{"id":4774,"date":"2017-11-01T20:27:01","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T20:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=4774"},"modified":"2025-07-10T07:39:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T11:39:56","slug":"when-sports-teaches-life-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"When Sports Teaches Life Skills &#8211; According to Abby Wambach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills-according-to-abby-wambach-1.jpg\" alt=\"Focus on the Process\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills-according-to-abby-wambach-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills-according-to-abby-wambach-1-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_Your_Childs_Confidence_Through_Sports\"><\/span>Building Your Child&#8217;s Confidence Through Sports<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\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills\/#Building_Your_Childs_Confidence_Through_Sports\" >Building Your Child&#8217;s Confidence Through Sports<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills\/#Building_your_childrens_confidence_step-by-_step_so_that_they_can_believe_in_themselves\" >Building your children\u2019s confidence step-by- step so that they can believe in themselves.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills\/#Your_kids_need_to_focus_on_the_process_instead_of_the_results_and_statistics\" >Your kids need to focus on the process instead of the results and statistics.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/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\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills\/#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\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills\/#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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Women\u2019s World Cup Champion, has some great insights into the world of sports parenting that illustrate the lessons we try to instill in parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a recent article with the Washington Post, she described growing up as a soccer star and how she now sees youth sports from a parent\u2019s perspective&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;The superstar never felt pure love for the game, and nearly quit at age 14 to escape the pressure,&#8221; <\/em>the article says.<em> &#8220;She talked about how playing sports, though, taught her resilience, and she\u2019s grateful for that lesson.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;We think it\u2019s our job to help our children avoid fires, but we need to walk them into the fires to show them they\u2019re fireproof,<\/em>&#8221; Wambach told the Washington Post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;That to me is everything \u2014 teaching kids that they can handle anything life throws at them, the good and the bad. Kids need to learn that they are capable of handling life on life\u2019s terms.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This is one of our key concepts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_your_childrens_confidence_step-by-_step_so_that_they_can_believe_in_themselves\"><\/span>Building your children\u2019s confidence step-by- step so that they can believe in themselves.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wambach stresses that sports is a learning tool that should be useful to everyone, not just the people possibly going pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8220;Sports provide all kinds of opportunities to grow as a human being,&#8221; <\/em>she says<em>. &#8220;Parents go wrong by <strong>focusing<\/strong> too much on winning. The process is what will translate beyond soccer.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We agree 100 percent with Wambach&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Your_kids_need_to_focus_on_the_process_instead_of_the_results_and_statistics\"><\/span>Your kids need to focus on the process instead of the results and statistics.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Result-driven kids and sports parents stand in the way of kids\u2019 growth as athletes&#8211;losing is perceived as failure, not an opportunity to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here at Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology and the Ultimate Sports Parent, we encourage kids and parents to concentrate on the process of playing or performing, as Wambach suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That means taking it one shot, one touch, or one play at a time. That means thinking about daily <strong>mini-goals,<\/strong> such as doing a good job on defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As kids learn to be &#8220;in the moment,&#8221; their <strong>confidence<\/strong> improves and they transfer important life skills to other areas of their lives. They learn how to handle &#8220;<em>anything life throws at them,<\/em>&#8221; as Wambach says.<\/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\/boosting-athletes-confidence-with-life-skills-lessons\/\"><strong>Boosting Athletes\u2019 Confidence with Life Skills Lessons<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/tips-for-helping-athletes-transfer-sports-skills-to-life\/\"><strong>Tips for Helping Athletes Transfer Sports Skills to Life<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-mental-game-skills-help-kids-in-academics-and-life\/\"><strong>Why Mental Game Skills Help Kids in Academics and Life<\/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 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> <\/strong>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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 wp-block-paragraph\"><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>Building Your Child&#8217;s Confidence Through Sports Abby Wambach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Women\u2019s World Cup Champion, has some great insights into the world of sports parenting that illustrate the lessons we try to instill in parents. In a recent article with the Washington Post, she described growing up as &#8230; <a title=\"When Sports Teaches Life Skills &#8211; According to Abby Wambach\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/when-sports-teaches-life-skills\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about When Sports Teaches Life Skills &#8211; According to Abby Wambach\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,5,292,6],"tags":[476,309],"class_list":["post-4774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-confidence-in-young-athletes","category-kids-in-sports","category-sports-parents-success-tips","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-building-confidence-in-young-athletes","tag-confidence-in-youth-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4774","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=4774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}