If you have been fortunate enough to spectate a youth sporting event recently, I bet you did not witness a single athlete with their head down after a bad play, roll their eyes at or argue with an official, snap off at a fellow teammate, or sigh heavily when they got taken out of the game, right? Well-maybe if you live in some alternate reality. In the reality we all live in, you are probably not too surprised to see any of these type of reactions from kids during games.
It’s easy for us spectators to grumble about the bad attitudes we sometimes see on display- but, if you think about it, is it really the kids’ fault? I mean, how can you blame them for their emotional reactions in the arena, when the chances are great they have never been taught how to react? Or, not even how to react, but how to mentally prepare for these challenges in the first place?
Yes, these things need to be taught!
This is where the value of a book like The Young Champion’s Mind: How to Think, Train, and Thrive like and Elite Athlete, by Jim Afremow can not be measured. This book is a powerful tool for mindset development for young athletes.
The Young Champion’s Mind would be really great for kids ages 10-14 because it can serve as a wonderful introduction to mindset and mindfulness relating to performance in sports. For kids in this age level, participation in sports could be the most important thing in their lives- they value it so much. This is a wonderful thing-but, it can also be a defeating thing if the young person does not have the right healthy mindset. Kids attach so much of their self worth to their athletic performance. A defeat or failure in the sporting arena can very much seem like a personal defeat of their whole identity. Being sat on the bench, or cut from a team can seem like a rejection of who they are as people, as opposed to just the cold consequences of competition. When you take into consideration the extra layers of social media/smart phone influences that add on to things like this, it’s pretty easy to see that kids need mindfulness and mindset training- now more than ever!
As I was reading The Young Champion’s Mind, there were three major things that I kept on thinking about:
- This is not just a guide on how to be a good “participator.” Afremow’s focus is on developing a “champion’s” mindset, which I think is so refreshing. In an era when it is very tempting-or maybe just too easy- to coddle our kids, I felt like it was so uplifting to encounter a book like this. As parents, coaches, and teachers we should all want the best for our kids, right? It’s so easy for us to fall into the path of least resistance- to avoid confrontation, possible hurt feelings, or the cold comparisons from competition. But the path of least resistance carries with it a defeatist attitude. In an effort to numb the pains of defeat or failure, we could be cultivating a mindset of continual failure and low expectations, in actuality. Instead, we should be thinking about setting a high standard; to encourage kids to think about what’s the most that I can do?, as opposed to what’s the least that I can do-and still get away with winning? Now-make no mistake- I am adamantly opposed to pressuring kids, being overly critical of kids, or being a hyper-competitive lunatic in the stands of a game. But we need to find a healthy, balanced approach to encouraging achievement. After all, that’s what our kids want: to achieve! Again, these things need to be taught. Handing this book over to a young athlete, could be a wonderful gateway to a winning mindset in sports- but also in life in general.
- Afremow dedicates a whole chapter in The Young Champion’s Mind to “Playing in the Zone.” Here’s a quote from the first line of that chapter:
Zone or flow states are states of mind that happen when people stop overthinking and start trusting.
This should be the goal of all sports-to put kids in the position to play in the zone. Again, this is something that kids need to be taught. If someone has never experienced this type of in the moment performance first hand, you could definitely speed up the process of helping them to get there by articulating what it is. What I love about this chapter is that it is all about mindset. Afremow is not writing about the mechanics of a shot, the proper footwork for defense, or some other technical aspect of executing plays-he’s writing about staying in the moment, trusting your preparation, and open the gateway to the joy and satisfaction of playing. And if you are a coach or a parent, keeping this in mind may also guide you in your communication to young athletes during games. If all your doing the whole time is harping on mistakes or being overly critical- you are going to nurture over-thinking instead of trusting.
3. I couldn’t stop thinking about David Goggins’ book, Can’t Hurt Me, the whole time I was reading this. I think Goggins’ story might be a little much for younger kids- but for the kids in the 13-14 year old range, I think The Young Champion’s Mind could be a great primer for Can’t Hurt Me. Both books together would be a really nice gift to a young athlete in the 8th or 9th grade.
Mindset is more important than ever. The Young Champions Mind by Jim Afremow is a powerful tool to get a young athlete started on this journey. Parents, coaches, teachers, and players: check this one out!
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