How Off-Season Goals Can Boost a Young Athlete's Game

Breaking Down the Past

Learn from the prior season and avoid dwelling on your misfortunes. Do an honest assessment of your game so you can develop a practice plan for the off-season. It's a good time to evaluate your mental and physical game.

What can you improve for next season?

Mental Game:
?    Having a more stable confidence level?
?    Focusing better under distractions?
?    Letting go of mistakes quicker?
?    Trusting what you practice in games?

Physical or Skill Level
?    Speed, strength, or endurance?
?    Specific skills for your sport?
?    Level of intensity during competition?
?    Technique development?

After you evaluate the season and set new goals, commit to a plan for develop both your mental and physical game in the off-season. Use the off-season to get a confidence boost from the training you'll complete.

More: Set Sports Goals You'll Actually Achieve

Practice Makes Perfect

Effective practice builds self-confidence. What is effective practice? You work to improve your weaknesses and hone your strengths. Effective practice also means practicing in a way that helps you perform well in competition.
The goal is to train with the same intensity that you have in competition.

The off-season is all about preparation. When you feel prepared, you feel confident. An important task in mental preparation is the ability to anticipate challenges you or the team might face in the upcoming season.

This is not negative thinking—this is good preparation. However, you want to go beyond anticipating challenges by finding solutions or coping actions to those challenges you may face

You might create a daily practice plan to help you improve your mental and physical skills. Commitment is the ability to follow-through on your goals and plans.

Reward yourself as you hit your goals and training objectives. Show others your training plan so you'll be more likely to follow through. Involve your friends and fellow athletes in your sessions.

Your off-season is a great time to assess your past season, set goals, and improve for the upcoming season. Make the best of this time by being specific about your goals and sticking to your training plan.

More: How to Improve a Young Athlete's Attitude

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