Rediscover Having Fun in Sport & Break Free From Pressure

Performance and results are the number one goals driven in sports society. These two facets of sports are at the forefront for so many athletes starting at a young age. Millions of young athletes every year are constantly bombarded by comparison of other athletes. Much comparison is done through the use of various metrics such as ranking, times, points, and more. And this same motivational approach towards high achievement in sports paradoxically leads to numerous underperformances, heightened levels of anxiety, unhappiness, and in some cases even burnout. 

In addition, the performance and results comparison behavior only worsen as young athletes age up closer to 18 years old. At this stage, college scholarships or making the jump to the professional level often become the main focus.

This results in many young athletes becoming hyper aware of the need to achieve superior results as even their support team, such as parents, begin to feel more pressure for their young athletes to enhance their levels or risk missing out. Athletes notice that conversations before and after competitions may become more charged and reminders of what they should be doing and where they need to be become the norm for many households.

Now, this article is not to condemn any of this but to shed light on a solution that will help numerous athletes and their family. 

First, it is unrealistic to think that we can eliminate external pressures and completely override situations. In fact, this approach even if possible wouldn’t necessarily result in benefiting the young athlete. For example, various studies show the importance of young children needing to face pressure and deal with adversity in order to develop the necessary life skills to handle more pressure from the world and take on more responsibility. After all children are anti-fragile; meaning that the more they take on (within reason), the stronger they become. The opposite also applies (the less they take on, the more fragile they become).

Also, performance metrics such as ranking and time can be used as positive motivators and do not leave a young athlete’s life once they are finished with their sport. These metrics simply transfer to other real world performance areas such as sales in the business world. This is why we find that competitive sports are one of the best preparatory activities a parent can provide to their child. Learning how to deal with adversity, failure, and pressure, all lead to athletes developing more grit, confidence, and self-worth. 

But how do we help young athletes deal with the pressures of sports that transfer later on to the real world?

Well, it’s not about modifying their environment as much as it is about strengthening their mindset and values.

As so many athletes age up in sport and level they tend to lose the joy they once had. This joy is then replaced with fear, frustration, and worry. So, the main step here is to emphasize fun. Athletes need to enjoy the sport again even while dealing with all of the external pressures.

To have more fun, it is critical for the athlete’s support team to also emphasize that enjoying the sport is the number one goal. However, for many athletes it is not enough for parents to simply remind them verbally.

The emphasis on prioritizing fun needs to expressed behaviorally by parents. This means that athletes need to see from their parents, coaches, and other support team that they truly value their young athletes having fun. For example, parents need to encourage their young athletes to have fun and encourage them to go out there and play hard. And when the young athlete has a bad performance but tries having fun, parents need to celebrate that change of behavior and only discuss the positives.

In addition, parents can then sit down and brain storm with their young athlete on how they can have even more fun the next time.

Of course there are far more solutions than the ones mentioned. At SPMI, we create a customized framework for every athlete and their support team.

For more information or to get started please reach out to us below. Whether you are local here in Miami, Florida or are in another part of the country or world, we work with athletes no matter where you are and offer a free 15-minute consultation to hear your story.