Teaching Kids to Handle Pressure & Failure | V133

About this episode

Greg Francis and his daughter Crissy discuss the mental aspects of youth sports, focusing on handling pressure and failure.

In Episode 133 of High Performance Parenting , Greg Francis sits down with daughter Crissy to talk about one of the most overlooked parts of youth sports: 👉 The mental game. They discuss: Why athletes often lose mentally before physically How pressure affects performance in sports like tennis and golf Why focusing only on outcomes creates anxiety and self-doubt The difference between success and excellence How emotional spirals happen after losses Why resilience requires processing emotions in healthy ways How athletes can learn to recover from setbacks faster Crissy also shares her personal experience after losing in the finals of a major tournament and what she learned about mindset, pressure, and identity through it. This episode gives parents and athletes a practical framework for: ✔ Building mental toughness ✔ Developing resilience ✔ Handling setbacks ✔ Staying focused under pressure Because: 👉 Excellence is controllable. 👉 Outcomes are not always controllable. (00:00) Mental Toughness in Sports (01:10) Why Athletes Struggle Under Pressure (02:58) Success vs Excellence (04:12) Learning Through Competition (05:10) Playing Free vs Playing Fearful (06:08) Defining Real…

People in this episode

Host: Greg Francis

Guest: Crissy

Topics covered

• mental toughness
• resilience
• youth sports
• pressure
• failure
• mindset
• identity

Keywords

• mental game
• athletes
• performance
• success
• excellence
• emotional spirals
• setbacks
• mindset

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: High Performance Parenting

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