{"id":1637,"date":"2012-03-28T15:03:38","date_gmt":"2012-03-28T15:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1637"},"modified":"2025-08-07T01:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:33:09","slug":"are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Your Athletes Searching For Answers"},"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\/helping-kids-stay-confident-in-the-face-of-adversity.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/helping-kids-stay-confident-in-the-face-of-adversity.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/helping-kids-stay-confident-in-the-face-of-adversity-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=\"Sports_Kids_Who_Fail_to_Perform_in_Competition\"><\/span>Sports Kids Who Fail to Perform in&nbsp;Competition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 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\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/#Sports_Kids_Who_Fail_to_Perform_in_Competition\" >Sports Kids Who Fail to Perform in&nbsp;Competition<\/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\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/#What_can_you_do\" >What can you do?<\/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\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/#They_search_for_the_missing_%E2%80%9Csecret%E2%80%9D\" >They search for the missing \u201csecret\u201d:<\/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\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/#A_lack_of_MENTAL_TOUGHNESS\" >A lack of MENTAL TOUGHNESS!<\/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\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/#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-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/#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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many parents and coaches contact us every day at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-proshop\/\">Peak Performance Sports<\/a> asking why their kids look like stars in practice, but fail to perform well in competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Actually, failing to perform well in <strong>competition<\/strong> is the number one reason athletes seek me out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a sign that your athletes\u2019 <strong>mental game<\/strong> is stifling their physical potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many things explain why your athletes\u2019 struggle to perform up to their abilities in competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>These might include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They perform scared due to fear of failure<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They fear disappointing a parent or coach and play safe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The want to win too badly and can\u2019t stand losing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They can\u2019t trust their skills when it counts and over control<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They have self-doubt about their skills and lose <strong>confidence<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They expect to perform perfectly and get frustrated when they don\u2019t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are just a few examples of why athletes don\u2019t perform their best in competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know &#8211; as a sports parent myself &#8211; how frustrating it is to watch your kids self-destruct in competition when they perform so consistently in practice&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_can_you_do\"><\/span>What can you do?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do you encourage your athletes to just work harder and be patient?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you ask them to just focus better the next time?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Or do you keep quiet and hope your athletes don\u2019t give up?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Athletes want to perform their best and improve in competition, but usually <strong>focus<\/strong> on the wrong things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"They_search_for_the_missing_%E2%80%9Csecret%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>They search for the missing \u201csecret\u201d:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Athletes blame their faulty technique and make hasty changes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Athletes blame their circumstances and change teams<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Athletes fault their equipment and look for newer or better stuff<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Athletes blame their coaches or parents for putting too much pressure on them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But these are all just excuses that mask the real culprit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_lack_of_MENTAL_TOUGHNESS\"><\/span>A lack of MENTAL TOUGHNESS!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m here to tell you that athletes can learn to <strong>improve mental toughness.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But they have to stop searching and first admit that their <strong>mental game<\/strong> can improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately in my work, <strong>\u201cmental training\u201d<\/strong> or <strong>mental coaching<\/strong> is a last resort for parents and athletes &#8212; after all else fails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reality is that athletes don\u2019t want to admit their mind is getting in the way of peak performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They go for the alternative: <strong>Work harder and be more dedicated.<\/strong><\/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\/how-choking-hurts-athletes-performance\/\">How Choking Hurts Athletes\u2019 Performance&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-young-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-boost-performance\/\">How Young Athletes Can Use Mental Imagery to Boost Performance<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-kids-have-high-intensity-to-perform-well\/\">Helping Kids Have High Intensity to Perform Well<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" 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\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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>Sports Kids Who Fail to Perform in&nbsp;Competition Many parents and coaches contact us every day at Peak Performance Sports asking why their kids look like stars in practice, but fail to perform well in competition. Actually, failing to perform well in competition is the number one reason athletes seek me &#8230; <a title=\"Are Your Athletes Searching For Answers\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/are-your-athletes-searching-for-answers\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Are Your Athletes Searching For Answers\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[434,486,203,347,257,487,182,251,117],"class_list":["post-1637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confident-sports-kid","tag-fail-to-perform","tag-mental-coaching","tag-mental-game-for-athletes","tag-mental-training","tag-perform-in-competition","tag-sports-parents","tag-youth-sports","tag-youth-sports-psychology","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.8 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many parents and coaches contact us every day asking why their kids look like stars in practice, but fail to perform well in competition. 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