Meditation for Young Athletes: Why They Resist It (Until They Learn This)
“My dad told me to do it.”
That’s what my client, “Tyler,” said when I asked if he’d ever tried meditation.
He hadn’t.
That answer is common. In my work on meditation for young athletes, the resistance rarely comes from the athlete being lazy or stubborn. It comes from two gaps nobody has filled yet.
Why Young Athletes Resist Meditation
Tyler skipped meditation partly because his dad told him to. But mostly because:
- No one explained how meditation could help his performance.
- No one showed him how to do it.
When you don’t know why or how, decision-making often stalls. Some call it procrastination.
Really, your brain just wants convenience. If something costs too much mental energy, you’ll choose to do nothing.
Meditation also has an image problem with teenagers. Many picture sitting cross-legged in silence for an hour, which feels a long way from a hockey rink or a batter’s box. Until someone connects it to the moments they care about on game day, it stays on the “maybe later” list.
That’s where Tyler was stuck.
What Pressure Feels Like in the Game
In games, Tyler told me, everything feels like it speeds up.
His ability to process information slows down.
His thoughts get cluttered with distractions he can’t control: the score, the coach on the bench, the parents in the stands, the mistake he made two shifts ago.
As I told Tyler, you can’t stop those thoughts from popping up. But you can train yourself to notice them, and then shift your attention back to what matters most in the moment.
That’s where meditation comes in.
How Meditation for Young Athletes Slows the Game Down
Meditation is like strength training for your mind.
When you notice your attention drifting, you bring it back to an anchor, often your breath. Each time you catch the drift and come back, that’s one rep. Five minutes of meditation a day can help build the “mindfulness muscle.”
Over time, the accumulated practice makes it easier for young athletes to move past distractions and perform in the present. Research supports this too. A mindfulness guide from USA Volleyball and TrueSport points to a study in which meditation helped kids tune out distractions, like parents shouting from the stands, and stay focused during games.
Even NFL quarterbacks use it. JJ McCarthy put it this way:
“I can go to that centered place where I could be anywhere in the world and still feel the same way.”
WATCH: JJ McCarthy’s Pre-Game Meditation Routine Slows Everything Down
That centered place is the goal of meditation for young athletes. The game doesn’t actually get slower. The athlete gets better at staying with the play in front of them.
3 Simple Steps to Start Meditation for Young Athletes
Tyler committed to trying meditation once he understood the why, the how, and the benefit. Here’s the same approach I use with every athlete.
Step 1: Explain the Why
Start with a moment the athlete already struggles with. A missed free throw that lingers. A bad shift that turns into three. Then explain that meditation trains the exact skill they need in that moment: noticing the distraction and letting it go.
Step 2: Show the How
A basic routine of meditation for young athletes looks like this:
- Sit comfortably and set a timer for 2 to 5 minutes.
- Breathe normally and count each exhale from one to ten.
- When your mind wanders, notice it without judging it.
- Go back to one and start counting again.
Losing count isn’t failing. Noticing that you lost count is the skill you’re building.
Step 3: Make It a Routine
Attach meditation to something that already happens every day, like right after school or before bed. On game days, a shorter version in the locker room or car can become part of a pre-game routine. With meditation for young athletes, consistency matters more than length.
What Parents and Coaches Can Do
Tyler’s dad had the right idea. Telling an athlete to meditate just isn’t enough on its own.
If you’re a parent or coach, ask questions instead of giving orders. What happens to your focus after a mistake? When does the game feel too fast? Let the athlete connect meditation to their own answers, and they’re far more likely to own the habit.
Meditation for young athletes also pairs well with other mental skills. If your athlete tends to overthink, read Decision-Making in Sports: 3 Proven Ways to Beat Overthinking. If confidence is the bigger issue, see Yips in Baseball: 3 Steps to Rebuild Confidence.
Will Meditation Solve Everything Overnight?
Nope.
But it’s a great starting point, because awareness is the first step toward change.
And if meditation isn’t the right fit, we’ll keep experimenting until we find what works best for Tyler. Meditation for young athletes is one tool in the toolbox, not the only one.
The Lesson
Young athletes won’t commit to tools they don’t understand. Once they see the why and the how, the door opens.
Want more mental performance strategies for young athletes? Join my newsletter, or reach out to talk about one-on-one coaching.
FAQs About Meditation for Young Athletes
How long should young athletes meditate?
Start with 2 to 5 minutes a day. Short, consistent sessions build the habit faster than long sessions that happen once a week.
When is the best time for an athlete to meditate?
Pick a time that already exists in the daily schedule, like after school or before bed. Many athletes also add a brief breathing routine before games.
Is meditation the same as mindfulness?
They’re closely related. Mindfulness is the skill of paying attention to the present moment. Meditation is one of the most common ways to practice it.
What if my athlete says meditation is boring?
That’s normal at first. Connect it to a specific performance problem they want to fix, keep sessions short, and let them track their progress. Buy-in usually follows understanding.
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Michael Huber is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® with a Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology. My mission is to help athletes ages 14 to 22 be themselves when everyone is watching. Learn more about Michael.