The Main Source of Pressure Felt by Young Athletes
Pressure in the context of sports rears itself in the form of stress and anxiety. For young athletes who have their whole lives ahead of them, pressure situations should be few and far between. However, the truth is young athletes feel pressure all the time.
Young athletes feel pressure to win, pressure to make a certain team, and pressure to balance academics and athletics seamlessly. But where does all of this pressure come from? What is the source of this pressure?
For starters, the source of this pressure begins with a commitment. A commitment to compete, a commitment not to give up, and a commitment to excellence. These are positive values parents teach their children. As such, the pressure of these commitments compound as parents hold their children accountable to these commitments.
Therefore, parents preach the mantra of high expectations to hold their children accountable to their commitments. In addition, coaches, friends, and extended family may also share these high expectations which also reinforces accountability. These layers build the pressure and this pressure is often impossible to avoid for competitive athletes with high aspirations.
So just like the saying goes, pressure either burst pipes or makes diamonds. The outcome of this pressure felt by youth athletes is largely dependent on how parents teach their children to cope and manage pressure.