Sport and physical activity are used as a way to exercise and offer stress relief. In many cases, they help. Sport can create a sense of community, improve self-confidence, and provide an avenue for exercise. Despite the many benefits of sport participation, youth athletes are not immune to experiencing stress and possible poor mental health.

What are your goals?

If you are an athlete, you have probably had that question posed to you at some point. You might get tired of hearing it asked, but it is a legitimate question. What goals do you have for yourself? And are you setting the right type of goals?

When I first entered the industry, I was told things like, “You have to grind,” and, “Embrace the grind.” So when I was waking up at 3:30am, working as much as physically possible, and eating dinner at 10pm so that I could go to bed by 11pm for my four hours of sleep, I thought I was doing everything right. It was even encouraged and applauded by managers, co-workers and others in the industry. I was a rock star. Then came the wake-up call.

You’ve heard about Mental Performance and Mental Skills Training, but what is it? Does it work?

There are a number of pro and Olympic-level athletes who use mental skills training to enhance their performance. You’ve probably heard of some of them like Tom Brady who first was introduced to sport psychology while in college at University of Michigan. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles publicly talked about her struggles with mental health and specifically mental performance in what she described as “the twisties.” Pro tennis player Novak Djokovic, who has won 24 grand slam titles over the course of his career, has recently talked about how mental performance skills training has helped improve his performance.

If an athlete struggles on the field or court, questions immediately surface regarding what is wrong with the athlete. Why is he or she struggling? Could it be for physical reasons? What about the mental side? The athlete is probably overthinking things—at least that is what coaches might think.

 Rarely do we look at outside influences that contribute to successes or setbacks. Often overlooked, the relationships athletes have with coaches play a critical role in the way the athlete performs—especially when it comes to confidence, anxiety, and emotions.

Parents contribute to an athlete’s athletic career in countless ways. After all, one of the many roles of a parent is to offer support. Among the most notable ways are financially, practically, technically, organizationally, and emotionally.