The Source of Confidence for Young Athletes and the #1 Parental Mistake
If parents and coaches patiently evaluate the confidence of their young athletes over time they will quickly realize that confidence is a variable emotion. This means that on any given day an athlete can be tremendously confident, and on another given day lack confidence completely.
With that said, the underlying question a parent or coach guiding a young athlete must answer is how do we help them have consistent confidence?
In essence, when an athlete has confidence they believe and trust that they can and will succeed. This belief and trust does not come out of thin air. In addition, it’s not something a parent or coach can talk them into believing.
As a matter of fact, the belief and trust an athlete needs to fuel their confidence does not come from motivational speeches, positive self-talk, and it can’t even come from praying. All of this can help when done part of a routine, but definitely not when done sporadically.
On the contrary, confidence in sports is something you can only earn through blood, sweat, tears, and effort. That is why the #1 source of confidence for young athletes is preparation.
Preparation is More than Physical Effort
Not just preparing physically either. This is the #1 mistake most parents make. Most better than average athletes go above and beyond on physical preparation. However, this is often not the missing variable in the confidence equation. To have confidence you must prepare not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. This means eating right, getting enough sleep, visualizing success, living with purpose, and practicing emotional intelligence among other things.
If your young athlete is preparing as hard as physically possible:
- practicing with the best coaches,
- getting private training,
- and going to elite camps, etc…
If they do all this and still lack confidence then it’s time to reevaluate how you define preparation. It’s time to consider the full mind and body in your preparation, and make sure there’s balance in how you prepare the two.