My Advice for Young Athletes

Perhaps the phrase I’ve heard the most from sports parents over the years is “I just want them to have fun.” Well, yes, but …. Fun should be a part of all activities for kids as they will want to continue when it’s enjoyable. Then, why the “but?” Things are rarely fun without success or at the least a feeling of advancement.

My advice to parents and youth when it comes to playing comes from the well-known joke about Carnegie Hall. With a slight change -, an out-of-town driver stopped and asked a New Yorker how to get to Yankee Stadium? The answer was “Practice, man, practice.” A more accurate statement does not exist because work ethic is the avenue to the Success Trail and subsequently the “Fun Road.

Of course, as driving the New York streets, many twists, turns, and obstacles will appear on the route. But getting to the destination will occur with the mental makeup to practice. The critical start to finding one’s way and reaching one’s potential are the following:

Best Youth Sports Tips:

1. Have simple goals. Many believe that the best have high goals that set them apart. But, their goals are more straightforward than people realize. Their primary goal is to get the most out of their abilities, and they do that with a daily work ethic.

The achievers are not only out to prove what they can do, but are out to improve.”

When players find the desire to push themselves more, their goals have a chance.

2. Treat practice like a game. The best players embrace the importance of training and always work as if in a game. Their confident game attitude comes from having done it at game-speed many times before.

3. Develop a routine. A consistency of schedule and habits develop discipline, relaxation, and readiness. Establishing a comfortable process is always a work in progress, but essential for long-term growth.

4. Show attention to detail. The best players are meticulous in their practice habits. They do not skip over the little things that make the difference between success and failure.

5. Have focus skills. The peak players have a quiet mind, which slows the action as the game speeds up for others. The ability to keep the mind “in the zone” is the most significant asset of the top players.

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6. Trust in self. Elite athletes have a self-assurance and confidence that their hard work pays off in games.

That exceptional mentality has to be within them. But, one could argue that all have it within them to be successful. What’s necessary is the development of an approach that puts them on the road to advancement. It’s the step by step process, where mistakes will be made. But, with the necessary adjustments, getting ahead follows, it just takes longer for some than others.