{"id":6559,"date":"2020-04-02T20:28:55","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T20:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=6559"},"modified":"2025-07-09T07:41:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T11:41:21","slug":"sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Kids Should Embrace the \u201cIf You Lose, Learn,\u201d Attitude"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude-2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude-2-300x150.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=\"How_Young_Athletes_Can_Learn_From_Failure\"><\/span>How Young Athletes Can Learn From 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\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/#How_Young_Athletes_Can_Learn_From_Failure\" >How Young Athletes Can Learn From 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\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/#Failure_as_an_Opportunity\" >Failure as an Opportunity<\/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\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/#How_to_Move_Past_Failure\" >How to Move Past Failure<\/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\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/#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-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/#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\">Losses and <strong>failure<\/strong> can sink sports kids\u2019 confidence&#8211;but they don\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many football players, failure means throwing an interception in the red zone or fumbling the ball and allowing the opposing team to score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Missing a tackle for a big yardage play or pushing the ball wide of the goal post on a field goal in the final seconds of the game might also be considered failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are those <strong>mistakes<\/strong> necessarily failures? What if those mistakes happened in a playoff game?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Players can really hold onto costly mistakes and lost games&#8211;but that\u2019s not a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, they need to embrace the expression, \u201cIf you lose, <strong>learn.<\/strong>\u201d Sometimes it may feel really difficult to do this. But losses and mistakes can make sports kids better players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In order to learn lessons from mistakes, kids need to objectively evaluate their performance. They then need to develop a plan that helps them avoid their <strong>mistakes<\/strong> in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Failure_as_an_Opportunity\"><\/span>Failure as an Opportunity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learning from losses is the mantra for University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Saban has accrued a record of 149-22 in 13 years with Alabama and has garnered five National Championships with the Tide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the team was heading into the 2019 collegiate season, Alabama wanted to avenge the loss of the previous year\u2019s National Championship Game. In doing so, it could once again earn the top spot at the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alabama was ranked Number 3, and LSU was Number 2. The implications of the playoff were huge. LSU dominated the first half,&nbsp; garnering an early 33-13 lead. Though Alabama scored 28 points in the second half, it was not enough: LSU won with a score of 46-41.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though the loss may have hurt Alabama\u2019s playoff chances, Saban seized the opportunity to <strong>learn<\/strong> from the loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBottom line is, especially in the first half, we didn\u2019t play very well. We don\u2019t want to waste a failure. There [are] a lot of lessons to be learned from things that we did and didn\u2019t do today,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that everybody has got to make a commitment to finish the season the right way. We don\u2019t really control our own destiny, but if we finish the season the right way, we can see where it takes us. We\u2019ve been in this situation before. So I think the big thing is everybody needs to learn from the mistakes that we made today and try to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His point: Teams can learn from both wins and losses. Team members need to evaluate their performances objectively, and commit to learning from their mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Move_Past_Failure\"><\/span>How to Move Past Failure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Athletes need to get over the loss&#8211;and then redirect their focus on ways to improve their games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After each game, they should identify two things they did well and create a plan for how they can continue to take advantage of those strengths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep in mind: Kids can lose and <strong>learn<\/strong>. They shouldn\u2019t dwell on mistakes. They need to focus on viewing their experience from a growth perspective. That means embracing <strong>mistakes<\/strong> and learning from them.<\/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\" 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\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\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\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/fear-of-failure-and-youth-sports\/\"><strong>Fear of Failure and Youth Sports<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-young-athletes-with-fear-of-failure\/\"><strong>How To Help Young Athletes With Fear of 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>How Young Athletes Can Learn From Failure Losses and failure can sink sports kids\u2019 confidence&#8211;but they don\u2019t have to. For many football players, failure means throwing an interception in the red zone or fumbling the ball and allowing the opposing team to score. Missing a tackle for a big yardage &#8230; <a title=\"Sports Kids Should Embrace the \u201cIf You Lose, Learn,\u201d Attitude\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/sports-kids-should-embrace-the-if-you-lose-learn-attitude\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Sports Kids Should Embrace the \u201cIf You Lose, Learn,\u201d Attitude\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,12],"tags":[51,586],"class_list":["post-6559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","category-youth-sports-tips","tag-bouncing-back-from-failure","tag-mistakes-in-youth-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6559","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=6559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}