Friday Fuel - 13 June

Hey Game Changers! 👋

Between training sessions, team talks, and game-day nerves, it’s easy for young athletes to get caught in the noise of sport. But what if one of the most powerful tools for building confidence, focus, and resilience wasn’t on the field — but in a notebook?

This week, we’re diving into the simple but powerful habit of journaling. Backed by science and used by elite athletes around the world, journaling helps young people process their thoughts, set goals, and bounce back from setbacks. Whether your teen is chasing championships or just learning to manage pressure, this tool could be a game changer.

Let’s explore why putting pen to paper might be one of the smartest plays they make.

🏆️ WHY DO SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE JOURNAL?

Journaling is a mirror and a map. It helps young athletes see where they are, understand who they are, and decide where they’re going.

You don’t need talent to journal—you need time and a pen. And over time, this small act can build big breakthroughs, just like these incredibly successful people say:

“What gets written, gets remembered. What gets remembered, gets repeated.”
— James Clear, author of Atomic Habits

“I don’t journal to ‘be productive.’ I journal to get to know myself.”
— Matthew McConaughey, actor and former athlete

“Writing in my journal has helped me track what works, manage emotions, and reflect on my performance. It’s part of my training.”
— Serena Williams

🧠 Coaches and Athletes Who Use Journaling

Kobe Bryant kept detailed journals about his game, mental preparation, and reflections. His introspective mindset helped him stay one step ahead—on and off the court.

Michael Phelps worked with a sports psychologist and used journaling to track sleep, stress, nutrition, and training responses. This habit helped him fine-tune performance and manage pressure.

Carli Lloyd, two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, has spoken about using journaling to write goals, express frustration, and remind herself of her “why” during tough moments.

Andre Agassi wrote personal reflections as a way to battle burnout and reconnect with his love for tennis—insights later shared in his memoir Open.

Athlete Spotlight 2: Katie Schofield.

World Championship Cyclist, Katie, believes that journaling is so powerful that she chose it as her one DO for youth athletes when speaking with us. Hear her talk about it here:

✍️ How Do Youth Athletes Use Journaling?

Journaling is more than a diary—it’s a performance tool.

For youth athletes, it’s a way to:

✔️ Process wins, losses, and emotions
✔️ Reflect on training and competition
✔️ Build self-awareness and confidence
✔️ Identify growth and development
✔️ Track Progress
✔️ Gain clarity and understand oneself
✔️ Set and stay focused on goals
✔️ Stay Grateful
✔️ Plan ahead
✔️ Manifest dreams

Athletes who regularly journal build emotional regulation, mental resilience, and accountability—key ingredients in long-term development.

The actual journal can be simple: a notebook or app where athletes track how they feel, what they learned, and what they want to improve. It doesn’t need to be fancy at all - Richie McCaw always just used a simple red school book.

💡 OK, But What Do You Journal?

Decide why you are journaling - different athletes have different needs and thus a different focus.

🔑 The key is to START SMALL.

Just a few lines per day can make a difference. Here's how different athletes and coaches journal:

🏅 Click the image above to see how different Olympic champions use journaling.
What’s fascinating is that while they all journal, each athlete has their own unique style — and they all work. This shows how important it is to make journaling personal and find what works for you. Plus, you’ll get to see real examples from their actual journal pages!

⚽️ Todd Beane from TOVO Academy has two things he gets his athletes to do, with one of them being a specific question repeated each day - “When was I brilliant, and what specifically did I do in that moment?”

🏀 Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors coach) encourages players to write down three things:

1. What went well

2. What they’re grateful for

3. What they want to work on
   

🧠 Sports Psychologist Jim Afremow has worked with a multitude of champions. He believes self-reflection through journaling is our superpower.

Instead of diving headfirst into mistakes, failures and what we didn’t like about our performance, Afremow invites us to use the power of positive reinforcement and start with the “what went well” debrief. He calls this his “Good. Better. Best” approach:

1) “What did you do that was good?” Celebrate those wins, big or small.

2) “What needs to get better?” Evaluate your weaknesses.

3) “What changes should I make to become my best?”

No matter the athlete or their unique style, they all tend to focus on three key things:

1. The positives

2. Something I want to improve

3. Details (a clear goal, skill or dream, nothing fluffy here!)

So no matter what your athlete actually writes or draws on the page, these are important factors to include.

👪 What Can Parents Do to Support Journaling?

• Buy the Journal: Invest in a simple notebook or journal specifically for sport.
  

• Make It Routine: Encourage a 5-minute evening reflection or post-training habit with no need for lengthy entries.

• Encourage Emotional Honesty: No judgement, just reflecting.
  

• Celebrate Consistency: Praise the habit of journaling, not just big revelations.
  

• Read Entries (BUT ONLY IF INVITED): If your child wants to share, be a non-judgmental listener.
  

Remember: Journaling is a private space for growth. Let it be their tool, not another task.

My sons have started journaling recently. They didn’t want to at first but now they are asking to do it, or coming out looking for their journal because they like it! My middle child doesn’t want me or my wife to read anything he has written and that is fine - I am just stoked that he is doing it and getting something from it.

My youngest wrote letters to us when he was in the bush for a month and couldn’t contact us - the letters were full of detail…sometimes too much! 😁. This son has never really enjoyed writing, but has now taken to journaling with a passion, doing it before bed every day. It is helping with confidence and getting them to focus on the positives.

🥗 Nutrition Hack: Journal Food & Mood

Journaling really work for nutrition development too. Encourage athletes to jot down:

• What they ate pre- and post-training - what foods and amounts were consumed?

• Tracking of Hydration - what and when did they drink?
  

• How they felt during performance - fast and strong and energised, or heavy and tired?
  

• Reflect & Adapt – How did it feel? Did it give you more energy? Would you add it to your routine?
  

Over time, patterns emerge. They’ll learn what fuels them best—physically and mentally./

📚️BOOKS ON JOURNALING

Jim Afremow’s book The Young Champions Mind is a youth version of his great book, The Champions Mind. Both detail how journaling is a powerful tool for any athlete trying to reach the top. Click the pic to see more.

Want an actual journal to help your athlete get started. The Inner Game Journals are a great place to start. I’ve used these in the past and , while we just use blank journals now, they really help structure journaling for someone new to the game. Click the pic for options.

💬 FINAL THOUGHT

I was going to write an incredibly perceptive final thought but found a problem… I’m not particularly perceptive! So who better than Matthew McConaughey to leave with some great words. Get the kids to watch this one.

💬 Here’s to raising kids who manifest success, happiness and confidence through journaling.

Billinda + Ben  

🎙️ The Game Changer | FYA (Fueling Youth Athletes)