Helping Youth Athletes Focus on Mental Health

Pressure to perform.  

In some instances, it drives us to exceed our typical abilities and achieve things we never thought possible. 

At other times, it can feel heavy, making activities seem difficult and less enjoyable. 

In youth sports, all too often, success is measured singularly as wins/losses or records, without considering the cost to a child’s mental health.  

We know to be the best athlete, you also need to be mentally sharp. We can teach young athletes to manage the pressure and focus on improving their skills to achieve their personal best. 

5 Tips to Help Athletes Manage Pressure

1. Talk about it. Build the habit of checking-in with your young athlete about their thoughts and feelings. This will give you insight into how they are processing their experience and dealing with pressure. Download our conversation starters below to begin talking about how they’re feeling. 
2. Teach athletes how to manage their emotions. It's no secret the “mental game” is part of success in any competition. Professional athletes focus on ways to manage stress and pressure, overcome obstacles and deliver their best performance when it matters. We can help athletes focus on these same skills starting early in life. Spend time teaching athletes how to balance emotions that may come up when playing a sport and identifying successes as well as areas for improvement. Spend time on breathing techniques and mindfulness skills. This will help them far beyond the field of competition and into adulthood. 
3. Make room for other things. Encourage athletes to have other hobbies and activities outside of sports in addition to time with friends. This allows them to take natural mental breaks to engage in other enjoyable activities that contribute to personal satisfaction and self-worth. Encourage self-care activities that allow them to reset and destress daily. 
4. Words matter. Words of encouragement help motivate. Using phrases like, “Don't quit,” sends the message that if you don't succeed, you must have a character flaw or not be trying hard enough. Instead, highlight trying your best. 

5. Find reasons to praise effort or specific skills, especially after a difficult loss. Create a team spirit of acknowledging each other or finding ways to praise kids no matter the outcome. Make it a point to list something about how each player on the team improved in that practice or match. This is easy to do after a win, but more difficult (and important) after a loss or poor performance. 

Helping young athletes thrive means looking beyond the scoreboard. By fostering open conversations, teaching emotional resilience, encouraging balance through other interests, and celebrating effort over outcomes, we create an environment where kids can grow not just as athletes, but as confident, well-rounded individuals.