Understanding the mind of young athletes through their mindset
The Fixed Mindset
Many young athletes believe that talent is something fixed — you either have it or you don’t.
When they make a mistake, they interpret it as proof of inadequacy (“I’m not good enough”) rather than as a natural part of the learning process.
The result is the emergence of fear of making mistakes, loss of focus, self-blame, anger, and self-devaluation.
The Growth Mindset
This is the belief that skills develop through effort, practice, and learning from mistakes.
Those with this mindset see errors as useful information, not as failure.
The coach’s goal is to transform mistakes into opportunities for improvement.
Warning Signs to Recognize
| Observable
Behavior |
Psychological
Meaning |
Risk
for Training |
|---|---|---|
| Gets angry after mistake | Fixed mind | Decreased self-esteem |
| Doesn’t listen to corrections | Mental noise | Learning difficulties |
| Frequently blames themselves | Rigid internal attrib. | Motivational block |
| Self-devaluation | Identity tied to perform | Disengagement/dropout |
| Frequent distraction | Emotional overload | Repeated errors, frustration |
Practical Strategies for Coaches
Normalize Mistakes
“We come here to learn, not to be perfect.”
Start the training session by saying:
“Today, let’s aim for at least five useful mistakes we can learn from.”
After a mistake, ask:
“What did you learn from that mistake?”
instead of
“Why did you make that mistake?”
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