It might seem a little odd to think about a ten-year-old soccer player suffering from performance anxiety, a term usually reserved for adult athletes who choke under pressure, but chances are that, as a parent, you have seen a youth athlete, either your child or one of his teammates, suffer from performance anxiety too.
Using soccer as an example, a child may be suffering from performance anxiety if she:
These are just a few of the things that parents may notice as they watch their children develop in youth soccer, or any sport, for that matter. Many of the events that make us uncomfortable as parents are developmental skill issues that the coach should be addressing. Any time a young player starts to have success, he builds confidence. Once he builds confidence in his ability during practice situations, the more likely he will be able to show off his new skills during an actual game.
However, some of these sport development issues concern anxiety. Children in general are under more pressure today than ever to perform to adults' expectations. More children than ever are developing anxiety disorders as they try to deal with the pressure of standardized tests and living up to their parents' expectations. It is no surprise, then, to see such anxiety during sports competitions .
Sometimes we will tell our young player to relax while they are playing. But if we do not teach them to "relax under pressure," then telling them to relax can end up actually increasing the pressure and anxiety they feel.
There are several different relaxation skills that a parent can teach their young player. The easiest is breathing. That sounds weird, since we all are breathing. But when we help players learn how to exhale effectively, their enjoyment of the game can improve.
Here are the steps that I advise parents teach young players about performance exhaling:
Your young player will start to build and experience confidence as they relax under pressure.
In sum, performance anxiety is not just for adults. As we teach our children how to relax under pressure" they can use these skills to improve their performance and enjoyment in both sports and at school.
Links:
[1] https://mail.momsteam.com/team-of-experts/shane-murphy-phd/youth-sports-parenting/is-your-child-old-enough-for-you-to-deal-with-the-stress
[2] https://mail.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/five-signs-your-child-isnt-having-fun-playing-sports