Billy Cundiff of the Baltimore Ravens and Kyle Williams of the San Francisco 49ers have been under public scrutiny since making major mistakes during their teams’ NFL playoff games. Their response to the incidents could be just as important as what happens on the field, according to Larry Lauer of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University.

He spoke to the Los Angeles Times on the topic, pointing out that an athlete who fails to perform under pressure should not dismiss what happened as an anomaly.

“That’s a fragile confidence,” Lauer said. “A resilient confidence is: I accept that I made a mistake and I’m going to deal with it.”

The Institute for the Study of Youth Sports has helped train athletes to use mental procedures in stressful situations.

“Does it take a lot of mental discipline? Yes,” Lauer said. “Do you need to persuade yourself? Yes.”

Read the full LA Times article.

Tags: ISYS, Kinesiology, Lauer, Sports