The Warm up
Bounce-back week: the best teams lose, then answer
Some of the best stories in sports right now started with a loss. The Golden State Valkyries dropped Game 2 of their first-round WNBA series to the Dallas Wings in overtime, then erased a 16-point deficit in Game 3 to win 77-73. They opened the semifinals by beating the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 71-60, and Game 3 of both semifinals is October 9. In the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs came back to beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 when Auston Matthews scored with 14 seconds left in overtime.
In college volleyball, Florida trailed Kentucky two sets to one, then won the last two sets 25-21 and 15-8. The win snapped Kentucky's streak of 29 straight SEC victories. In baseball's Division Series, the Dodgers lost Game 2 to the Braves, then won the next two to reach the NLCS, and the Guardians beat the White Sox 9-3 to stay alive when facing elimination.
Also on the calendar this week:
College volleyball: Nebraska (15-0) and Pittsburgh (14-0) are still unbeaten at the top of the AVCA poll, and Nebraska visits No. 15 Indiana on Thursday.
NFL: The winless Buccaneers (0-4) visit the Cowboys (2-2) on Thursday Night Football, still looking for their first win.
Women's college hockey: Wisconsin and Ohio State are both 4-0 at the top of the USA Hockey women's poll, and Boston College opened its season with a program-record 17-0 win.
MLB: The Division Series wraps up this week, and the League Championship Series begins October 11.
USWNT: The U.S. women host top-ranked Spain on October 10 and October 13.
Tennis: The men's Shanghai Masters runs through October 18, and Matteo Berrettini opened it by losing the first set and winning the next two. The women's Wuhan Open starts October 12.
The best teams in every sport lose games and keep going. Your athlete will lose this season too, and how you handle the next ten minutes matters more than the score.
The Lead Off
The ride home is where a loss either shrinks or grows
THE SCIENCE: In one of the first studies on this topic, University of Toronto researcher Katherine Tamminen interviewed 27 athletes ages 11 to 16 and their parents about the car ride home. Some athletes looked forward to debriefing. Others dreaded it, and after a mistake some expected their parents to "get it" from them on the drive (Sport Information Resource Centre). Athletes said criticism was hard to hear even when it might be useful, and many wanted parents to be supportive no matter how they played. A few simply asked for space to think. Tamminen's advice is to let emotions cool before talking about performance, and to ask your athlete what they want the ride to be (University of Toronto).
A newer study from Michigan State's Jeemin Kim recorded 28 parent and child pairs after games. About 59% of the recorded time was silence, and sport came up only 13% of the time. Parents gave more praise than their kids gave themselves, and in some cases parents spoke before the athlete could respond (CNN). The takeaway is a gentle one. Most parents are not yelling. They are just talking too soon.
Recovery is also a skill your athlete can build. In a lab study of 90 college athletes who recalled a past sporting failure, those with higher self-compassion showed lower negative emotion and recovered from it faster. Self-compassion did not make them feel more positive, it just helped them settle (Frontiers in Psychology). That study was done with college athletes, so treat it as a useful signal, not a proven recipe for kids.
Why it matters beyond one game: the American Academy of Pediatrics is cited as estimating that 70% of kids leave organized sport by age 13, and a former True Sport Foundation director says the top reason is that it stops being fun (CNN).
What This Means for Your Athlete: After a loss, lead with connection and save the analysis for later. Say less, wait longer, and let your athlete tell you when they are ready.
🔄 TRANSLATE TO YOUR SPORT:
Hockey and soccer: The car ride can be long after a tournament game. Ask about snacks and music first.
Baseball and softball: Pitchers and hitters replay mistakes in their heads. Give them room before talking about the inning.
Tennis, gymnastics, and other individual sports: There is no teammate to share the loss with. The parent is the whole audience, so be even more careful.
Volleyball and basketball: Points and possessions come fast, and so do mistakes. Remind your athlete that one serve or one turnover is never the whole match.
The Fuel Station
One-Pot Turkey Taco Pasta
Comfort food is allowed after a hard game. This one-pot dinner brings carbohydrate and protein together in one bowl, so it works as a recovery meal and a "we are still a family that eats together" meal.
THE PLAYERS (serves 4 to 5)
1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning, or 2 tablespoons homemade
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
8 oz small pasta shells or elbows
1 cup shredded cheddar
Optional: corn, diced avocado, plain Greek yogurt
THE BUILD
Heat the oil in a large deep pan. Cook the onion for 3 minutes, add the turkey, and cook until no pink remains.
Stir in the taco seasoning, beans, tomatoes, and broth.
Add the pasta, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pasta is tender.
Stir in half the cheese, top with the rest, and let it melt for 2 minutes.
THE GOAL: Serve within an hour or so of finishing a game or practice. One bowl and a glass of water or milk is a good start.
WHY IT WORKS
Carbohydrate plus protein after exercise. Sports nutrition guidance for kids recommends carbohydrate within 30 minutes and protein within an hour of exercise, at roughly a 3 to 1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio (AboutKidsHealth). The pasta and beans carry the carbohydrate, and the turkey and cheese carry the protein.
Protein spread across the day. A review of adolescent athlete nutrition suggests about 20 to 40 g of protein per meal every 3 to 4 hours (review of adolescent athlete nutrition). A serving of this lands in that range for most teens.
One pot means a calm kitchen. After a tough game, nobody wants a complicated dinner. Fewer dishes also means more time to just sit together.
The Lab
Three drills for the moment after a mistake
THE PLAY: Athletes who do well in tough spots usually have a repeatable routine for what happens next. A meta-analysis of 33 articles covering 15 sports found that pre-performance routines improved performance, with a small effect in the pre-post studies and larger effects in experimental studies, though the evidence under real pressure was less certain (International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology). These three drills turn that idea into a "reset" your athlete can practice at home. They are new this week.
Drill 1: The Reset Routine
Setup. A ball, stick, or racket, and a pretend mistake.
The drill. Make an easy mistake on purpose, like dropping the ball. Then run the same three steps every time: breathe out slowly, say one cue word (like "next"), and take one focused action, like picking up the ball and setting up again. Repeat 10 times.
Progression. Add a time limit of 5 seconds, then add a small distraction like a sibling counting out loud.
Why it works. A consistent routine gives the mind a job after an error, which is the idea behind pre-performance routines (International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology).
Drill 2: Box Breath Between Reps
Setup. Any quiet spot. No equipment.
The drill. Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Do four rounds. Then do one hard 20-second effort and repeat the breathing.
Progression. Use the breathing between sets of any drill, or before a free throw, serve, or penalty shot.
Why it works. Slow-paced breathing has been linked to lower anxiety and calmer heart-rate patterns in several small studies, including one with basketball players, though more research with young athletes is needed (Frontiers in Psychology).
Drill 3: The Kind Coach Voice
Setup. A parent and athlete sitting on the floor with a notepad.
The drill. Have your athlete describe a recent mistake as if they were talking to a teammate. Write down what they say, then ask what they would tell a friend in the same spot. Practice swapping one harsh sentence for a kinder, honest one.
Progression. Use it out loud on the sideline or in the car, with a code word you both agree on.
Why it works. Higher self-compassion was linked to lower negative emotion and faster recovery after recalling a failure (Frontiers in Psychology).
🔄 TRANSLATE TO YOUR SPORT: Volleyball players can use the reset between serves. Hockey players can use it between shifts. Softball and baseball players can use it between pitches. Soccer players can use it after a lost ball, and tennis players between points.
Parent Playbook
Your own reset: what to say after the loss
THE STRATEGY: The Association for Applied Sport Psychology suggests letting kids make their own mistakes and learn from them. When something goes wrong, ask what they think they could have done differently, what they learned, and whether they want feedback from you, rather than criticism or blame. It also advises against blaming the coach, referees, or other players when a team loses, because that teaches kids to look outward instead of at what they can learn (Association for Applied Sport Psychology).
THE PLAY: Use the three-step ride home.
Start with a short, steady line, like "I love watching you play."
Offer a snack, music, or quiet, and let your athlete choose.
Revisit the game later that day or the next morning, and ask one open question.
Tamminen's research suggests agreeing on "rules of the road" together, like starting with something positive (University of Toronto).
THE CONVERSATION STARTER: "What do you want to do with the ride home, talk, music, or quiet?"
🔄 TRANSLATE TO YOUR SPORT: In individual sports like tennis, swimming, and gymnastics, parents often travel and watch every result. A ride-home agreement helps even more there.
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🏆 Play of the Week
Watch a bounce-back like a coach
THE PLAY: Pick one big game this week and watch for 15 minutes together. A WNBA semifinal, the USWNT against Spain, Thursday Night Football, or a Division Series game all work. Ask two questions:
After a mistake, like a missed serve, a turnover, or an error, what does the player do in the next few seconds?
When a team falls behind, what changes, like a timeout, a substitution, or a huddle?
Watch for small resets: a deep breath at the free-throw line, a teammate's high five after a missed tackle, or a hitter stepping out of the box to breathe before the next pitch.
THE GOAL: Show your athlete that professionals have a routine for the next play, and that nobody on the field is perfect. Point out what you see, then let them talk.
THE FINAL WHISTLE
Short memories win series
Every team still playing this month has lost games this season. What separates them now is the next point, the next shift, the next inning, the next day. Your athlete is working on the same skill, at a smaller scale and with a lot less television.
You do not have to fix the loss. You only have to make sure your athlete still wants to play tomorrow. Say less, feed them well, and save the film session for when they ask.
Lead with "I love watching you play." The rest can wait until the car is parked.
See you on the sidelines,
The Seasoned Sidekick Team
Pass the Assist
Know a family that dreads the ride home after a tough game? Forward this issue along before the weekend.
Keep Reading
October 1, 2026: Opening Night: Ramp Up, Don't Sprint
September 24, 2026: Playoff Push: What Youth Athletes Can Learn from Pressure Moments
Medical Disclaimer: The content in The Seasoned Sidekick is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a licensed physician, registered dietitian, or certified athletic trainer. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your athlete's nutrition, training, or recovery plan. Individual needs vary. The information presented is based on available research and general guidelines for youth athletes.