A QUICK CLINIC ON SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY AND YOUNG ATHLETES

I felt the time had come to do a long-overdue clinic about sports psychology and how to introduce it to youngsters this morning on my show. I worry that too few parents and even coaches are aware of how important this subject is to developing athletes.

The truth is, as kids begin to grow into their sports, they will inevitably confront frustration, disappointment, and even self-doubt as they discover that, no matter what sports they play, they all involve both winning and losing. The key is in trying to explain to kids that while winning is great, they can and should learn a lot more from when they lose. That is, losing exposes parts of an athlete’s talents that need to be worked on and developed more.

No, it’s not easy to teach this to a youngster. And honestly, you will probably have to wait until the athlete is at least 10 or 12 or older before your message begins to sink in. But it’s a vitally important message about sports, and it’s the first step in introducing your athlete to sports psychology.

The calls today were tremendous. Great insights on a very complex topic For example, what’s the right age to introduce your kid to the mental side of sports? How do you even explain the mental side of sports to them? And how do you let them know what to expect from this kind of unusual training?

If you have ever heard about sports psychology, but weren’t sure of what it encompasses, take a listen here: The Sports Edge with Rick Wolff