{"id":7204,"date":"2021-09-29T14:14:12","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T18:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=7204"},"modified":"2025-07-09T05:13:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T09:13:08","slug":"helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Kids Build Resiliency in Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7206\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:600px;height:300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports-300x208.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Help_Kids_Bounce_Back_After_Setbacks\"><\/span>How to Help Kids Bounce Back After Setbacks<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\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports\/#How_to_Help_Kids_Bounce_Back_After_Setbacks\" >How to Help Kids Bounce Back After Setbacks<\/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\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports\/#Coaches_and_parents_can_help_kids_open_up_about_their_feelings_by_sharing_some_of_their_own_challenges\" >Coaches and parents can help kids open up about their feelings by sharing some of their own challenges.<\/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\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports\/#Listen_to_the_Full_Podcast\" >Listen to the Full Podcast:<\/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\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports\/#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\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports\/#Help_Your_Young_Athletes_Improve_Focus_In_Sports\" >Help Your Young Athletes Improve Focus In Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Communicating feelings, deep breathing and exercise <\/strong>are three activities that help boost resilience in sports kids, says Dr. Randall Bell, a former youth sports coach and sports parent, a socio-economist and author of &#8220;Post-Traumatic Thriving: The Art, Science, &amp; Stories of Resilience.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaches and parents can help kids <strong>bounce back after setbacks <\/strong>by encouraging them to talk about how they feel, helping them practice deep breathing and ensuring they get exercise. It&#8217;s also important for coaches and parents to acknowledge kids&#8217; feelings and use positive language, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaches naturally help accomplish these goals by providing an outlet for exercise, holding team meetings and being good listeners, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bell experienced his own trauma after undergoing open heart surgery as a child, he says. At the time, his parents didn\u2019t talk about the surgery or offer an opportunity for him to discuss how he was feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cSitting in the fire\u201d<\/strong> is Bell\u2019s term for talking about and acknowledging feelings. \u201cMy parents tended to not talk about things. I was born with a congenital heart defect that was corrected when I was 11. Nobody talked to me about it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grounding, or deep breathing exercises, are a powerful tool for sports kids. \u201cThe science is very clear out of Harvard,\u201d says Bell. \u201cYou can call it meditation or yoga; deep breathing helps us work through the difficult things we go through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He says that when kids feel stressed or upset, they should close their eyes and take ten deep breaths. This can reset their nervous systems, calming them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaches can establish pre-game rituals that involve kids talking about how they feel, then shutting their eyes and taking ten deep breaths, says Bell.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Coaches_and_parents_can_help_kids_open_up_about_their_feelings_by_sharing_some_of_their_own_challenges\"><\/span>Coaches and parents can help kids open up about their feelings by sharing some of their own challenges.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf the coach says, \u2018I was feeling a little anxiety\u2019 and talks about challenges, kids are more open to expressing their feelings,\u201d Bell says. \u201cThe coaches need to be role models.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If kids freeze up due to anxiety, it\u2019s important to acknowledge these feelings and tell them that the feelings are natural. Don\u2019t shame them, he says.&nbsp;\u201cYou need to keep it positive rather than instill fear in them. Language choices are very important,\u201d says Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, coaches can play an important role in building resilience in sports kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf kids are feeling anxious or depressed, coaches can help soothe them by giving them an outlet for exercise and by listening and encouraging them to talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cDoing a good job of coaching is a really wonderful thing on many level<\/strong>s,\u201d Bell says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI did review the bonus eBook \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10 Tips to Improve Young Athletes Confidence and Success<\/a>\u201d. I thought the information presented was on target with what I see all over with kids today, not just in sports but in everyday life, in school, with peers and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The e-book addresses the \u201chow\u201d and \u201cwhy\u201d negative belief systems too often become internalized by kids in sports with a ripple effect that more than often transfers to other areas of the athlete\u2019s life. Many of the solutions give me some good ideas to add to my coaching this upcoming basketball season with the kids this winter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Listen_to_the_Full_Podcast\"><\/span> Listen to the Full Podcast: <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/21564293\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/4188b5\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>\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\/do-your-kids-feel-like-sports-is-a-job\/\"><strong>Do Your Kids Feel like Sports is a Job?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-steph-curry-became-resilient\/\"><strong>How Steph Curry Became Resilient: A Lesson for Parents<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-kids-be-more-mentally-resilient\/\"><strong>Help Kids Be More Mentally Resilient<\/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_Your_Young_Athletes_Improve_Focus_In_Sports\"><\/span>Help Your Young Athletes Improve Focus In Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/focused-sports-kid-small-7.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/focused-sports-kid-small-7.jpg\" alt=\"the Focused Sports Kid\" class=\"wp-image-11217\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Are your young athletes easily <strong>distracted<\/strong> by people shouting on the sidelines? Do they obsess over their <strong>mistakes<\/strong>? Do they <strong>worry<\/strong> about what people think of them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These issues will cause their concentration and performance to suffer!<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-sports-kid-cd-program\/\">The Focused Sports Kid<\/a> helps kids overcome distractions that can hurt their performance in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-sports-kid-cd-program\/\">The Focused Sports Kid<\/a> program is actually two programs: one for sports parents\/coaches that provides mental game tips especially designed for parents and coaches, and for young athletes, ages 8 to 12, that will walk them through 7 simple lessons in mental focus in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-2050113d\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-030447a4 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-focused-sports-kid-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-af59ca3f gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-focused-sports-kid-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to Help Kids Bounce Back After Setbacks Communicating feelings, deep breathing and exercise are three activities that help boost resilience in sports kids, says Dr. Randall Bell, a former youth sports coach and sports parent, a socio-economist and author of &#8220;Post-Traumatic Thriving: The Art, Science, &amp; Stories of Resilience.&#8221; &#8230; <a title=\"Helping Kids Build Resiliency in Sports\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-kids-build-resiliency-in-sports\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Helping Kids Build Resiliency in Sports\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[614,117],"class_list":["post-7204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-parent-podcast","tag-resilience-in-youth-sports","tag-youth-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7204","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=7204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}