{"id":1659,"date":"2012-04-12T14:31:24","date_gmt":"2012-04-12T14:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1659"},"modified":"2025-08-07T01:32:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T05:32:41","slug":"helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Young Athletes Embrace Mental Training"},"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\/confessions-of-a-sports-mom-who-fueled-her-sons-perfectionism.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/confessions-of-a-sports-mom-who-fueled-her-sons-perfectionism.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/confessions-of-a-sports-mom-who-fueled-her-sons-perfectionism-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_Training_Benefits_For_Kids\"><\/span>Mental Training Benefits For 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\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/#Mental_Training_Benefits_For_Kids\" >Mental Training Benefits For 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\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/#Here_are_just_a_few_of_the_myths_and_our_response_to_them\" >Here are just a few of the myths and our response to them:<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/#1_%E2%80%9CIm_already_mentally_tough%E2%80%9D_kids_say\" >1. \u201cI\u2019m already mentally tough,\u201d kids say.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/#2_%E2%80%9CIm_playing_well_now_I_dont_want_to_hurt_my_momentum%E2%80%9D_young_athletes_say\" >2.&nbsp; \u201cI\u2019m playing well now. I don\u2019t want to hurt my momentum,\u201d young athletes say.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/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\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/#Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\" >Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<\/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\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/#Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\" >Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s one former sports kid who has lots of good things to say about the benefits of <strong>mental training:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><em>\u201cDr. Patrick Cohn, I am so happy to see you exposing the true <strong>potential<\/strong> and impact of <strong>mental training<\/strong> with children.&nbsp; As a gymnast, I used <strong>mental training techniques<\/strong> day in and day out- and I still use them daily as an adult &#8211; <strong>peak performance<\/strong> is important for living. Thank you!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The truth is, most parents, youth coaches, and sports kids don\u2019t understand why <strong>mental training<\/strong> is so critical to enjoying and benefiting from youth sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of myths prevent adults and young athletes from truly understanding <strong>sports psychology<\/strong> the way this former gymnast understands it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Here_are_just_a_few_of_the_myths_and_our_response_to_them\"><\/span>Here are just a few of the myths and our response to them:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_%E2%80%9CIm_already_mentally_tough%E2%80%9D_kids_say\"><\/span>1. \u201cI\u2019m already mentally tough,\u201d kids say.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, they may be <strong>mentally tough<\/strong> in some areas, but we guarantee that they could toughen up other aspects of their game! For example, they might excel in practice, but freeze up during games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if they\u2019re top performers, they might get nervous when their friends watch their games. Or they might dwell on losses in ways that hurt their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_%E2%80%9CIm_playing_well_now_I_dont_want_to_hurt_my_momentum%E2%80%9D_young_athletes_say\"><\/span>2.&nbsp; \u201cI\u2019m playing well now. I don\u2019t want to hurt my momentum,\u201d young athletes say.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Guess what? If these kids could learn how to identify the thoughts and feelings that are feeding their <strong>success,<\/strong> they\u2019d learn how to harness these thoughts and feelings at a later date\u2014when they\u2019re not on the top of their game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s just one of the lessons they\u2019ll learn if they embrace <strong>mental training.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kids also say they don\u2019t need <strong>mental training<\/strong> because their coaches don\u2019t value <strong>sports psychology,<\/strong> and because the key to <strong>success<\/strong> is hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, they\u2019re limiting themselves with these ideas!<\/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_Kids_Mental_Game\"><\/span>Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<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-sport-kids-embrace-mental-training\/\">Helping Young Athletes Embrace Mental Training<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-athletes-embrace-mental-training-peaksports-video\/\">Helping Athletes Embrace Mental Training<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-athletes-who-question-their-training\/\">Helping Athletes Who Question Their Training<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p 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-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\"><\/span><strong>Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mental-training-for-young-athletes.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6868\" style=\"width:138px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re certain that, as a parent,&nbsp;you want to help your child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life.&nbsp;And as a sports parent, you\u2019d love for your children to reach their potential in sports.&nbsp;But encouraging your child to <strong>strive for greatness without pressuring them<\/strong> can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can get expert mental coaching with us from anywhere. Meet with us via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or phone call. With today\u2019s video technology, we are able to connect with athletes and coaches all over the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Call Us Today to Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Session.<\/strong><br><strong>Find Out How Your Athlete Can Benefit From One-on-One Mental Coaching!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mental Training Benefits For Kids Here\u2019s one former sports kid who has lots of good things to say about the benefits of mental training: \u201cDr. Patrick Cohn, I am so happy to see you exposing the true potential and impact of mental training with children.&nbsp; As a gymnast, I used &#8230; <a title=\"Helping Young Athletes Embrace Mental Training\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-young-athletes-embrace-mental-training\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Helping Young Athletes Embrace Mental Training\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,13,18,20,6,12],"tags":[488,118,257,263,182,321,251,117],"class_list":["post-1659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-mental-training","category-young-athletes-pressure","category-youth-sports-coaching","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","category-youth-sports-tips","tag-mental-coching","tag-mental-game","tag-mental-training","tag-sports-kids","tag-sports-parents","tag-young-athletes","tag-youth-sports","tag-youth-sports-psychology","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1659","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=1659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}