{"id":2232,"date":"2014-02-24T15:20:38","date_gmt":"2014-02-24T15:20:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=2232"},"modified":"2025-07-21T06:53:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T10:53:31","slug":"do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Your Young Athletes Embrace Failure and Risk-Taking?"},"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\/how-one-teen-uses-sports-psychology-to-excel-and-stay-calm.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/how-one-teen-uses-sports-psychology-to-excel-and-stay-calm.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/how-one-teen-uses-sports-psychology-to-excel-and-stay-calm-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=\"Teaching_Sports_Kids_to_Embrace_Failure\"><\/span>Teaching Sports Kids to Embrace Failure<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\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking\/#Teaching_Sports_Kids_to_Embrace_Failure\" >Teaching Sports Kids to Embrace Failure<\/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\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking\/#The_Importance_of_Failing\" >The Importance of Failing<\/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\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking\/#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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking\/#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\">We just read a great Huffington Post blog-actually, a rant&#8211;called <em>&#8220;7 Reasons Why You Will Never Do Anything Amazing With Your Life,<\/em>&#8221; about the importance of embracing failure and taking risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In youth sports, these traits are critical. And it&#8217;s true, young athletes won&#8217;t be amazing unless they understand how to take risks and embrace failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the blog, the author, Raymmar Tirado, named seven things that hold people back. And they all apply to <strong>young athletes.<\/strong> They&#8217;re all about being too <strong>tentative,<\/strong> worrying about what others think of them, and being afraid of failure. He also throws in some ideas about the importance of being curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his blog, Tirado rants about the importance of failing. He says that people who are afraid of failing feel <strong>comfortable<\/strong> being mediocre, choose not to try, or think everything is too hard or complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Importance_of_Failing\"><\/span>The Importance of Failing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;Because as I fail, I learn, and then adjust my course to make sure my path is always forward.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is also true of young athletes. They need to look at failure as opportunities to learn. If your young athlete loses a game, they should not pound on themselves and shrink back in fear. They need to figure out how to <strong>improve<\/strong> and go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his blog, he advises people to stop worrying about what others think of them. While his writing may be a little over the top for young athletes, his message is loud and clear. Step up and be fearless!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;Because I will recklessly abandon all insecurities and expose my true self to the world. I will become immune to the impact of your opinion and stand naked in a crowd of ideas; comfortable in knowing that while you married the mundane I explored the exceptional.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"237\" height=\"237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking-1.jpg\" alt=\"Help Sports Kids Kick Perfectionism\" class=\"wp-image-1109\" style=\"width:169px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking-1.jpg 237w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking-1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 237px) 100vw, 237px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, it&#8217;s easy for us to tell you that your young athletes need to be fearless risk-takers and they need to stop being afraid of failure. Truth is, it&#8217;s not that easy to change how young athletes think. That&#8217;s why we offer a program, &#8220;<em>Helping Young Athletes Kick Perfectionism and Fear of Failure.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the program, we teach parents how to help young athletes feel more <strong>confident,<\/strong> perform more intuitively and kick their fear of failure. It&#8217;s a 7-day program, complete with CD and workbook for kids-and a separate CD and workbook for parents.<\/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\/\"><strong>Helping Young Athletes Embrace Mental Training<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/\"><strong>Sports Kids Should Embrace the \u201cIf You Lose, Learn,\u201d Attitude<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/teaching-athletes-to-feel-the-pain-of-failure-with-growth-mindsets\/\"><strong>Teaching Athletes to Feel The Pain of Failure with \u201cGrowth Mindsets\u201d [Podcast]<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<strong><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>\u00a0<\/strong>on 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>Teaching Sports Kids to Embrace Failure We just read a great Huffington Post blog-actually, a rant&#8211;called &#8220;7 Reasons Why You Will Never Do Anything Amazing With Your Life,&#8221; about the importance of embracing failure and taking risks. In youth sports, these traits are critical. And it&#8217;s true, young athletes won&#8217;t &#8230; <a title=\"Do Your Young Athletes Embrace Failure and Risk-Taking?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/do-your-young-athletes-embrace-failure-and-risk-taking\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Do Your Young Athletes Embrace Failure and Risk-Taking?\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,7,6],"tags":[67,265,557,251],"class_list":["post-2232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-perfectionism-in-sports","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-fear-of-failure","tag-perfectionism-in-sports","tag-risk-taking-in-sports","tag-youth-sports","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2232","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=2232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}