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Understanding Each Kid  There are genetic, constitutional, and other factors thatinfluence the pressure an individual will feel in any situation and their reactionto that stress. Some of us may have been born "nervous",  happy ,  emotional , oreven "grouches." Almost certainly we are by nature prone to be shy or outgoing, andwe also inherit a propensity for certain psychological effects, including ourreaction to stress. So, we have to expect that each Kid will be impacted by and dealwith pressure situations differently. It is imperative to judge each child as anindividual.
The easiest thing to do is very simple  just ask the kids. You may be surprised athow honest the answers will be. Here are some questions to try:1. When the game is tied and youÂ're playing in the field, do you want the ballto be hit to you or would you prefer that the ball is hit to one of your teammates?2. If your team is losing by one run in the bottom of the last inning, thebases are loaded, and there are two out, do you want to be at bat?3. If youÂ're on deck in the same situation, do you want your teammate to winthe game or do you want a chance to get to the plate?4. Would you prefer your teammate make the last out of the game so that youdonÂ't have to bat with the game on the line?
Projection of Parents, Friends and Relatives  Projection is one of the defensemechanisms identified by Freud and still acknowledged today. According to Freud,projection is when someone is threatened by or afraid of their own impulses so theyattribute these impulses to someone else. I know many parents who prefer their kidsnot come to bat in a tough situation just in case their kid makes the last out.While this is very easy to understand since we all want to protect our children, itoften isnÂ't the kids feeling the pressure, but the rest of us.
Dealing With Pressure  One misconception though with performing under pressure isthat stress always has a negative connotation. Many times, "the stress ofcompetition may cause a negative anxiety in one performer but positive excitement inanother". That is why one frequently hears how elite players' thrive under pressure,when most others would crumble. As individuals, our nervous systems differ; however,according to Richard Dienstbier at the University of Nebraska, we may be able tomodify our physiological reactions by learning coping skills. Not surprisingly,exercise and sports participation are commonly considered as activities to reducestress from other areas in life. However, if a child is feeling pressure whileplaying sports, here are some solid stress relief techniques they can employ:1. Visualization  Before a game, visualize yourself in stressful situationsand dealing with them successfully. During the game, you can remember back to howyouÂ've already dealt with this situation and are mentally prepared for it,visualization is simply a shorter version of meditation.2. Breathing  If a kid is feeling stressed during a game, feeling less anxiouscan often be as simple as taking a few deep breaths. Deep breathing is a veryeffective method of relaxation. It works well in conjunction with other relaxationtechniques such as Progressive Muscular Relaxation, relaxation imagery andmeditation to reduce stress.
Conclusion - A lot has been made of the impact of pressure in youth sports and thenegative impact, but much of this is simply projecting a parent or relativeÂ'sindividual beliefs on the situation. While you can argue that IÂ'm doing the samething, but in reverse, I in fact take a different position which is: 1) toacknowledge that pressure does exist, but 2) to determine how each individual kidcan deal with the situation. Only by knowing each kid can you determine if thesituation is, in fact, distress rather than an adrenaline producing pressure momentwhich the kid loves.
