Improved Youth Sport Performance-Part 3

  
     In part 1 and part 2 of this series I talked about the use of strength training and the inclusion of a comprehensive flexibility and mobility program in aiding in the improvement of youth sport performance. While the physical aspects of training are of obvious importance, perhaps more important are the psychological factors. If your mind isn't in the right place, no matter how well your program is designed, it will never give you the results you want. The mind is your most powerful and important asset. You must be mentally determined with a never say no attitude to succeed, in both training and life.


Mental Edge
    Many youth athletes today are mentally weak.  They have no drive, no passion, and no inner accountability for their behaviors. Perhaps this is the by product of trophies for everyone seen often in many youth sport organizations today.  Many kids have never in their lives known what defeat is and how to fight back from it. The have never been pushed physically, learning that they can achieve things far greater than they had ever perceived before. Tell a kid to do 10 push ups and 25 bodyweight squats and you'll more than likely get nothing but a complainer.
     However, I'm not sure if there is even a fix for this problem. This behavior is accepted and encouraged by adults at such an early age, that the children don't know any better. In school, PE classes have become more like social events rather than an arena for kids to jump, climb, crawl, and play. This trend leads to weak kids who will take a blow in life and won't be able pick themselves back up. As Rocky says "It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." The kids today don't know how to bounce back from adversity. They don't know what it takes mentally to set your eyes on a goal and do whatever it takes, no matter the barriers, to achieve that goal. For these athletes to develop the mental edge required in life and in sport, parents must be the beacons of the attitudes and standards that they wish their children to exemplify, and let them know that nothing in this life will be given to you, but rather must be earned.

No Nonsense Attitude,

Kyle Bohannon, CSCS
Owner/Head Trainer
kyle@trainstrive.com
www.trainstrive.com