Is My Child Too Young?

Is My Child To Young

By: Shaun Smith- Performance Mental Coach

This past week I received an email from a parent who was following my articles and wanted to know if her nine year old child was too young for mental training. She said that it was obvious to her (being an athlete growing up) that the troubles that her child is having in games is the result of his current mindset. "In practice he is one of the best players on his team, but his
confidence in games is low. He seems very tentative and willing to let others do the work.”

My answer to her and every parent or child that is out there is that children are never too young to be exposed to mental training. Younger athletes that I work with have had less time to make their mental blocks habit and because of this are able to change their current mental training approach with much more ease.

When looking at mental training for our youth what is important is to look at how the information is presented and the mental training coaches’ ability to understand the demands of the sport. When athletes are younger it's important for the mental training coach to keep the concepts simpler and easy to understand. Children at this age are very intelligent and can learn quite quickly if the information is presented in the right way.

The mental training coach that you are working with should use terms that your child can understand. Too many mental training coaches try to use terminology that although is understood within the industry, the general public, let alone children have a hard time understanding what is being said or what to do. Priding myself on being able to present the material to each athlete is one area where growth in my athletes has been a direct result of using terminology and techniques that the athlete I am working with understands.

There are many advantages to exposing children to mental game training early on, they include:

First, mental training skills will become part of athletes' consciousness and vocabulary. They will integrate mental training concepts naturally into their learning. Athletes who often struggle with performance do so because of bad habits that were introduced to their game at a young age. Its true athletes who often choke in big games will be more likely to do so when in the situation again. It’s a matter of habit but can be easily transformed when the athlete is still a child.

In addition, when children embrace mental training early on, they develop confidence in themselves and what they are doing. They learn strategies for keeping and enhancing that confidence even in the face of adversity rather than simply reacting negatively when their performance is not perfect.

Mental training also helps children understand that they're not "bad" or "losers" if they make mistakes or lose a game or competition. With some exposure to mental training at a young age, children learn to not judge themselves based on their performance. You don't want children to label themselves as losers.

What's more, the lessons that are being taught through mental training has a direct transfer to school and other aspects of their lives. For example, if they learn techniques for focusing well in sports, they can apply these strategies to completing their homework on a timely manner or other activities.

As parents and coaches, you should focus on the numerous benefits of sports psychology. With some mental training, athletes will improve their consistency, boost their confidence, improve their focus and learn how to practice smarter and harder. Remind your athletes that they're not sick or broken if they choose to embrace mental training. They're smart and more likely to gain a mental edge and beat out the competition! Want to learn more about how to improve your sports parenting skills and ensure your young athletes make the most of their physical abilities?  If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to email me atssmith@absolutementaltraining.com
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