Unstoppable Athlete - Mental Resilience for Teen Athletes
Jun 9, 2026 · 24 min · 12 segments
Many well-meaning parents and coaches believe confidence comes from praise, but confidence is actually built through effort, growth, and overcoming challenges. In this episode, Sara and Michelle…
I think that's such a valuable thing.
And as you mentioned that to me, one of the pieces I thought of as a coach was when players are coming off of the court.
So I've made a sub, and I often hear coaches saying to players, "Hey, good job." But if you're doing a good job, would I be taking you off? And you can see in the athlete's face like, "But why am I coming off?" And so I think this is really important.
What is the communication that we use to an athlete in many scenarios, and I think obviously game time scenarios, something like that.
So we can talk about this one, the subbing, and then I think we could move into, like, what, what kind of feedback, and a great place to practice is in practice, right?
Yeah.
How do we give feedback to our athletes? So in this situation, what do you think? So that athlete's coming off.
Sometimes it's 'cause they've made errors.
Sometimes it's 'cause you're shifting something in the dynamic.
But what is something as a coach that we're gonna say to an athlete that is gonna give them a message that they can understand?
So I have a perfect example of where I would say to a girl, "Good job," like, "You did good, but I have to take you off because the girl that's sitting on the bench that plays your position is 6'2"."
Right.
And so as the season went on with her, and she'd come off, and I'd give her a high five, and I'd just, I'd shrug my shoulders and say, "6'2"," and she would smile and laugh and, and come off, right? But it was, it was nothing.
She wasn't doing anything wrong.
She did do a good job.
She's just not 6'2" and doesn't pound balls the same way that our 6'2" girl does.
[laughs] So that was one example where I was like, "Legit, I can tell you you did a good job."
Yeah.
And what we need in this situation, you don't have to offer.
Yeah.
And I think sometimes, and this is where you're getting to at this point, sometimes we're telling athletes, "Hey, as long as you try hard, you get this."
Mm-hmm.
And it's, yeah, sometimes you try hard, and yet there's another player who has better skill.
And in this situation-
Mm-hmm
I think that's such a valuable thing.
And as you mentioned that to me, one of the pieces I thought of as a coach was when players are coming off of the court.
So I've made a sub, and I often hear coaches saying to players, "Hey, good job." But if you're doing a good job, would I be taking you off? And you can see in the athlete's face like, "But why am I coming off?" And so I think this is really important.
What is the communication that we use to an athlete in many scenarios, and I think obviously game time scenarios, something like that.
So we can talk about this one, the subbing, and then I think we could move into, like, what, what kind of feedback, and a great place to practice is in practice, right?
Yeah.
How do we give feedback to our athletes? So in this situation, what do you think? So that athlete's coming off.
Sometimes it's 'cause they've made errors.
Sometimes it's 'cause you're shifting something in the dynamic.
But what is something as a coach that we're gonna say to an athlete that is gonna give them a message that they can understand?
So I have a perfect example of where I would say to a girl, "Good job," like, "You did good, but I have to take you off because the girl that's sitting on the bench that plays your position is 6'2"."
Right.
And so as the season went on with her, and she'd come off, and I'd give her a high five, and I'd just, I'd shrug my shoulders and say, "6'2"," and she would smile and laugh and, and come off, right? But it was, it was nothing.
She wasn't doing anything wrong.
She did do a good job.
She's just not 6'2" and doesn't pound balls the same way that our 6'2" girl does.
[laughs] So that was one example where I was like, "Legit, I can tell you you did a good job."
Yeah.
And what we need in this situation, you don't have to offer.
Yeah.
And I think sometimes, and this is where you're getting to at this point, sometimes we're telling athletes, "Hey, as long as you try hard, you get this."
Mm-hmm.
And it's, yeah, sometimes you try hard, and yet there's another player who has better skill.
And in this situation-
Mm-hmm
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