Growth Talk
Mindset
Legend
- player
- coach / parent
- movement path
How it works
Practice using growth mindset language ('I can't yet' instead of 'I can't') after a missed skill attempt.
What you need
- lacrosse stick
- lacrosse ball
Your focus
Growth mindset is most powerfully taught through language habits. Replacing fixed language ('I can't') with growth language ('I can't yet' or 'I'll get it with practice') reshapes the young athlete's relationship to difficulty and failure.
Players attempt a skill (catching or cradling) that is slightly beyond their current level.
When a player expresses frustration or says 'I can't,' coach pauses the drill.
Player rewrites their statement using growth language. Coach models: 'I can't yet, I need more practice.'
Player repeats the new statement and attempts the skill again with encouragement.
Helpful cues
- 'Can't' is a dead end. 'Can't yet' is a road that keeps going
- Every mistake is practice for getting it right
- Your brain gets better at things the more you try them, even when you mess up
Adjust the challenge
Make it easier
Strip it back
Post a growth mindset chart with sentence starters visible during practice.
UpLVL it
Add the next challenge
Players catch each other using fixed mindset language and gently correct each other.No account needed
Build a practice plan
Add drills, keep the plan in this browser, then share a link with your staff or parents.This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.
This library helps you find the right drill. Inside UpLVL the right drill finds the player.After every practice, UpLVL automatically surfaces the drills each player needs to work on most. See it for yourself.