Anyone that has ever played sports understands that achieving excellence not only takes physical toughness, but mental toughness as well. We often hear phrases just has “get inside his/her head”, “sport IQ”, and ” a thinking man’s game”.
Mental toughness is easy to talk about but difficult to do. A few weeks ago Kaden had his first almost fumble in his youth flag football league. He actually didn’t even fumble and regained position of the ball, but his Coach mildly yelled at him. From that point you could tell that the almost fumble really bothered him and his whole approach changes. Shoulders slumped, sitting down on the sidelines, and looking like a player that lost his confidence. One little play, yet it changed his whole outlook and shifted any positive momentum he had going.
After the game I spoke with him about the importance of keeping his head up and not getting down on himself after one bad play. Mental Toughness. Here are a few tips I gave him.
1. You are eight, it’s just a game, having fun and doing your best should be your number one goal.
2. Always keep your head up and keep positive. A Coach notices body language and can tell if you are down on yourself. If you have confidence in you, your coach will have confidence in you.
3. No pouting, and no sitting down on the sideline. Always be ready to go in, your team needs you.
4. If you screw up on offense, go play great defense. There will always be another play, another opportunity and another game to do something great!
Simple tips, but it’s amazing how much bad behavior we continue to see on the sidelines starting with the NFL.
Teach your kids to be mentally tough and have a positive attitude and you will be well ahead of the game.
by Stacey Atkinson