Maybe he's lost to him before – or knows who he is and knows he's in for a rough ride. 

You look at your son…

 and he's like a different person.

• Quiet
• To himself
• NOT joking around with friends
• perhaps turned a whiter shade of pale

You can see the worry on his face – he's feeling The Dread.

And you think – oh no here we go again.  

If you've ever thought, I just wish I knew how to help him…

you're not alone.

Here are two indisputable truths:

1. Without the proper tools, he is going to suffer throughout his entire career struggling to wrestle his best in the big matches, and dreading the experience – or be overwhelmed and eventually give up the sport (big reason for burnout, as I've discussed in the parents guide to youth wrestling).

2. There is a path to help your athlete develop a winner's mindset so that he has a better experience, wrestles with more confidence and wrestles his best on the biggest stage.

This Sunday, I will focus on two elements of my Winner's Mindset series:

• The Pre-Match Confidence Boost – how to shove the negatives out (even the ones that come from teammates, coaches and parents)
• Mid-Match Coping skills – how to quickly flip the switch back on when facing adversity in the match.

The Winner's Mindset is a big part of the parents guide to youth wrestling.  You can get your free copy now.