a lot of questions...

Question
My son is 11 yrs. old and plays on a pee-wee division football team.  He started the season as the starting WR, starting DB, and 3rd string qb.  The coaches noticed that my son seems to shy away from hitting when playing DB during game time, but during practice he seems to be okay.  This has caused him to loose his position as the starting DB.  He has told mw that he's not afraid of hitting (contact) As a WR he's fine at catching balls but when it comes to blocking and running the ball he tends to shy away from contact. Which has caused him to loose some playing time at WR.  The coaches wanted him at QB because of his wheels and his arm, but when he's back there he can't remember the play (what play, which way it's going, who gets the ball etc.) because of this he tends to  freezes up under the pressure.  (Granted he's never played the QB position before) but he can get a whole lot of reps in during the start of practice and still mess up on the same plays at the end of practice (that's why his the 3rd string QB) I think that the QB position is just to fast for him, what do you think?  As for hitting and contact, (which I think is all in his head) nay suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hello Scott

I had to do a bit of thinking about this.

If your son is OK with contact in practice, but there are problems in games (which is under pressure), then that means that your son has some kind of belief that hitting and contact are not OK or safe in games.  He may be consciously unaware of what it is. It could come from an experience he had, saw, or a comment he heard, but I can guarantee you it's something.  

You didn't mention if this is his first year of football.  If he played last year, how was it? Did the same thing happen?

When correcting a problem with the mental game, it helps to realize it's essentially a puzzle that needs to be solved. First, write down exactly when this started.  What was going on in your son's life at that point - family, coaches, team mates, competition, did he see a pro athlete get hurt during a game, etc.  How has your son done with pressure in other areas of his life - any parallels?

Then, it's time to sit down and talk with your son about football and competition and how he feels about it. This can really help a lot. When children believe an adult, especially a parent or coach, is listening to them (without judging them), this can help the child change how they think and feel, which often results in them changing the beliefs that are holding them back.

There is a similar theme to the QB issue - except he also has problems in practice.  If his memory is fine in other areas, and if he is comfortable in other situations where he has to do things quickly, then maybe it would help to experiment with memory devices to help him remember the plays (like rhymes, jingles and pictures for plays). Lots of pros do this. Once he feels confident that he can remember, then he can use the rest of his abilities to play at his potential.

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

David

David Kenward - The Mental Coach
Sacramento, California
http://www.thementalcoach.com
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