POSITIVE COACHING SCOTLAND MISTAKES RITUALS No successful person is successful at everything they do, to be successful you must respond positively from making mistakes.   Mistakes are what a lot of young people focus upon, the fear of making a mistake dominated their performance, confident individuals do not worry about making mistakes – they have a mistakes ritual to help them move on from any mistakes. Fear of making mistakes can impact negatively on the performance of an athlete or team. It is important for parents to: Understand why mistakes are made How they can support the process of recovering from mistakes There are generally four reasons why mistakes are made in the first place: The athlete or team doesn’t understand what has been asked of them They understand what has been asked, but chose not to do it They understand what has been asked but are in the early stages of learning and are unable to achieve the task They understand what has been asked but are physically unable to achieve the task

POSITIVE COACHING SCOTLAND MISTAKES RITUALS How parents support their child after making a mistake can be one of the most important things they do. Mistake ‘rituals’ help young people bounce back and continue to concentrate on the rest of their performance. Here are some examples of mistake rituals:   Wipe your Brow Signal to your child that after a mistake, they can wipe it away. Watch Andy Murray during a tennis match, after every point he will wipe his brow. This is his signal to himself to forget the last point (whether he won it or not) and move on. Stamp it out A quick stamp on the ground and continue with the match/game. So many successful players use this to forget a mistake. Remember WIN Your first thought after making a mistake should be WIN What’s Important Now Remind your child to focus forward rather than on the mistake – this can be crucial in developing their ability. Rate this tool! Give us your feedback.