{"id":7573,"date":"2022-09-21T12:55:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T16:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=7573"},"modified":"2025-07-08T07:37:37","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T11:37:37","slug":"helping-sport-kids-embrace-mental-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-sport-kids-embrace-mental-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Young Athletes Embrace Mental Training"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Teens and young athletes are often resistant to mental game coaching<\/strong> because they don\u2019t understand what it involves…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental training expert Patrick Cohn recently spoke with his sister, Lisa, during an interview on Ultimate Sports Parent podcast about how to help teens and kids embrace mental game training…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young athletes often think mental coaching is therapy. They assume it’s only because something is wrong with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is not the case…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents need to help young athletes understand what mental training is<\/strong>. To do this, parents need to learn about its benefits and educate their children, Patrick Cohn says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First of all, young athletes need to understand the benefits of mental performance coaching in sports and other areas of their lives, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental performance coaching<\/strong> teaches kids to focus, refocus, trust in their training, manage expectations and become more proactive about building their confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the main signs that athletes need mental coaching is when they have trouble transferring skills from practice to games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During practice, some athletes play freely and intuitively. But once they play in games, they start worrying about failing and about what coaches, parents and peers think of their performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Mental coaching helps athletes and parents with these challenges.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>
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