Parenting and Coaching The Perfectionist Athlete
Parenting and Coaching The Perfectionist Athlete
By Reed Maltbie, changingthegameproject.com, May 8, 2018
We received a question that we get often, so we thought it would make a great blog:
“I was wondering if you could provide some advice. My son is 8 years old and plays on a travel baseball team. [He is ] blessed with athleticism. He’s fast and has great hand-eye coordination. The problem is, he struggles with the mental game. He is a perfectionist in almost everything he does. So, if he makes a mistake, he’s the kid who shuts down. For example, he missed a couple of balls at practice yesterday and just quit trying. He feels like a failure. I’m thankful that one of his coaches really supports him. I’m just wondering as a parent, what can I do to help? It’s so frustrating to see a child with such potential beat himself down.” – A Mom who just wants to help
Mom, we hear you. As a parent and coach, it can be frustrating, heartbreaking, and even at times a bit embarrassing watching your athlete struggle and act out after a mistake. Even worse, when you try and help in that emotional moment, the reaction from your kids can be to lash out even more. We want our athletes to compete, and to not accept less than their best effort and remain focused. The will to compete is great, but not when one loses sight of the process, and is only focused on outcomes.
