8 Youth Mindset Tips

1- Stop cutting weight! 

They may win a few extra matches but burn out and stunt their growth in the process. Don’t do it!

2- Develop skills before learning tons of moves.

Gymnastics is a great foundation for wrestling. Build strength, athleticism and body awareness before focusing on technique. Develop basic mental skills as well; motivation, mental toughness and confidence.

3- Don’t compete too much. 

There will be plenty of time to compete as they get older. Competition should ramp us as kids get older. It’s difficult to ramp up when you are wrestling too much too young.

4- Make it fun. 

The number one reason kids play sports is because they are fun. Don’t kill the joy in the sport when they are too young by making it too serious or competitive. If it’s not fun, eventually they will quit or self sabotage. Find ways to make the sport fun at every age, especially when they are really young.

5- Play other sports.

This will help build other athletic skills, keep the sport fresh and prevent overuse injuries. Plus, they probably want to play other sports.

It’s better to do a little a lot than to do a lot a little. Focus on a few basics and work on mastering those skills.

7- Realize winning doesn’t make you better. Improving does.

Keep the focus on improvement rather than records and wins. Just because you won doesn’t mean you got better.

8- Develop Strong Minds!

You should be training your mind from day on the wrestling mat. Make sure to recognize the things your kid does well and not just the things they did wrong. There are so many skills in wrestling so it should be easier to point out technique, positions or skills that a kid is doing well to build his confidence. If you don’t know how to start building mental skills, begin with our Kids Mindset Course. 

Once your wrestler is mature enough, there is no substitute for our 1-1 Coaching Program which has helped thousands of wrestlers around the country build confidence, mental toughness and relax under pressure.