Mental coaching will help you build stronger mental skills that will translate to greater success for you on the field or court.
In this article, I’m going to cover what mental coaching is, how mental coaching works, and how you can get started with mental coaching as an athlete.
If you’re new to mental performance coaching and want a complete breakdown of what a mental coach does and how the process works in detail, you can read my full guide on what a mental coach does.
What is Mental Coaching
Mental performance coaching involves working with a coach on identifying your current strengths and challenges as an athlete and building positive mental skills.
When you work with a mental game coach, they will help you understand yourself better and gain a better idea as to how your mindset is either helping you or holding you back.
As a mental performance coach, I work with a lot of different sports. And what I’ve found is that there’s one common factor between all sports…the mind. The mind is universal, and all athletes, no matter the sport they play or their age, need a strong mindset.
When I say a strong mindset, that can sometimes be confusing. So here is a look at some of the main mental skills that will be built through mental coaching:
- Confidence
- Focus
- Mindfulness
- Resilience
- Positive Self-Talk
- Mental Toughness
- Self-Awareness
- Emotional Management
- Leadership
If you want a deeper explanation of what mental coaching is and how it differs from sports psychology, be sure to read my full guide on what a mental coach does.
Benefits of Mental Performance Coaching
The benefits of mental performance coaching are the real reason it’s important for you to strengthen your mindset as an athlete.
It is through these benefits that increased performance is seen.
Now, for you to truly gain all the benefits mental coaching has to offer, there’s one thing you must be ready for…work.
Strengthening your mindset takes work. You must be willing to put in the work during your coaching sessions, along with the additional work, known as action steps, which we’ll talk about a bit more later on.
But if you do put forth the effort, there are many benefits you can expect, including…
- Increased confidence
- Improved focus
- Decreased sports performance anxiety
- Decreased fear of failure
- The ability to perform under pressure
- A calmer mind
- Increased mind-body connection
- The ability to bounce back from failure
- Performing with a calm mindset
If you’re currently struggling with confidence, pressure, or consistency in competition, mental performance coaching gives you a structured way to improve.
How to Get Started With Mental Coaching (Step-by-Step Process)
Now that you understand the basics, let’s walk through what actually happens when you begin mental performance coaching.
Mental performance coaching is a process. It’s well structured for a reason…because the structure works. It allows for continual growth and the optimal environment for you to build stronger mental skills.
The process I use has been tested and proven to work with athletes of all levels and from all different sports.
I use this same structure with athletes across different sports and levels, helping them build confidence and perform more consistently under pressure.
Step 1: Mental Performance Assessment
We first begin with an assessment. This assessment is completed by the athlete prior to the first session.
The reason I love using an assessment is because it provides me with valuable insight into your mindset before we begin the coaching. But it also forces you to perform introspective work that will warm you up for what’s to come.
This structured process is what allows mental coaching to create real, lasting change—not just short-term motivation.
Step 2: Personalized Mental Game Plan
Following the assessment, I will create a custom mental game plan for you. This will include the main mental blocks you’re dealing with, along with the mental skills we will focus on.
This is an important step because mental performance coaching is extremely personalized.
Step 3: Weekly Coaching Sessions
Now, after the assessment and creating the mental game plan, it’s time to get to work. The work takes place through weekly coaching sessions and action steps.
The coaching sessions are performed virtually. What we’ll do during the sessions will differ, as the coaching is personalized. However, there are certain principles that will always be followed.
One includes reviewing games and practices from the previous week. This is a way to work through challenges and to examine what is working and is not working in terms of the tools.
Step 4: Action Steps and Mental Training Exercises
Another major aspect of the coaching sessions is teaching mental skills. This is where you will learn different sports psychology tools and techniques you can begin implementing.
The action steps are activities and exercises for you to complete during the week. This is a way for you to begin applying the tools and techniques you use and actionably strengthen your mindset.
Step 5: Ongoing Support and Follow-Up
Another aspect of mental performance coaching is a follow-up. After each session, I will send you a follow-up email summarizing what we covered on the call and including your action steps for the week.
This is a valuable piece to the coaching because it provides you with written notes you can refer back to as you move forward and even after the coaching is complete.
Get Started With Mental Coaching
If you’re considering working with a mental performance coach, this is exactly what the process will look like from your first step forward.
The first step is an introductory call. From there, we move into the assessment and begin building your mental game plan.
During this introductory call, you will learn even more about the coaching program, and I will be able to learn more about your (or your child’s) goals and current situation.
Following the introductory call, if we decide to move forward with the coaching, that’s when you will then complete the assessment, we’ll schedule the time for our weekly session, and get to work!
To schedule your introductory call, please fill out the form below, or schedule a call using this link.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
