and we congratulate Coach Tony for reaching out to find answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Dr. Patrick Cohn and our Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology membership website, not only did Coach Tony find resources that helped his kids win the championship; his players learned that with the right mental game attitude, they can overcome seemingly un-surmountable challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_how_it_happened\"><\/span>Here\u2019s how it happened:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Patrick Cohn suggested that Tony download KSP\u2019s \u201c<em>Appreciate Your Talents: How To Avoid Making Comparisons<\/em>\u201d eBook written specifically for kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only did Tony download it; he created a summary for his players and scheduled a training session during which a parent read the summary to the kids and focused on ensuring they understood it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_summary_provided_these_and_other_tips\"><\/span>The summary provided these and other tips:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus<\/strong> on what you need to do to get job done<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don\u2019t think opponents are better than you. <strong>Focus<\/strong> on your <strong>strengths.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remember that your opponent is only human. All competitors have weaknesses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tony also asked his team to <strong>focus<\/strong> on its <strong>strengths;<\/strong> the fact that his team is a physically stronger team.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Tony also concentrated on feeling <strong>confident,<\/strong> in his own heart and mind, that his team would win. He concentrated on watching how he used language. <em>\u201cYou will win,\u201d<\/em> was his message to his players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the eve of the game, he asked another coach to once again go over the mental-game-tips summary with the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the end, it was a close game, but Tony\u2019s team won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to this success story using the player below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-1396-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/podcast\/youth_sports_radio_podcast121_tony.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/podcast\/youth_sports_radio_podcast121_tony.mp3\">https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/podcast\/youth_sports_radio_podcast121_tony.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<\/div><\/figure>\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\/how-the-mental-game-helps-elite-athletes-and-others\/\"><strong>How the Mental Game Helps Elite Athletes and Others<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-sports-kids-resist-mental-game-training-and-what-parents-should-do\/\"><strong>Why Sports Kids Resist Mental Game Training\u2014And What Parents Should Do<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-your-pregame-talk-can-turn-into-pressure-for-athletes\/\"><strong>How Your Pregame Talk Can Turn Into Pressure For Athletes<\/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_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mental Game Resources Coach Tony Acosta came to us with a tough problem. His kids, 10- to 11-year-olds who play Australian rules football, didn\u2019t believe they could beat a tough opponent in a championship game. \u201cA few weeks ago a parent told me he had heard a boy say, \u2018We &#8230; <a title=\"How Our Mental Game Tools Helped This Coach Win\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-our-mental-game-tools-helped-this-coach-win\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Our Mental Game Tools Helped This Coach Win\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,6],"tags":[476,475,98],"class_list":["post-1396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-building-confidence-in-young-athletes","tag-coach-wins-with-confidence","tag-confidence-in-sports-kids","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396","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=1396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}