Why Fear of Losing Can Hurt Young Athletes
Does your child become really nervous on game day, even though they have trained hard all week? Or perhaps you’ve seen them suddenly second-guess themselves right before taking a free throw or a penalty kick? That’s not just nerves — it could be loss aversion in action.
Loss aversion is the concept that people tend to fear losing more than they enjoy winning. Essentially, losing feels twice as bad as winning feels good. This default mindset can seriously affect a youth athlete’s approach to competition and performance.
So, what does loss aversion look like in sport?
On game day, instead of focusing on opportunities to perform, athletes wrapped up in loss aversion turn their attention to what could go wrong. They focus on what would happen if they make a mistake or their team loses a game. While it’s natural to consider the outcome of competition, the fear of losing takes up critical mental space — deflating confidence and tightening muscles needed to physically perform.
Loss aversion is a natural path of thinking, but we can help shift athletes away from the tendency to avoid loss in an effort to pursue more productive performance.
Focus on effort, growth and specific goals. By breaking down performance into smaller intentions, athletes learn to meet the moment.
Normalize mistakes. Every athlete makes them — even the most talented professional athletes. To be human is to err. Why beat yourself up for being human? One tough play doesn’t define an athlete – but how they respond to the setback reveals character.
Play to win, not to avoid a loss. Focus forward. This shift in mindset can encourage risk-taking, creativity and fun in performance. Isn’t that the goal of sports in the first place?
When young athletes trust their training instead of fear the outcome, performance improves. They build confidence in what they’ve learned and how they’ve executed on the field, which enables them to perform with a clear mind. Strong minds build strong athletes.
