{"id":764,"date":"2010-09-10T18:58:58","date_gmt":"2010-09-10T18:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=764"},"modified":"2025-08-07T06:21:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T10:21:21","slug":"helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Sports Kids Boost Mental Stamina with Awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness-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=\"Mental_Stamina_in_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Mental Stamina in Youth Sports<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\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/#Mental_Stamina_in_Youth_Sports\" >Mental Stamina in Youth Sports<\/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-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/#So_how_exactly_do_young_athletes_learn_how_to_avoid_these_traps\" >So how exactly do young athletes learn how to avoid these traps?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/#They_need_to\" >They need to:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/#Our_resources_include\" >Our resources include:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/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-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/#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-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/#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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s say your young athlete is a golfer, baseball player or basketball player who needs to <strong>focus<\/strong> intensely before making a putt, throwing a pitch, hitting a ball or shooting a free-throw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The player generally has a <strong>strategy<\/strong> and an intention; the <strong>goal<\/strong> is to follow through on that strategy and intention. But a lot can get in the way of that goal: <strong>doubts, worries and distractions<\/strong> can creep into young athletes\u2019 minds and foil their efforts to<strong> focus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"So_how_exactly_do_young_athletes_learn_how_to_avoid_these_traps\"><\/span>So how exactly do young athletes learn how to avoid these traps?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Athletes need <strong>mental stamina<\/strong> to <strong>succeed.<\/strong> And just like they need training to boost their physical stamina, they need <strong>training<\/strong> and <strong>conditioning<\/strong> to develop <strong>mental stamina,<\/strong> says Wes Sime, Ph.D., a <strong>sports psychologist<\/strong> who has worked with Olympic athletes and coaches, was a professor of health and human performance at the University of Nebraska and specializes in biofeedback and neurofeedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One elite golfer told Sime<em>, \u201cI have changed my mind in mid-swing 10,000 times in my career,\u201d<\/em> Sime says. It\u2019s that change-of-mind that sports kids want to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sime uses <strong>biofeedback<\/strong> to help athletes young and old understand what gets in the way of their <strong>mental stamina.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You and your young athletes can learn from Sime\u2019s work\u2014without necessarily <strong>embracing biofeedback<\/strong> and neurofeedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>\u201cBiofeedback<\/strong> is being able to see or hear changes in the body that are so subtle we don\u2019t see them sneaking up on us,<\/em>\u201d Sime says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sime can hook athletes up to sensors\u2014sometimes using wireless sensors while the athletes are actually playing\u2014and measure things like sweaty hands and brain waves to get a feel for what\u2019s going on inside the athletes\u2019 mind and body. Athletes then learn more about what causes them to do things like change their minds in mid-swing. This gives them the information they need to improve their <strong>mental stamina.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At <strong>Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology<\/strong>, we help young athletes improve their <strong>mental stamina<\/strong> by teaching them to concentrate on what\u2019s happening in the moment\u2014the next swing, putt or play. We also suggest that they establish small, manageable goals and aim for them. That helps them stay <strong>focused<\/strong>. If they get distracted, we recommend that they try the <strong>Three R\u2019s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"They_need_to\"><\/span>They need to:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Recognize<\/strong> that they are dwelling on the past.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regroup<\/strong> by using a <strong>refocus<\/strong> statement to pull themselves out of the past.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Refocus<\/strong> and get <strong>focused<\/strong> on the next play, shot, or routine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to learn more about how to help kids <strong>boost their mental stamina<\/strong>, improve their <strong>confidence<\/strong> and improve their performance? At Kids\u2019 Sports Psychology, we offer loads of resources to help improve your sports parenting skills and help kids make the most of their sports experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_resources_include\"><\/span>Our resources include:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Audio interviews with experts like Sime;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our \u201cInside The Minds of Young Athletes\u201d video series, with interviews with kids and Dr. Cohn\u2019s commentary about their mental game;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>E-books aimed at helping boost kids\u2019 confidence and success<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Articles about focusing, kicking <strong>perfectionism<\/strong>, playing in the moment,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and much more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/help-athletes-trust-the-training\/\"><strong>Help Athletes Trust the Training<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/why-young-athletes-shouldnt-compare-their-skills-to-others\/\"><strong>Why Young Athletes Shouldn\u2019t Compare Their Skills To Others<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/young-athletes-must-trust-the-grind\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-toxic-sports-cultures-hurt-kids-mental-health\/\"><strong>How Toxic Sports Cultures Hurt Kids\u2019 Mental Health<\/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 <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-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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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>Mental Stamina in Youth Sports Let\u2019s say your young athlete is a golfer, baseball player or basketball player who needs to focus intensely before making a putt, throwing a pitch, hitting a ball or shooting a free-throw. The player generally has a strategy and an intention; the goal is to &#8230; <a title=\"Helping Sports Kids Boost Mental Stamina with Awareness\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/helping-sports-kids-boost-mental-stamina-with-awareness\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Helping Sports Kids Boost Mental Stamina with Awareness\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,17,14,6,12],"tags":[176,168,175,172,256],"class_list":["post-764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kids-in-sports","category-sports-parenting","category-youth-sports-podcast","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","category-youth-sports-tips","tag-awareness","tag-kids-sport-psychology","tag-mental-stamina","tag-sport-psychology","tag-youth-sports-tips","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764","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=764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}