Top 4 Mental Training Tools for Youth Athletes

We need to look at mental training in a similar way to physical training.

And that means action!

Mental training is the vehicle we use to build the mental skills that make a mentally tough youth athlete.

There are many different mental training tools and techniques I use when working with athletes, but no matter what tool I use the same core principle applies: action.

Just as with developing physical skills within their sport, a young athlete needs to put forth consistent and repetitive effort to build mental skills.

Now, while there are many different tools and techniques I use, there are a few that are my go to favorites, including:

• A self-talk routine
• Visualization
• Breath Work
• Performance Objectives

Let’s take a look at each tool in a little more detail.

Self-Talk Routine

Self-talk is all about your young athlete's thinking and how they talk to themselves.

Self-talk is so important because of something known as the thought-feeling cycle. 

The though-feeling cycle describes the process of having a thought, which leads to a feeling, which then leads to another thought, and then another feeling.

This is a great cycle...if the thoughts are positive.

However, it can quickly turn into a harmful cycle if the thoughts are negative.

So, you want to make sure your child has more positive and productive thoughts than negative thoughts. A great way to ensure this is by utilizing a self-talk routine.

Here's how a self-talk routine works:

1. Have your child outline all the negative or unhelpful thoughts they have.
2. Then create a positive alternative for each statement.
3. Once the new list is complete, have them reread the list to themselves at least once a day.

Here is a sample list of a self-talk routine for a softball player:

• I believe in myself.
• I trust my swing.
• I am a great fielder.
• I learn from my mistakes.
• I love to play softball. 
• I am focused while batting.
• I am a great batter.

Visualization

To build confidence, a young athlete needs to see themselves succeed. Visualization is a great tool that can help.

Now, as I say in the video, there are many different visualization techniques your child can use. But what I am focusing on here is a visualization for confidence.

Here's how the process works:

1. Have your child sit in a comfortable position, close their eyes, and take a few deep breaths.
2. Then ask them to imagine themselves in a specific situation within a game. Have them explain the situation to you.
3. Now, have your child imagine themselves performing well in that situation a few times. Remind them to really feel happy and confident while doing so.

That's a very structured way of using visualization.

But it doesn't always have to follow that process.

Before games, or even during games, your child can quickly imagine themselves performing well.

The main goal with visualization for confidence is to have the youth athlete see themselves perform well in their minds as much as possible. 

Breath Work

Learning how to control your breathing is a superpower! 

It allows an athlete to calm nerves and improve focus, even in the most nerve-wracking situations.

The breathing exercise I want to show you is a simple technique known as count breathing. 

Count breathing is where your child inhales for a certain count and exhales for a certain count.

Box breathing is a very popular form of count breathing, where you breathe in for four, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold the exhalation for four.

However, I have found holding the breath can be difficult during games and when nerves are racing. So, I like to keep it simple with a nice slow inhale and slow exhale, but no breath hold.

Here are a few rhythms you can try:

• Inhale for 5, exhale for 5
• Inhale for 5, exhale for 10
• Inhale for 4, exhale for 4
• Inhale for 4, exhale for 8

The main goals with count breathing are to get the young athlete's mind in the present moment by focusing on the counting, and help relax by taking the deep breaths.

Performance Objectives

Worrying too much about the outcome of a practice or game is the main cause of performance anxiety and fear of failure in youth athletes.

So, the goal is to get their thinking off the outcome, and place it more on the process of their game.

And the truth is, outcomes are simply byproducts of playing well. It is the playing well part they should really be focused on. 

Performance objectives are also known as process goals, and they are targets your child sets for practices and games that are 100% within their control.

Now, while you want them to set objectives for both practices and games, they will vary a bit between the two.

Practice objectives need to be focused on improving. They will likely have more to do with what specific parts of their game your child is wanting to work on that day.

Game objectives will also be focused on the process, but they will have less to do with wanting to improve, and more to do with your athlete putting themselves in the best position to succeed.

Think of these like a key that unlocks peak performance.

Here are some examples of practice and game objectives:

Practice Objectives:

• Focus on my footwork.
• Work on keeping my hands inside the ball.
• Practice being quicker with my release.
• Work on my backhands.
• Focus on having explosive starts.
• Work on having soft touches today.

Game Objectives:

• Stay balanced throughout my swing.
• Watch the ball all the way into my hands.
• Let the ball travel.
• Follow through on every shot.
• Feel confident and relaxed.

Final Thoughts

Young athletes need to be mentally tough. And to be mentally tough, they need to focus on developing the six mental skills that make a mentally tough young athlete.

Developing those skills requires mental training.

The four mental training tools outlined above are a great way to get your child started with mental training.

But if you're ready to take the next step, then it's time to enroll them in The Mentally Tough Kid course.

With The Mentally Tough Kid, your child will learn all the different tools and techniques they need to strengthen their mindset.

And they won't just be shown what the tools are...they will be guided through exercises to put each tool into practice.

Because remember, mental training is all about repetitive action performed on a consistent basis.

Click the button below to learn more about The Mentally Tough Kid course.

Thank you for reading, and I wish you and your child the best of success in all that you do.