Young athletes play sports for fun. As they age, they become aware of their thoughts, emotions, feelings and sensations. It can either be constructive or interfere with their game. You don’t have to worry so much about the positives. Negative aspects like anger and frustration need to be managed. Anger and frustration can lead to lashing out, hurting someone else, or hurting your young athlete. Learning to manage anger in sport will not only make your young athlete a better player, but it will also develop their skills off the court to make them a better person.

how to cope

There are many ways to teach your young athlete how to cope and to help him understand his feelings. But let’s look at the three essential things to develop the foundation first, for all other coping mechanisms to work effectively. First, it is necessary to teach young athletes how to control their feelings before their feelings begin to control them. The best time to do this is when situations arise. Therefore, it becomes essential that they have good role models and coping strategies to guide them properly.

1. Express does not delete.

It’s okay to express anger in a mature, non-threatening way. When a young athlete expresses his anger, he needs to know why he is angry. Sensitivity is different in everyone, so it’s hard to tell what’s right and wrong. However, teaching them to express it maturely is acceptable. When situations arise, you can structure or restructure their feelings and thoughts. They need to understand that it’s not the end of the world, that their feelings are real, and that adjusting and moving on is most important.

Rational thought and logic prevail over anger. When you think logically and rationally, it leads to positive problem-solving ability and better communication. Anger suppression leads to increasingly heightened anger.

Sometimes there is no solution. It’s just about coping, because it’s often action-reaction and consequence or cause-and-effect beyond our control. Young athletes need to understand that these situations will occur more often. And the better they can cope and stay in control, the healthier their mind, body, and spirit.

2. Teach them how they feel.

When you teach young athletes how they feel, they’re less likely to go wild. Remember that they lack the emotional maturity to deal with problems in a logical and rational way. You can simply help them by labeling their feelings. First, you have to show them how to chop it and not whip it. As feelings arise, have a plan in place to deal with them and deal with them. Understand that it will take practice and repetition to achieve this. But when you do, it will be a natural process without the steps involved. For example, if a player takes a low blow, don’t get angry. Sweep it, stay positive and play hard.

3. Use humor.

Humor is a great way to bring your young athlete back into balance and diffuse their frustration and anger. Being angry and losing your temper causes irrational thoughts and behaviors. And sometimes you have to bring your young athlete back to reality first to solve the problem. Try using humor, not sarcasm, to relax his mind. Once relaxed, this is the perfect time to let him know that he is responsible for the consequences of his anger, even provoked. Show them that laughter or humor are powerful tools to help them think before they react.

Three-point process

Try to follow these three things when teaching your young athlete how they feel. You want to create a control, so follow the steps. Over time, the step-by-step process will become a positive health coping strategy.

1. Identify the problem.

Identify what makes them angry.

2. Create solutions and choose the best action for the solution.

Once you know the cause, you can help them formulate solutions and choose one without consequences. This will help them think about how they would act before doing so.

3. Consider the result, the consequence of the action.

How will the result make them feel? When the cause is created, an effect leads to a result. Therefore, the outcome should be as positive and constructive as possible.

Activities to help young athletes express their anger

If you observe your child’s behavior, you will see signs of anger or frustration. However, there are things they can do to express their anger constructively.

• Take a few laps around the field.
• To jump.
• Hit a ball.
• Breathe deeply.

Remember, one of the best things you can do is be a role model. Remember that your young athlete is constantly watching and watching you like his teacher does when he takes a test, making sure he doesn’t cheat. So give them a good example to follow. If they see you losing your temper, they will too.