In this article, I’m going to go over five sport psychology tips for kids.
This will be great for you if you have a youth athlete, especially if the youth athlete is getting serious about their sport or they’re experiencing nervousness, fear, you see them underperforming during games, or even if you just want them to get a leg up on the competition.
Why Mental Skills Matter for Youth Athletes
As a mental performance coach, about a third of the clients I work with are youth athletes between the ages of 10 and 12. I really enjoy working with younger athletes because I think when we are able to develop mental skills earlier, we see these become habits that the athlete continues to focus on moving forward.
So then, instead of getting to high school or college and struggling, noticing that the mental game is important for the first time, these athletes already have a foundational understanding of the importance of the mental side of the game.
A key principle I always keep in mind when I’m working with youth athletes is that we want to make sure their sport remains fun.
Sports are becoming more and more competitive at an early age. It’s easy for this pressure, the nervousness they face, and the fear of making mistakes, to take the fun out of the game.
When we work on mental skills, yes, it will help them perform better. It will help them have more confidence. But above anything else, it will help the young athlete enjoy their sport more.
And the more they enjoy it, the more chance they’re going to have of making their varsity team in high school, getting that scholarship to go play in college, and potentially playing professionally.
They have to enjoy it to be able to stay consistent with the training they need to do. And they also have to have stronger mental skills to be able to reach their full potential.
5 Mental Tips for Youth Athletes
These five tips will help you get your young athlete to begin seeing mental skills as important and guide them in the right direction to begin strengthening their mental game.
The mental game isn’t just about performing better—it’s about making sure kids stay motivated, consistent, and happy with their sport.
By focusing on these skills early, you help them develop habits that not only improve their performance but also protect their enjoyment of the game.
Tip #1: Focus on What You Can Control
I was working with a young swimmer who was dealing with a lot of performance anxiety before his races. He was worried about what other people thought of him, what his time would be, and how well his opponents would do.
All of that was out of his control. The more he thought about those things, the more anxious he became. And the more stiff and tense he swam, which caused him to underperform.
I worked with another athlete who dealt with a lot of negativity from his coaches and trash talk from teammates. Both were out of his control.
And then there was a softball player who struggled with moving on from mistakes. Past mistakes were also out of her control.
In all three examples, athletes focused on things outside their control—and that caused negative emotions and worse performance. But when athletes focus on what they can control—preparation, handling mistakes, how they respond to feedback—they play better and stay in a stronger mental state.
One way you can help your youth athlete is by having them list out everything within their control about playing well. From preparation to in-game actions to post-game responses. Then help them set controllable goals before practices and games.
Tip #2: Positive Self-Talk
Within sport psychology, the way we think when we play impacts how we feel and how we act.
If a young athlete is thinking negatively—“I hope I don’t make mistakes” or “Coach will be mad if I mess up”—that creates fear, timid play, and tension. Negative thinking lowers confidence and slowly takes the fun out of the game.
You want to teach them that positive thinking doesn’t just make them feel better—it helps them play better. When they see that connection, they’ll believe in positive self-talk more.
A great exercise is having them reflect on how they think when they’re playing well versus when they’re playing poorly.
You’ll see clear differences.
Then, help them create a self-talk routine: a list of positive statements they read before games to build that mindset.
Tip #3: Use Breathing to Stay Calm
Breathing helps calm us physically and mentally, keeping us present in the moment.
For your young athlete, I suggest two approaches:
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Before games: A 5-minute deep breathing exercise on the car ride to the field or court.
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During games: Count breathing. Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, and repeat. This works great during pauses—between pitches in baseball, during timeouts in basketball, before serves in tennis, or while waiting in the dugout.
Practicing rhythmic, consistent breathing will help them stay calm and present.
Tip #4: Learn from Mistakes
A lot of younger athletes lose composure after mistakes. But fearing mistakes leads to timid play—soccer players pass the ball too quickly, basketball players pass up shots, athletes hold themselves back.
When they can see mistakes as lessons, that fear goes away.
One way to build this habit is by going through a process after practices and games:
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Ask them what mistakes they made.
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Ask what they can learn from them.
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Turn those lessons into goals for the next practice or game.
The real power is in applying the lesson. When athletes see themselves improve because of mistakes, they begin to believe mistakes truly are opportunities to grow.
Tip #5: Visualization
Visualization is imagining yourself in situations and seeing yourself succeed. It’s a powerful tool for confidence, pressure situations, and relaxation.
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Pressure Visualization: Imagine yourself in big moments and see yourself performing well.
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Confidence Visualization: Picture yourself playing well in different moments.
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Relaxation Visualization: Visualize a calm, peaceful environment to settle nerves before games.
Visualization allows athletes to “rep” skills outside of practice and games. If your athlete struggles with confidence, start with visualizations before practices and games to help them see themselves as successful.
Final Thoughts
Those are five sport psychology tips for your youth athlete that will help them build a stronger mental game.
I also offer one-on-one coaching for youth athletes, where I will work directly with your child on helping them build a stronger mental game.
If you’re interested in my one-on-one coaching, click here to schedule a free introductory coaching call, or fill out the form below.
I also have an online course specifically for youth athletes called The Mentally Tough Kid Course.
I really encourage you to take these tips, maybe start with one or two of them, and teach them to your young athlete as a way to begin building foundational mental skills that will stick with them as they get older.
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
