{"id":681,"date":"2010-06-04T19:20:03","date_gmt":"2010-06-04T19:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=681"},"modified":"2025-08-07T06:39:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:39:39","slug":"one-must-have-strategy-to-help-kids-excel-in-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/one-must-have-strategy-to-help-kids-excel-in-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"One Must-Have Mental Game Strategy to Help Young Athletes Excel in Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/one-must-have-mental-game-strategy-to-help-young-athletes-excel-in-competition.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/one-must-have-mental-game-strategy-to-help-young-athletes-excel-in-competition.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/one-must-have-mental-game-strategy-to-help-young-athletes-excel-in-competition-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=\"Bringing_Practice_Confidence_to_Games_in_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Bringing Practice Confidence to Games in Youth Sports<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\/one-must-have-strategy-to-help-kids-excel-in-competition\/#Bringing_Practice_Confidence_to_Games_in_Youth_Sports\" >Bringing Practice Confidence to Games in Youth Sports<\/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\/one-must-have-strategy-to-help-kids-excel-in-competition\/#Do_your_sports_kids_have_trouble_transferring_skills_from_practice_to_games\" >Do your sports kids have trouble transferring skills from practice to games?<\/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\/one-must-have-strategy-to-help-kids-excel-in-competition\/#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\/one-must-have-strategy-to-help-kids-excel-in-competition\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>A sports parent tells us her son really shines on the field during practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;He&#8217;s way beyond all the other boys in terms of technical and tactical skills during practice.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, here&#8217;s the &#8220;but&#8230;&#8221; And it&#8217;s a big one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During a game, she says, you wouldn&#8217;t know her son excels in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does this sound familiar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_your_sports_kids_have_trouble_transferring_skills_from_practice_to_games\"><\/span>Do your sports kids have trouble transferring skills from practice to games?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Read on to learn how sports parents and coaches can conquer this challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During a game, this parent says, her son plays with no <strong>confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;He says he is afraid of losing the ball. He wouldn&#8217;t lose the ball if he applied his skills.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This sports parent put her finger right on a common problem: <strong>Fear and lack of trust<\/strong>. That&#8217;s often what holds kids back during games. In fact, young athletes who are highly <strong>motivated<\/strong> and &#8211;sometimes <strong>perfectionists\u2014<\/strong>experience this challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These athletes love to train, but lack <strong>confidence<\/strong> during games. They tend to analyze and question their technique at precisely the wrong moment\u2014when they&#8217;re competing. They&#8217;re afraid of making mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to feel <strong>confident<\/strong> during games, young athletes need to strike a balance between what we call the <strong>&#8220;practice&#8221; mindset<\/strong> and the <strong>&#8220;performance&#8221; mindset.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many <strong>motivated<\/strong> or <strong>goal-oriented<\/strong> athletes excel in practice. They like to <strong>improve<\/strong> and love to train.. However, if they <strong>focus<\/strong> too much on <strong>improving,<\/strong> they may lose faith in their skills during competition. They lack <strong>trust<\/strong> in what they have learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaches and sports parents can undermine kids&#8217; <strong>trust<\/strong> in their skills when they over-coach kids before games. When kids <strong>focus<\/strong> too much on proper technique during games and attempt to be &#8220;perfect&#8221; when performing, they can&#8217;t react or perform from memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, you need to encourage kids to leave practice on the field or court or in the gym. Help them switch to a &#8220;performer&#8221; or <strong>&#8220;intuitive&#8221; mindset.<\/strong> They need to be more reactive and to keep things simple. <em>&#8220;See the ball and hit it.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, tell them to stop analyzing or judging their technique during competition. They should accept that they can&#8217;t be perfect.<\/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_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-self-talk-can-help-athletes-when-losing-a-game\/\"><strong>How Self-Talk Can Help Athletes When Losing a Game<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-young-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-boost-performance\/\"><strong>How Young Athletes Can Use Mental Imagery to Boost Performance<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-sports-kids-use-game-plans\/\"><strong>Help Sports Kids Use Game Plans<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p 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-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bringing Practice Confidence to Games in Youth Sports A sports parent tells us her son really shines on the field during practice. &#8220;He&#8217;s way beyond all the other boys in terms of technical and tactical skills during practice.&#8221; However, here&#8217;s the &#8220;but&#8230;&#8221; And it&#8217;s a big one. During a game, &#8230; <a title=\"One Must-Have Mental Game Strategy to Help Young Athletes Excel in Competition\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/one-must-have-strategy-to-help-kids-excel-in-competition\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about One Must-Have Mental Game Strategy to Help Young Athletes Excel in Competition\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,28,10,7,6,12],"tags":[67,122,47,296,50,418,48,117],"class_list":["post-681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","category-perfectionism-in-sports","category-not-trusting-physical-skills","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","category-youth-sports-tips","tag-fear-of-failure","tag-fear-of-making-mistakes","tag-perfectionism","tag-pregame-mental-preparation","tag-self-confidence","tag-sports-kids-mental-game","tag-trust","tag-youth-sports-psychology","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681","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=681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}