{"id":4801,"date":"2017-12-08T16:01:01","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T16:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=4801"},"modified":"2025-07-10T07:29:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T11:29:18","slug":"should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Sports Kids Expect to Perform Without Mistakes?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4803\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes-1.jpg\" alt=\"Coping With Mistakes\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes-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=\"Helping_Young_Athletes_Move_on_After_Mistakes\"><\/span>Helping Young Athletes Move on After Mistakes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 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\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes\/#Helping_Young_Athletes_Move_on_After_Mistakes\" >Helping Young Athletes Move on After Mistakes<\/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\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes\/#The_reality_is_Humans_make_mistakes_and_they_are_part_of_sports\" >The reality is: Humans make mistakes and they are part of sports.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/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\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes\/#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-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes\/#The_Composed_Sports_Kid\" >The Composed Sports Kid<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>A sport parent asks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;My kids keep hearing that they are supposed to aim for a game without mistakes, but to expect that mistakes are going to happen nonetheless. They ask me if it is possible though, to actually have a game with zero mistakes?&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Telling your young athletes they are bound to makes mistakes and need to learn how to accept mistakes is great advice. As humans, they <strong>WILL<\/strong> make mistakes, no doubt about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ability to <strong>cope<\/strong> with mistakes is one of the most important <strong>mental skills<\/strong> for athletes. When young athletes make mistakes, they often have trouble accepting them, which can lead to frustration and giving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These athletes get down on themselves, they lose <strong>focus.<\/strong> Their <strong>confidence<\/strong> starts waning. These are all signs of <strong>perfectionism,<\/strong> which is a huge issue in youth sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your children are <strong>perfectionists<\/strong> they\u2019ll have trouble coping with mistakes. They will think, like the person who asked this question, that mistakes can be avoided and should be avoided at all costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_reality_is_Humans_make_mistakes_and_they_are_part_of_sports\"><\/span><strong>The reality is:<\/strong> Humans make mistakes and they are part of sports.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When perfectionists start making mistakes, it can trigger <strong>frustration,<\/strong> hurt confidence and derail their play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, while it may be mathematically plausible to have a game with &#8220;zero mistakes,&#8221; the chances of it happening are small, and more importantly, completely subjective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A game with zero mistakes to one player may not be a game with zero mistakes to a coach or teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of these <strong>perfectionist<\/strong> issues, it is important to teach kids that it&#8217;s okay to make mistakes mistakes. You want them to learn from their mistakes, not lament over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s say your children are playing basketball, and they make a turnover. They might say to themselves, <em>&#8220;How did I make that mistake! I can\u2019t make mistakes!&#8221;<\/em> They might start playing to avoid more mistakes too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, they might turn the ball over and then tell themselves, <em>&#8220;Whoops, now let\u2019s play defense.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You want athletes to move on to the next play of the game, not allowing one mistake to affect their <strong>composure<\/strong> and <strong>focus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, mistakes are an opportunity for athletes to improve in the next practice&#8211;they identify what to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about how to help young athletes let go of mistakes and stay composed with &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-composed-sports-kids-cd\/\">The Composed Sports Kid<\/a>&#8220;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-f1e35960\">\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<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-sports-parents-can-motivate-kids-without-pressuring-them\/\"><strong>How Sports Parents Can Motivate Kids Without Pressure<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/what-motivates-kids-without-pressuring-them\/\"><strong>What Motivates Kids (Without Pressuring Them)?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-sports-kids-set-goals-without-expectations\/\"><strong>Help Sports Kids Set Goals Without Expectations<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p 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 <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=\"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>&#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><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\">GE 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>Helping Young Athletes Move on After Mistakes A sport parent asks: &#8220;My kids keep hearing that they are supposed to aim for a game without mistakes, but to expect that mistakes are going to happen nonetheless. They ask me if it is possible though, to actually have a game with &#8230; <a title=\"Should Sports Kids Expect to Perform Without Mistakes?\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/should-sports-kids-expect-to-perform-without-mistakes\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Should Sports Kids Expect to Perform Without Mistakes?\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,27,6],"tags":[501,281],"class_list":["post-4801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-perfectionism-in-sports","category-perfectionism-is-young-athletes","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-coping-with-mistakes-in-sports","tag-perfectionism-in-young-athletes"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4801","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=4801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}