How to Teach High School Athletes to be Good Losers

Show your athletes that the morale and teamwork of the team is more important than winning or losing. As a coach, motivate the team so they want to win without obsessing over winning. Use team outings, pizza parties or any other incentive that works for your team.

Teach high school athletes to improve in a way that is challenging, but fair. Don't yell or put players down when a mistake is made. You want to build the athletes up instead of lowering their self-esteem.Be realistic about what each athlete can achieve. Tell them the truth without making them feel bad about themselves. Encourage them when they are doing well without making them overconfident.

Treat the players with respect and show them how to be personally responsible. When an athlete makes a mistake, ask him what he would have done differently and then explain calmly what you suggest. This teaches them to not blame others when something goes wrong.

Praise the effort the athletes put into their sport. Encourage them to congratulate each other when the team plays hard, even if it loses. Focus on supporting effort rather than results. Show them that doing their best more important than any outcome.

Help athletes to set new goals to help develop their resilience. Shake off mistakes, learn from them and move on. Focus on what they can improve for the next game. Praise their improvement, even if they don't win.

Coach them to react the same way to winning as they do to losing. Teach them that losing doesn't reflect on their character.

Move ahead by focusing on the future instead of dwelling on past losses and mistakes. Show examples of athletes your child relates to who have a good attitude when they lose. This gives them a better understanding of how they should react and encourages optimism.