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Mental Toughness for Young Athletes: Tactics to Win Under Pressure (Part 1/7)

  • Writer: WINNING STATE
    WINNING STATE
  • 2 days ago
  • 2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Softball batter competing with mental toughness under pressure.

Bring this tactic into your mental game - it's for every sport.

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But first, know these hard facts about mental toughness: 1) It's not magic; 2) It's not genetic. Being mentally tough is not a magical wonder that randomly happens. And the idea that "some have it, some don't" is a ridiculous, outdated myth.

Mental toughness for young athletes is a competitive mindset they develop.

The exact same way they develop strength, speed, and physical skill.

We all get nervous. We're afraid of failing. It's natural. It should be expected. We train our competitive mindset to love nerves—nerves are a good thing.


TACTIC #1: LOVE NERVES

I know that sounds weird, but I mean it. I've helped more athletes perform well when they learn to love nerves. Why? Because nerves aren't going anywhere. We're stuck with them. Every athletes struggles with nerves.

The GOATS in every sport struggled with nerves.

I do. Your coaches do. Your teammates do. The fear of failing is intense. Successful athletes mentally train to love nerves.

That's what separates winners from losers. We train to turn nerves into power.


Wrestler competing with mental toughness under pressure.

Tactics are what athletes get in WINNING STATE books. The tactics to flip their BIG-DOG switch, stay calm and collected, and perform their best.

We teach athletes in every sport the mental toughness tactics that conquer doubt and distraction, instead of allowing negative emotions to crush their dreams.

Being mental tough isn’t about being perfect. It’s about showing up mentally ready for battle—every game, every match..

Now you can switch on your BIG-DOG competitive mindset, love nerves, and win.

Part 2 of this seven part series on tactics for young athletes to win under pressure is about competition self-talk. You'll learn that "positive" self-talk is not a formidable mental weapon to win in battle.


Mental Toughness for Young Athletes: Tactics to Win Under Pressure (Part 1/7)

WINNING STATE Articles

by Steve Knight


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