067 Supporting Children to Transfer their Skills from Training to Competition

Demystifying Mental Toughness

In today’s episode, I answer a popular question that I get asked from parents of young athletes. “My daughter can perform really well when she practices or trains but when she competes she often looks like a different person and freezes. How can I help her?”

I go onto explain that there are many complexities which surround this question from cultures and environments set up, coach or parent interference or pressures, outside pressures in education and home life. I also share 3 tips to help children who face these challenges. Enjoy listening.

Key Learning Points:

• Children can often focus too much on what their friends, parents and coaches think. This often means that they go on to play their sport in fear, they hide, freeze or they may get frustrated or angry.
• Coaches and parents should consider using a highly supportive approach free from blaming and shaming.
• Parents and coaches should display compassion helping young athletes to identify problems.
• Supporting youngsters to focus on what they do at their best when they’re playing their sport is a useful solution, and then setting mini process goals accordingly.
• Help children to recognise when their self-talk is negative and supporting them to restructure those thoughts.

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To Listen to Podcasts Episodes related to Youth Sport

Podcast Ep027: Natalie Henderson - How to Develop Mental Toughness with Young Footballers

Podcast Ep039: John Fletcher – How to Develop Fearless Athletes

Podcast Ep049: James Maurice - How Does Sport Psychology in Elite Football Academies Help

Podcast 064: Edu Rubio – How to Support Young Footballers

Helpful Blogs

5 Ways to Create a Psychological Safe Sporting Environment

How to Help Young Footballers Find The Zone

5 Reasons Why Being Released from a Football Academy is Difficult

How Do You Give a Young Golfer Self-Confidence?