{"id":1848,"date":"2012-12-19T22:19:26","date_gmt":"2012-12-19T22:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=1848"},"modified":"2025-07-23T07:59:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T11:59:13","slug":"commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Challenge for Young Athletes to Resolve in the New Year"},"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\/top-challenge-for-young-athletes-to-resolve-in-the-new-year.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/top-challenge-for-young-athletes-to-resolve-in-the-new-year.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/top-challenge-for-young-athletes-to-resolve-in-the-new-year-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=\"Tackling_Fear_of_Failure_And_Perfectionism\"><\/span>Tackling Fear of Failure And Perfectionism<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\/commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year\/#Tackling_Fear_of_Failure_And_Perfectionism\" >Tackling Fear of Failure And Perfectionism<\/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\/commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year\/#Kids_who_are_perfectionists_also_dont_like_making_mistakes\" >Kids who are perfectionists also don&#8217;t like making mistakes.<\/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\/commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year\/#Help_sports_kids_understand_why_theyre_perfectionists\" >Help sports kids understand why they&#8217;re perfectionists.<\/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\/commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year\/#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-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year\/#The_Composed_Sports_Kid\" >The Composed Sports Kid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you and your sports kids are planning your New Year&#8217;s resolutions, we&#8217;ve got a good one for you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Try tackling the biggest mental game challenges most sports kids face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we&#8217;ve mentioned before, fear of failure and perfectionism are the top challenges for sports kids and their parents. Nearly every athlete grapples with these issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When kids are afraid of failure, they strive to avoid making mistakes. This is a huge <strong>mental game<\/strong> no-no. When sports kids <strong>focus<\/strong> on not making mistakes, they play it safe. They play tentatively, they&#8217;re stiff and avoid taking risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When they do this, they don&#8217;t perform well. In fact, they often make more mistakes, and then get frustrated with themselves and play even worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, you want your sports kids to play <strong>intuitively, confidently<\/strong> and <strong>creatively.<\/strong> You want them to try out new techniques and take risks. This is how they&#8217;ll grow as athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for <strong>perfectionism,<\/strong> you&#8217;ve probably seen some of its symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kids_who_are_perfectionists_also_dont_like_making_mistakes\"><\/span>Kids who are perfectionists also don&#8217;t like making mistakes.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They want to be <em>&#8220;perfect&#8221;<\/em> all the time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They&#8217;re very hard on themselves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They play tentatively at times, and avoid taking risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They often think, <em>&#8220;If I really go for it, I might blow it and look really bad.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, <strong>perfectionists<\/strong> work really hard in practice. And they&#8217;re not perfectionists 24 hours a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, they&#8217;re <strong>perfectionists<\/strong> if they&#8217;re feeling less <strong>confident,<\/strong> if they&#8217;ve made a mistake, or if they&#8217;re worried about what others are thinking about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help kids overcome these challenges, it&#8217;s important to tell them it&#8217;s okay to make mistakes. In fact, you want to encourage them to take risks, and remind them that&#8217;s the only way they&#8217;re going to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we like to say, if you don&#8217;t fall down when you&#8217;re learning to ice skate, you&#8217;re never going to get better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_sports_kids_understand_why_theyre_perfectionists\"><\/span>Help sports kids understand why they&#8217;re perfectionists.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What has led them to believe they must be perfect all the time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Often, <strong>perfectionists<\/strong> get Straight As in school and have some experience being great players. They have reputations for doing well, and have been praised for their accomplishments. It&#8217;s hard for them to risk that reputation.<\/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\/sports-parents-top-dilemma-program\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes Kick Perfectionism and Fear of Failure<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/motivates-kids-to-play-sports-and-stay-active\/\"><strong>Motivates Kids to Play Sports and Stay Active<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-move-on-after-a-bad-game-or-failure\/\"><strong>How Athletes Can Move on after a Bad Game or Failure<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" 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-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Composed_Sports_Kid\"><\/span>The Composed Sports Kid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/composed-sports-kid-small-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Composed Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-11173\" style=\"width:170px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The Composed Sports Kid&#8221; audio&nbsp;and workbook digital download program for young athletes and their parents or coach helps kids cope with frustration and anger in sports. Help your sports kids learn how to manage expectations and let go of mistakes so they can keep their head in the game.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>The Composed Sports Kid system<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;is really two programs in one\u2013one program to train parents and coaches how to help their kids practice composure, and one program that teaches young athletes\u2013<em>ages 6 to 13<\/em>\u2013how to improve composure, let go of mistakes quickly, have more self-acceptance,&nbsp;<strong>and thus enjoy sports more<\/strong>!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-26bcd9b3\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-903b6244 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-confident-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-3275f4fd gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/confident-sports-kid-series-digital-version\/products\/the-confident-sports-kid-bundle-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tackling Fear of Failure And Perfectionism If you and your sports kids are planning your New Year&#8217;s resolutions, we&#8217;ve got a good one for you: Try tackling the biggest mental game challenges most sports kids face. As we&#8217;ve mentioned before, fear of failure and perfectionism are the top challenges for &#8230; <a title=\"Top Challenge for Young Athletes to Resolve in the New Year\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/commit-to-beating-a-big-youth-sports-challenge-in-the-new-year\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Top Challenge for Young Athletes to Resolve in the New Year\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[250,298,523],"class_list":["post-1848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-confidence-in-sports","tag-fear-of-failure-in-sports","tag-youth-sports-and-confidence","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848","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=1848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}