More from the great people at:  www.kidssportspsychology.com.
Lisa Cohn and Patrick Cohn, Ph.D


Parents and coaches, if you want your sports kids to 
understand that mental training can be the key to 
unlocking their potential, first you have to know why 
some athletes avoid it...

It’s important for you to know that a whopping 53% of 
the coaches we surveyed said their sports kids resist 
mental training.

The truth is, improving their mental game skills can 
boost kids’ confidence in ways that improve their 
happiness and performance--in and out of sports. 

For example, mentally tough and confident athletes 
don’t balk after making mistakes. They hang in there 
and focus on the next play, pitch, race or routine.

But here’s the problem: Sports kids believe a number 
of myths—silly myths, really—about the value of mental 
training. Here are just a few:

--> Kids think they are already mentally tough.
But even kids who are mentally tough can find ways to 
improve their game. For example, do they excel in 
practice, but freeze up during games? Do they worry 
about what others think of them? 

With mental training, players, parents and coaches can 
identify common confidence busters, see if their 
sports kids suffer from them, and take steps to 
address them.

But if kids won’t participate, they won’t learn about 
the many mental game issues that affect young 
athletes. Encourage them to just give mental training 
a try!

--> Kids say that their coaches don’t value mental 
training—so either should they. 

Not every coach focuses on mental training. Some have 
strengths in other areas.  Or some provide mental 
training intuitively, but don’t call it this name. 

They might say, “I know you tend to freeze up when 
your parents walk into practice. You need to focus on 
what you’re doing, instead of what’s going on off the 
court.” If they say this, they’re giving a mental game 
tip.

If your kids’ coach either doesn’t embrace sports 
psychology or uses his or her own language to impart 
some of these messages, you might refer the 
coach to www.kidssportspsychology.com. 

You could say something like, “Hey, there’s this 
website out there that teaches kids, coaches and 
parents how to help kids get their head in the game so 
that they perform better. You should check it out.”

Want to learn more about how to help kids embrace 
mental training, boost their confidence, and make the 
most of their physical skills? 

At Kids’ Sports Psychology, that’s just what we do...

Exclusive members of Kids’ Sports Psycho logy have 
access, for example, to an eBook, “Help Young Athletes 
Embrace Mental Training,” located here:

http://www.kidssportspsychology.com/members/372.cfm

What’s more, they have exclusive access to many, many, 
e-books, audios, videos, articles Q-and-As, plus two 
of our most popular programs—about bullying and 
perfectionism—for free.

Here’s what people say about our resources:

“I really do encourage your work. It’s great to see 
people trying to help kids see things from the mental 
side of the game and how important that is.”

~Kirk Mango, former Division I gymnast and longtime 
youth coach

Help your young athletes improve their mental game, 
their performance, and their enjoyment of sports!

Sincerely,

Lisa Cohn and Patrick Cohn, Ph.D

P.S. Exclusive members of Kids’ Sp orts Psychology can 
get additional tips for encouraging kids to embrace 
mental training right here:

http://www.kidssportspsychology.com/members/372.cfm