MENTAL HEALTH
How can I Help my Child Develop Mental Toughness ?
Young developing athletes are particularly prone to becoming casualties of the performance roller-coaster of competitive sport . They give up because they can ’ t handle performing well one day and poorly the next ; or training hard and then not performing well on race day ; rarely performing to potential when it counts ; or falling victim to self-doubt , anger and feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem .
As a parent , watching your child going through this , can be frustrating and stressful , and there is often a sense of anxiety about how to protect them from being hurt in the process .
The good news is : Mental toughness is learnt not inherited !
Too many good athletes give up because they “… have the talent but weren ’ t born with the competitive instinct ”. It is a myth that you are either “ born with it ” - or not . Most athletes aren ’ t ( with some exceptions ). It is more like a continuum on which an athlete finds themselves , and they can progress to their next level of resilience if they have the intention and will .
Mental toughness is a skill and competence , and needs to be learned and honed throughout their sporting career . Just as resilience and mental toughness is not about genetic predisposition , it is also unrelated to personality style . Your child ’ s tendency towards introversion or extroversion , being playful or serious – has nothing to do with their success as a competitor . Rather , it is an important lesson about taking accountability , and learning to become mentally tougher and more resilient .
The mentally tough competitor is consistent . This requires two ingredients :
• good technique and form ,
• and good mental skills and attitude
James E . Loehr believes that there are a constellation of mental skills , all of which are learned , that are characteristic of mentally tough competitors .
They are :
• Self-motivation and self-direction
• Positive but realistic
• Being in control of emotions
• Calm and relaxed under fire
• Highly energetic and ready for action
• Determined
• Mentally alert and focused
• Self-confident
• Fully responsible
What you as a parent say to your child before and after competition , and during their training season , is crucial in building or destroying their resilience and mental toughness . You will be very influential in forming their mindset for reacting to errors , failure and criticism , as well as winning and succeeding .
8 SA Schools Rowing Champs 2024