The Mindset Research That Destroys How Parents View Youth Sports
Most parents view performance in youth sports as the tell-tale sign of whether or not they have an athletic child. If their child comes out of the womb with the ability to throw, kick, or run then parents automatically assume they have a future athlete on their hands. On the other hand, if their child struggles with coordination and competition, then parents automatically assume the opposite.
Fortunately for humankind, this is not how it works. Performance in anything as a child does not predict performance as an adult. Yes, it’s an indicator of potential, but by no means does it indicate a limit to potential.
Carol Dweck, the recognized thought leader on the growth mindset, has a fantastic quote from her research that makes this point perfectly.
Just because some people can do something with little or no training, it doesn’t mean that others can’t do it (and sometimes do it even better) with training. This is so important, because many, many people with the fixed mindset think that someone’s early performance tells you all you need to know about their talent and their future.
Furthermore, Dweck’s research on the growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset destroys the misconception that youth sports stars are the only pool of young athletes who have the potential for future athletic success. The truth is, future success in athletics, as well as most other endeavors, depend more on coaching, passion and purpose than it does on innate talent.
Remember this the next time you see a young athlete playing sports and assume that he or she is either a future star or lifetime scrub.