Eli Straw
Eli is a sport psychology consultant and mental game coach who works 1-1 with athletes to help them improve their mental skills and overcome any mental barriers keeping them from performing their best.
He has an M.S. in psychology and his mission is to help athletes and performers reach their goals through the use of sport psychology & mental training.
Recent Articles
How Mental Performance Coaching Helps Teams
January 20, 2026
Why Athletes Second Guess Themselves (And How to Stop)
December 11, 2025
Why Athletes Play Scared (And How to Stop)
December 4, 2025
How Does Attitude Impact Performance?
December 3, 2025
Setting Goals for Practices & Games
December 2, 2025
Three Pillars to Becoming a More Consistent Athlete
November 20, 2025
Follow Us
Sports Psychology Articles
How Mental Performance Coaching Helps Teams
Eli Straw January 20, 2026
Quick Summary:
- Sports teams often underperform due to mental and emotional factors rather than lack of talent, including fear of failure, anxiety under pressure, confidence swings, and poor responses to mistakes.
- When fear and pressure increase, athletes are more likely to hesitate, overthink, or avoid responsibility, which disrupts execution, communication, and trust across the team.
- Mental performance coaching helps teams develop practical skills such as emotional regulation, focus control, confidence under pressure, and effective reset routines after mistakes.
- Structured team mental coaching improves consistency in games, strengthens leadership and communication, and helps teams respond constructively to adversity instead of reacting emotionally.
- Teams that integrate mental training into their season are better able to translate preparation and talent into confident, composed performance when it matters most.
Why Athletes Second Guess Themselves (And How to Stop)
Eli Straw December 11, 2025
Quick Summary:
- Athletes second guess themselves due to overthinking, hesitation, and fear-driven mental traps.
- Core causes include fear of mistakes, perfectionism, fear of judgment, and lack of trust in preparation or mechanics.
- Mental traps like outcome focus, comparison, trying to control everything, and dwelling on past mistakes amplify second guessing.
- Key strategies include using an in-game resetting routine, setting process-based goals, building a pre-performance routine, and practicing aggressive, mistake-tolerant play.
- Daily mental training—self-talk, journaling, and reflecting on preparation—helps athletes build trust and reduce second guessing over time.
Why Athletes Play Scared (And How to Stop)
Eli Straw December 4, 2025
Quick Summary:
- Athletes play scared because of fear, not because they lack skill. Playing scared shows up as hesitation, second guessing, and holding back during games, even when athletes perform well in practice.
- The most common driver of scared play is fear of negative consequences, such as making mistakes, getting embarrassed, losing a starting role, getting yelled at, or letting others down.
- Outcome-focused thinking increases fear. When athletes fixate on results they want to avoid, their brain shifts into protection mode, leading to cautious, timid decision-making.
- Fear of injury or contact can also cause athletes to play scared, especially when they try to avoid physical situations that are required to perform at a high level in competition.
- Athletes stop playing scared by accepting fear, shifting from avoidance-based goals to controllable process goals, and training themselves to play aggressively and freely under pressure.
How Does Attitude Impact Performance?
Eli Straw December 3, 2025
Quick Summary:
- Your attitude directly impacts your performance by affecting your resilience, focus, effort, and actions during competition.
- A negative attitude makes it harder to bounce back from mistakes, stay locked in, and put yourself in positions to succeed.
- Attitude is driven by your thinking—not the situation—meaning the same moment can produce very different performances.
- A positive attitude improves focus, confidence, and effort, helping athletes play better and more consistently.
- The most effective way to improve attitude is by changing your thinking, especially after mistakes, tough calls, or when things aren’t going your way.
Setting Goals for Practices & Games
Eli Straw December 2, 2025
Quick Summary:
- Goals give athletes clear intent, direction, and focus during both practices and games.
- The most effective goals are process-based (controllable), not outcome-based.
- Long-term goals provide motivation, but daily practice and game goals should focus on improvement and performance.
- Two key questions guide goal-setting: What will help me improve? What will help me play my best?
- Clear, controllable goals improve practice quality and help athletes perform more consistently in games.
- Process-focused goals reduce anxiety, keep athletes present, and support confident performances.
Three Pillars to Becoming a More Consistent Athlete
Eli Straw November 20, 2025
Quick Summary:
- Consistency comes from mindset, not results—repeat the same confident, present-focused mentality each game.
- Weekly physical preparation and extra skill work reduce worry and build trust in your abilities.
- Mental preparation tools like visualization, self-talk, and pre-game routines create a reliable game-day mindset.
- Consistency depends on how you respond to mistakes—reset quickly instead of letting errors snowball.
- Respond to bad games with learning, not overthinking; avoid unnecessary mechanical changes driven by fear.
Master Your Mental Game With One-On-One Coaching
Get one-on-one mental performance coaching to help break through mental barriers and become the athlete you’re meant to be!