R.O.A.R.: Your Game Plan for Helping Your Child Overcome Setbacks

The first few weeks of a sports season can feel like a whirlwind—the excitement of making the team, the early wins, and the building momentum. But as the season progresses, reality sets in. Playing time isn’t guaranteed. Mistakes happen. Injuries or personal challenges can creep in. And for those already looking ahead to next year’s tryouts, the weight of expectation can feel heavy.

As parents, these moments can feel like setbacks and will be just as tough for you as they are for your child. You want to help, but it’s not always clear what to say or do. And when you’re short on time, and advice from other parents or the internet is inconsistent, you need trusted, science-backed strategies that you can apply right away.

That’s why we founded the NSAWMF: to equip parents, athletes, coaches, and institutions the tools to navigate the mental game, especially in those moments when the scoreboard or roster doesn’t reflect the effort.

Here is a practical mental fitness game plan for athletes and their families to navigate and grow through setbacks.

Setbacks Are Part of the Process

Setbacks are a part of the athlete’s growth cycle. A missed goal, a bad game, an injury, or not starting—these experiences can be uncomfortable, but they’re also powerful learning opportunities. They teach adaptability, build mental resilience, and shape the character needed to thrive in sports and life.

There may be times when these challenges aren’t immediately apparent. But, you can identify what kind of setback your athlete is facing using these common categories:

1. Physical Setbacks

• Injuries (acute or chronic), surgery, illness

• Body image issues or unhealthy relationships with food or recovery

• Overtraining (Persistent muscle tension, lack of body awareness, fatigue)

2. Performance-Based Setbacks

• Losing a starting position

• Making a high-profile mistake in a game

• Failing to meet expectations, self-imposed or others’

• Not making the team

3. Emotional and Psychological Setbacks

• Burnout, apathy, or a loss of motivation

• Anxiety before practices or games

• Depression, low self-esteem, or identity crises

4. Situational and Life-Based Setbacks

• Academic pressure, eligibility issues

• Navigating family conflict or grief

• Stress from NIL expectations, media pressure, or financial strain

It's natural to want to protect your athlete from disappointment when setbacks occur. But resilience is built when young people are given the tools to face challenges head-on, process them, and use them as stepping stones for growth.

The R.O.A.R. Method for Parents & Athletes

At NSAWMF, we teach athletes and parents the R.O.A.R. method—a simple, proven framework for moving through challenges. When you use this approach, you’ll find that you and your child will shift how you both frame setbacks and can bounce back, becoming more resilient. Here’s a brief explanation of how your child can apply this practice with your guidance. 

Recover: Center yourself with breath, movement, music, or stillness using techniques like deep breathing, humming, singing, grounding, or stepping back to neutralize the emotional spike and reset your nervous system.

For example, teach your child to use a simple breathing technique to reset focus quickly or

show them a short reset routine they can apply in practice, games, or daily life. Encourage them to repeat a personal power phrase, such as “I’m built for this.” Or, role-play multiple situations at home so recovery becomes second nature.

You can also use the “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Technique,” which is a mindful grounding exercise (as seen in Inside Out 2). Have them name 5 things they see, 4 they can touch, 3 they hear, 2 they smell, and 1 they taste to bring focus back to the present.

Observe: See the moment clearly and notice you and your teammates' body language and emotions, then ask what the moment needs from you.

Help your child use this technique to develop their critical thinking by pausing and scanning what’s happening in the moment, identifying what matters, and anticipating what's next. To start, practice with real past personal scenarios, or you can use other athletes’ experiences as examples to see how your athlete would observe what’s happening in the moment.

Adapt: Adjust their mindset or approach to a situation. Help them rely on their training and move with purpose. Shift from reaction to action.

Teach your athlete to adjust their mindset with intelligence and intention instead of impulse or emotion. Help them identify what truly matters right now, not every detail, just the ones that influence their next move. 

Guide them to anticipate what’s next based on what they see and know, not what they feel. Use real moments they’ve faced in games, or use examples from other athletes or people they admire and how they’ve reacted in the moment to strengthen their decision-making muscle.

Rise: Now your child will be ready to Rise and attack their passion or purpose with courage, clarity, and control. This is the moment where they’ll actively go after the goal with confidence and determination. Regardless of the outcome, they’ll learn to grow from both and move on to the next challenge. 

Teaching your child to use the R.O.A.R. method is more than a strategy for sports; it's a life skill. By helping them Recover, Observe, Adapt, and Rise, you’re giving them the tools to face pressure with composure, learn from challenges, and move forward with confidence. 

This approach turns setbacks into stepping stones, builds emotional intelligence, and strengthens their resilience not just for the next game but for every arena of life.

Why Your Role Matters

Research continues to show that parental support is one of the strongest influences on an athlete’s long-term success and well-being—often more impactful than feedback from coaches or administrators. 

The way you help your child process a setback shapes not just their performance but also their overall confidence, motivation, and enjoyment of the game.

That’s why our philosophy at NSAWMF encourages parents to:

• Focus on the athlete’s development over the win.

• Celebrate effort, adaptability, and improvement during the season.

• Support a healthy perspective that sport is about growth, not just the scoreboard.

Setbacks don’t define your child; how they respond does. Your support, coupled with tools like R.O.A.R., gives them a competitive edge that lasts far beyond the season.

We’ve been where they are. We’ve faced injuries, lost opportunities, and high-pressure moments. We also know a comeback is possible, and we’re here to help parents like you guide athletes through it.

Download our Pillars of the Eternal Athlete Framework that gives the athlete community strategies and tactics to build mental fitness. 

Join the NSAWMF for free today to gain more unique, credible, and actionable insights from our team and connect with a community that wants to help athletes on their journey in the world of sports.

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Disclaimer: The content provided by the National Sports Association of Wellness & Mental Fitness (NSAWMF) is for performance and developmental purposes. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing mental health challenges or emotional distress, please seek support from a licensed mental health professional. Always consult a qualified provider with any questions you may have regarding your mental well-being.