As the Malta Olympic Committee’s sport psychologist it has been one of my priorities to work with our junior athletes as a number of these will undoubtedly be our top athletes in the near future.
Although most psychological skills training (PST) has been targeted towards elite athletes, over the past years, researchers have proposed that mental skills training should be introduced for children. Many young athletes participating in organized, competitive sport are in need of specific techniques that will enhance their physical and psychosocial development.
Orlick (1982) observed that if children were to be exposed to stressful situations such as competitive, adult-organised sport, psychologists, coaches and teachers had a responsibility to teach them strategies to deal effectively with that stress.
The performance and personal development of young athletes who are taught PST techniques may progress faster than the performance and personal development of youngsters who do not receive PST. PST may be particularly effective with younger athletes as they are developing physically and psychologically and can learn appropriate skills to cope with the stresses of sporting competition. Also, it may be easier to teach PST to beginners. Experienced teachers and coaches know it is easier to teach the proper techniques to a beginner than to correct a poor technique in a more experienced athlete.
Aspects of mental training that may be useful include the development of a positive attitude to competition.
By teaching youngsters to understand which aspects of competition are and are not in their control, and then helping them to focus on personally controllable goals, competition may be more enjoyable and less intense. Children can also be taught to visualise success and to react to situations constructively.
Other easily taught strategies include simple attentional skills such as verbal cues and positive imagery.
A study investigating the appropriateness of mental training for 7-10 year old children playing table-tennis found that children who used mental imagery experienced significantly greater improvement in the accuracy and technical quality of their shots than children in comparison groups.
If mental training includes an element of fun, appropriate role models, positive and individualised approaches and the cooperation of parents, the successful learning of the above strategies would very likely lead to an increase in intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, self-awareness and self-confidence.
If children are given the opportunity to participate in a structured mental skills training programme adjusted to their developmental level, it is likely they will have more effective, enjoyable and successful experiences in sport. Most young athletes who have followed a mental skills training programme have reported that they have been provided with a service they felt has helped their performance and a service which has helped to improve the way they look at life in general.