Inspire Courage In Your Youth Sports Athletes With Wayne Mendezona
Channel: Mental Toughness Trainer
Date: 2011-10-24

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Coach Wayne Mendezona of Quick Handle Basketball camps talks about how to instill courage in your youth athletes.

Transcript: My philosophy is that up through the eighth grade you need to steer them.  Because generally speaking kids do not understand what discipline, being organized, being goal oriented is.  

They don't understand that, so it's for them to bounce away "I like this, I like that."  But they don't know what it's going to take to be great at that -- right?

My oldest daughter was in tee ball.  And the rule was you don't keep score -- right?  So the kids are playing and you're just trying to develop skills and all that stuff.  But who was keeping score on the sidelines?  The parents were and it was weird.  It was like astonishing to me.  I was like - no.  

What you do is you keep score and you teach your kids how to deal with it all as early as you possibly can.  "Look, you lost the game?  You're okay.  You're a winner.  You're okay.  Did you give 110%?  You're okay?  You're good.  Let's go get a Slurpee." 

And I'll tell you a supreme example.  We're either in the finals of a tournament or semi-finals or something.  And so she was crying, Mom was upset, everybody was upset, ankle was out.  She was done.  She was toast. 

And so the new game was starting to get ready to warmed up and I said, "Jess, let's go man, you're going to play -- aren't you?"

She goes, "Dad, I can't!"

I go, "No... no.  Let's get up on the table."  And, of course, Mom was looking at me like you're in so much trouble.

I go, "No, she can play.  We'll tape her up.  You have pre-wrap?  You have tape?"  And she started crying -- right?  I go, "Jess, your team needs you man.  Are you going to step up to the challenge.  What are you going to do about this?"  

I got all the pre-wrap on, started getting the stirrups, and doing the figure eighths.  Got the whole thing.  She is going... I say, "You can do this.  You're a winner!  Your team needs you out there.  You can manage this.  

Hey!  Man I have been through a lot of injuries.  You got to be tough right now.  You got to play through this and all this stuff."  She is huffing and puffing.   And you can start to see the courage come into her and the courage come into her.  

She said, "Alright Dad.  If this is what it takes to be great, I'm going to do it.  So I'm getting the dirty looks and stuff.  I knew the plan I had.  I finished taping her and tied her up.  She came off the table focused ready to run out there.  

She stepped and I picked her back up.  Set her back on the table.  I said, "That's what I wanted right there."  And everybody looked and they was like and I looked at my wife and said, "You've got to trust the old man."  

And that was a lesson for her.   It wasn't whether you did it or not, but were you willing to do it?  Cut that tape off of her and that was... my daughter has played through so many injuries.  She has been a warrior out on the court.  

I'm not saying it was just because of this experience.  But if you just bail your kids out over and over again, and they don't learn how to work through the rough waters of life, I'm telling you. 

We've got a lot more mental game tips and strategies for youth athletes.  Get on our training series list by entering your email in this sign up box at http://www.TeenMentalToughness.com.  And just to get you started, you'll get my guided visualization, "Master The Pressure," and an eBook on how to be a great sports parent.  Go to http://www.TeenMentalToughness.com now!