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the Factors That May Be Stressful For Youth Players
Coaches and parents can do a great service to children by helping each
athlete develop self-confidence, a sense of personal worth and mastery,
and a constructive attitude toward failure and adversity. Behavior
that adults view as encouraging can often be perceived by athletes as
stress-producing and pressure-filled. Kids will freely choose to
participate in activities that they view as worthwhile, enjoyable and
fun. The challenge for adults is to maximize the inherent joy of
what Pele calls "the beautiful game of soccer" and minimize experiences
that increase children's anxiety and likelihood of burnout.
Practical suggestions for
coaches:
- Avoid a "win at all cost" attitude.
- Transform parental pressure into
parental interest, support and encouragement.
- Avoid over training, long, repetitive
practices and excessive time and travel demands.
- Avoid using perfection as the standard
for judging and athlete's performance.
- Don't associate a player's worth or
value as a person with their performance and ability on the soccer
field (i.e. winning or a great performance means that I like you
more).
- Make sure that your non-verbal
behaviors are congruent with your words and that the coaching is
consistent across situations (i.e. sulking after a loss even though
the team played well or being happy following a poor performance by
a winning team.)
Dr. Colleen Hacker
Sports Psychology
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington
Go To Next Section: Realize That Effective Feedback Is
The Breakfast of Champions
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