Mindset Matters in Helping Youth Athletes Get the Most From Participation
Youth sports in the United States has become so commoditized, ultra-competitive and micromanaged by adults, that many young people literally have the soccer life and joy sucked out of them by the time they reach middle or high school.
Although often with the best of intentions, adults create confining environments that are emotionally unhealthy and undermine the development that the environment is intended to foster.
Much of this dysfunction comes as a result of creating a training atmosphere that fuels the development of the fixed-mindset that focuses on 'now' development & results.
What I mean by that is that success and failures become the barometer that youth players are taught to read with the tangible evidence of development measured in wins, losses and awards. Additionally, ‘losses’ are taught to be associated with failure.
The reality is that all athletes developed at their own pace and from early-prodgys to ‘late-bloomers’ failures and mistakes are often very impactful ‘teachers’.
The fixed mindset often ‘coaches’ youth athletes to view their development and their success in black-and-white, while sports development, like life, is more about learning from and navigating the 'grey'.
The fixed mindset discourages conflict, often leading to surrender when obstacles arise and overcoming them is too difficult. As a result of the constant toggle of attempt followed by failure, fix-minded youth athletes will often abandon that which they joined out of interest and love, because participation becomes a series of absolute 'pass' or 'fail' moments.
Tragically, many of these youth athletes carry this frustration into other non-athletic endeavors, often finding themselves frustrated and viewing failure as confirmation that growth and development are fruitless and therefore a waste of time.
In the absence of joy, and flanked by perceived repetitive moments of failure, fixed minded athletes rarely accept constructive criticism and rarely are able to find joy in celebrating the successes of others.
The growth mindset views development as a journey such that moments pose challenges that should be embraced.
Because success and failure are not measured in the 'now' moment, the growth mindset lends itself to persistent diligence, even in the face of setbacks and challenges. This is because the growth mindset sees challenges as part of the process-- a means to an end-- on the road to mastery.
The training environment where the growth mindset prevails is one where creativity is encouraged and failures are celebrated as an integral part of the journey. In this space, unlike in the fix mindset space, coaches and parents approach moments of failure with individuals and teams as essential teaching tools.
Framed with the knowledge that almost all youth athletes and teams ‘keep score’ and ‘seek stats’ (neither of which are to ever be discouraged); youth athletes ‘learn’ how to navigate and process all of that data through ‘vibing’ off the adults. When they learn that a game/match result is but one datapoint, it helps to better frame and cultivate growth-mindedness.
Growth-mindedness also has room for the success of other athletes; enabling youth athletes not only to learn from the successes of others, but to also find fuel and inspiration from them.
The relationships between player and coach and between players and parents are tremendously impactful.
As we look to determine what those relationships 'look like', perhaps we need be more mindful of the fact that how we frame the training space will determine the attitudes of our players on game day and even well beyond the pitch.
Questions to Ask
- Are we creating a space that emotionally inspires or one that fatigues?
- Are we establishing a training environment that leads to joy and satisfaction even in the face of defeat?
- Are we teaching our young players that both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ results are fuel?
- Are we investing time in promoting well-being and ‘balance’ or are we simply creating a space where athletes learn to ‘play and compete’ at all costs?
Ultimately, less than 2% of youth athletes will ever play in their sport’s ‘big show’ which means that the time spent training and competing is shaping the future for these young athletes long after their competitive days are in the past. It also means that, like it or not, the stewardship responsibilities of the adults (parents/guardians, referees and coaches) is far greater than the sport.
These eager minds and malleable brains are craving opportunities that create safe venues for growth, learning and fun.
Christopher T. Conti, MD is the Founder and Owner of Steel City Direct Care, LLC., a Pittsburgh, PA-based medical practice specializing in the care of athletes and aviators. He is an emergency medicine physician with additional training in sports and concussion health. He is currently a Team Physician for the US Soccer Federation (USSF), U14-U17 Youth National Team player pools, Medical Advisor for the PA West Soccer Association, a local affiliate of the United States Youth Soccer Association and the Medical Advisor for the Woodland Hills School District in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Conti serves as Medical Advisory Board Member for SportGait and is also a Credentialed ImPACT Consultant (CIC) for sports concussion care. Dr. Conti is a designated Senior Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Disclaimer
The information, opinions and content presented do not necessarily represent the policies or opinions of USSF, the FAA, PA West Soccer, USYS, FIFA, ImPACT, SportGait, the Woodland Hills School District or Steel City Direct Care, LLC.
None of the information presented should be construed as formal medical advice, nor should it be considered an acceptable substitute for a formal virtual or in-person encounter with an appropriately trained and licensed healthcare professional. None of the above-listed entities, including Steel City Direct Care, LCC, are responsible for any adverse outcome associated with this content.
If you would like to schedule a virtual or in-person visit with Dr. Conti, please contact Steel City Direct Care
Steel City Direct Care is a Direct Patient Care (DPC) practice that provides targeted & specialized in-person and virtual care for aviators and athletes of every age and level of skill and participation.
Although often with the best of intentions, adults create confining environments that are emotionally unhealthy and undermine the development that the environment is intended to foster.
Much of this dysfunction comes as a result of creating a training atmosphere that fuels the development of the fixed-mindset that focuses on 'now' development & results.
What I mean by that is that success and failures become the barometer that youth players are taught to read with the tangible evidence of development measured in wins, losses and awards. Additionally, ‘losses’ are taught to be associated with failure.
The reality is that all athletes developed at their own pace and from early-prodgys to ‘late-bloomers’ failures and mistakes are often very impactful ‘teachers’.
The fixed mindset often ‘coaches’ youth athletes to view their development and their success in black-and-white, while sports development, like life, is more about learning from and navigating the 'grey'.
The fixed mindset discourages conflict, often leading to surrender when obstacles arise and overcoming them is too difficult. As a result of the constant toggle of attempt followed by failure, fix-minded youth athletes will often abandon that which they joined out of interest and love, because participation becomes a series of absolute 'pass' or 'fail' moments.
Tragically, many of these youth athletes carry this frustration into other non-athletic endeavors, often finding themselves frustrated and viewing failure as confirmation that growth and development are fruitless and therefore a waste of time.
In the absence of joy, and flanked by perceived repetitive moments of failure, fixed minded athletes rarely accept constructive criticism and rarely are able to find joy in celebrating the successes of others.
The growth mindset views development as a journey such that moments pose challenges that should be embraced.
Because success and failure are not measured in the 'now' moment, the growth mindset lends itself to persistent diligence, even in the face of setbacks and challenges. This is because the growth mindset sees challenges as part of the process-- a means to an end-- on the road to mastery.
The training environment where the growth mindset prevails is one where creativity is encouraged and failures are celebrated as an integral part of the journey. In this space, unlike in the fix mindset space, coaches and parents approach moments of failure with individuals and teams as essential teaching tools.
Framed with the knowledge that almost all youth athletes and teams ‘keep score’ and ‘seek stats’ (neither of which are to ever be discouraged); youth athletes ‘learn’ how to navigate and process all of that data through ‘vibing’ off the adults. When they learn that a game/match result is but one datapoint, it helps to better frame and cultivate growth-mindedness.
Growth-mindedness also has room for the success of other athletes; enabling youth athletes not only to learn from the successes of others, but to also find fuel and inspiration from them.
The relationships between player and coach and between players and parents are tremendously impactful.
As we look to determine what those relationships 'look like', perhaps we need be more mindful of the fact that how we frame the training space will determine the attitudes of our players on game day and even well beyond the pitch.
Questions to Ask
- Are we creating a space that emotionally inspires or one that fatigues?
- Are we establishing a training environment that leads to joy and satisfaction even in the face of defeat?
- Are we teaching our young players that both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ results are fuel?
- Are we investing time in promoting well-being and ‘balance’ or are we simply creating a space where athletes learn to ‘play and compete’ at all costs?
Ultimately, less than 2% of youth athletes will ever play in their sport’s ‘big show’ which means that the time spent training and competing is shaping the future for these young athletes long after their competitive days are in the past. It also means that, like it or not, the stewardship responsibilities of the adults (parents/guardians, referees and coaches) is far greater than the sport.
These eager minds and malleable brains are craving opportunities that create safe venues for growth, learning and fun.
Christopher T. Conti, MD is the Founder and Owner of Steel City Direct Care, LLC., a Pittsburgh, PA-based medical practice specializing in the care of athletes and aviators. He is an emergency medicine physician with additional training in sports and concussion health. He is currently a Team Physician for the US Soccer Federation (USSF), U14-U17 Youth National Team player pools, Medical Advisor for the PA West Soccer Association, a local affiliate of the United States Youth Soccer Association and the Medical Advisor for the Woodland Hills School District in suburban Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Conti serves as Medical Advisory Board Member for SportGait and is also a Credentialed ImPACT Consultant (CIC) for sports concussion care. Dr. Conti is a designated Senior Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Disclaimer
The information, opinions and content presented do not necessarily represent the policies or opinions of USSF, the FAA, PA West Soccer, USYS, FIFA, ImPACT, SportGait, the Woodland Hills School District or Steel City Direct Care, LLC.
None of the information presented should be construed as formal medical advice, nor should it be considered an acceptable substitute for a formal virtual or in-person encounter with an appropriately trained and licensed healthcare professional. None of the above-listed entities, including Steel City Direct Care, LCC, are responsible for any adverse outcome associated with this content.
If you would like to schedule a virtual or in-person visit with Dr. Conti, please contact Steel City Direct Care
Steel City Direct Care is a Direct Patient Care (DPC) practice that provides targeted & specialized in-person and virtual care for aviators and athletes of every age and level of skill and participation.
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