Sport Psychology for Kids
Through a structured 12-week, one-on-one mental performance coaching program, your child will learn practical sport psychology tools they can use before, during, and after competition. Every part of the program is personalized to your child’s sport, personality, challenges, and goals, with virtual coaching sessions that allow them to receive support from wherever they live.
Call (919) 914-0234 or click the button below to schedule a free introductory coaching call and learn whether the program is the right fit for your young athlete.
Sport Psychology for Kids
Through a structured 12-week, one-on-one mental performance coaching program, your child will learn practical sport psychology tools they can use before, during, and after competition. Every part of the program is personalized to your child’s sport, personality, challenges, and goals, with virtual coaching sessions that allow them to receive support from wherever they live.
Call (919) 914-0234 or click the button below to schedule a free introductory coaching call and learn whether the program is the right fit for your young athlete.
How the 12-Week 1-on-1 Mental Performance Coaching Program Works
My name is Eli Straw, and I’m a mental performance coach who works one-on-one with young athletes on strengthening the mental side of their sport.
Many kids have the physical ability to succeed but struggle to consistently show that ability during games. They may become nervous, hesitate, lose confidence after mistakes, worry about disappointing others, or put so much pressure on themselves that they stop playing freely.
The purpose of this program is to help your child understand what’s happening mentally and develop practical tools they can use when those challenges show up.
This is a structured 12-week mental performance coaching program created specifically for athletes. Rather than giving your child generic encouragement or telling them to “be confident,” we identify the exact patterns affecting their performance and build their mental skills step by step.
Here’s how the process works:
1. Mental Performance Assessment
Before the first coaching session, your young athlete completes a detailed mental performance assessment.
The assessment helps identify the situations, thoughts, emotions, and habits that may be affecting their performance. This can include low confidence, fear of failure, performance anxiety, perfectionism, difficulty handling mistakes, overthinking, trouble focusing, or pressure to meet expectations.
Parents can also provide important background information about what they’ve noticed before, during, and after competitions.
2. Personalized Mental Game Plan
After reviewing the assessment, I create a personalized 12-week game plan for your child.
The plan is based on their sport, personality, current challenges, competitive environment, and the mental skills they need to develop. Because every young athlete responds differently to competition, the program isn’t built around a one-size-fits-all curriculum.
Your child’s coaching plan is designed specifically for them.
3. Mental Training Workbook and Performance Journal
Your child receives a mental training workbook with exercises, reflection questions, and practical tools connected to what we discuss during coaching sessions.
They’ll also receive a performance journal they can use to prepare for practices and games, reflect on their performances, and track their mental growth throughout the program.
The goal isn’t to give them hours of school-like homework. The exercises are designed to be focused, practical, and easy to connect directly to their sport.
4. Weekly 1-on-1 Virtual Coaching Sessions
Your child and I meet for one 30-minute coaching session each week through Zoom.
During these sessions, we talk through their current challenges, teach new mental skills, review recent practices and competitions, and make sure they understand how to apply what they’re learning.
The sessions are conversational and age-appropriate. I work to create an environment where young athletes feel comfortable talking honestly about what they experience without feeling judged, lectured, or pressured.
5. Weekly Mental Training Exercises
Your child leaves each session with specific action steps to complete before our next call.
Depending on their needs, these exercises may focus on confidence, self-talk, focus, visualization, pregame preparation, handling pressure, responding to mistakes, or staying present during competition.
The action steps give your child an opportunity to practice their mental skills instead of only talking about them.
6. Ongoing Support Between Sessions
You can reach out via text or email throughout the program if you need additional support.
That may be before an important competition, after a difficult performance, when confidence begins to drop, or when your child is struggling to apply one of the tools we’ve discussed.
I respond personally and help you all work through what’s happening in real time.
Your child isn’t simply meeting with a coach once each week and then being left on their own. They have continued guidance as they begin using their mental skills during actual practices and competitions.
This creates a complete mental training process that combines assessment, education, practice, support, and consistent one-on-one coaching.
The sections below explain each part of the program in greater detail.
What Your Young Athlete Will Learn Through 1-on-1 Coaching
Sport psychology coaching gives your child a structured way to strengthen the mental skills that influence how they practice, compete, and respond to challenges.
Together, we identify what’s getting in the way of their performance and develop tools they can understand and use in their sport.
Over the course of the 12-week program, your young athlete may learn how to:
- Build confidence without depending entirely on results
- Manage nerves before games and competitions
- Stop overthinking and play more naturally
- Recover quickly after mistakes
- Handle pressure and expectations
- Improve focus during practices and games
- Respond more effectively to coaching and feedback
- Develop constructive self-talk
- Prepare mentally before competition
- Let go of fear and hesitation
- Stay present instead of worrying about the outcome
- Compete with greater composure and freedom
The exact skills we work on depend on your child’s current challenges and goals.
The Approach Behind Sport Psychology Coaching for Kids
Young athletes don’t usually need another person telling them to try harder, calm down, or believe in themselves.
Most already want to succeed. The problem is that they may not know how to manage the thoughts, emotions, expectations, and pressure that come with competition.
This coaching is built around teaching practical mental performance skills in a way young athletes can understand and apply.
My background includes advanced study in psychology with a specialization in sport psychology, and the program follows a clear, step-by-step process focused on helping athletes improve how they think, prepare, and respond during competition.
We begin by identifying the mental patterns affecting your child. From there, I create a personalized coaching plan and teach the skills that address those patterns. Your child then practices those skills through weekly exercises and applies them during real practices and games.
Instead of speaking broadly about having a “strong mindset,” we work directly on the situations your child is experiencing.
That may mean helping them:
- Feel less nervous before a game
- Stop shutting down after making a mistake
- Trust themselves instead of hesitating
- Handle criticism from a coach
- Focus on the next play
- Stop worrying about what other people think
- Play as confidently in games as they do in practice
- Enjoy competing again without carrying so much pressure
The objective is to give your young athlete mental tools they can continue using as they grow, compete at higher levels, and face new challenges in their sport.
What’s Included in the 12-Week 1-on-1 Mental Performance Coaching Program
Detailed Mental Performance Assessment
A detailed assessment used to understand your child’s strengths, confidence patterns, pressure responses, fears, focus, and current mental performance challenges. Parents can also provide background information about what they’ve noticed.
Personalized 12-Week Game Plan
A customized mental training plan built around your child’s sport, personality, competitive environment, individual challenges, and goals.
Weekly 30-Minute Coaching Sessions (Virtual)
One-on-one virtual coaching sessions that guide your young athlete through the program step by step and help them apply mental skills to real situations in their sport.
Mental Training Workbook and Performance Journal
A structured workbook with mental training exercises and a performance journal your child can use to prepare for practices and competitions, reflect on performances, and track their progress.
Weekly Action Steps and Progress Tracking
Focused exercises help your child practice the mental skills discussed during coaching, while regular progress reviews allow the program to adjust as their needs and challenges change.
Ongoing Text and Email Support
Direct access to me between sessions when your young athlete or your family needs guidance, clarification, or support. Parents can also ask questions and stay informed about the overall direction of the program.
Who is Mental Performance Coaching for Kids Designed For?
This program is designed for young athletes who want to become stronger, more confident, and more consistent on the mental side of their sport.
Your child may be a good fit if they:
- Perform well in practice but struggle to show the same ability during games
- Become extremely nervous before competitions
- Lose confidence quickly after mistakes
- Worry about disappointing parents, coaches, or teammates
- Put too much pressure on themselves to play perfectly
- Hesitate or play scared during important moments
- Get stuck thinking about previous mistakes
- Overthink decisions instead of reacting naturally
- Struggle to stay focused during competition
- Become frustrated, emotional, or discouraged after setbacks
- Have trouble responding to feedback from coaches
- Compare themselves constantly to teammates or opponents
- Fear trying new skills because they might fail
- Want to build mental skills before moving to a higher level of competition
- Need more structured support than motivational videos or occasional pep talks can provide
The program can also be a good fit for young athletes who aren’t currently experiencing a major problem but want to build confidence, focus, resilience, and stronger mental habits proactively.
I work with young athletes across many different sports, ability levels, and competitive environments. The coaching is adapted to your child rather than expecting your child to adapt to a generic program.
What Makes This Program Different?
Parents can find countless videos, books, quotes, and social media posts about confidence and mental toughness.
Those resources can introduce useful ideas, but many young athletes still have trouble applying what they hear when they’re nervous, frustrated, or under pressure.
This program is different because your child receives a structured process, personalized coaching, and continued support.
A Complete 12-Week Process
The program follows a clear progression rather than jumping randomly from one mindset topic to another.
Each week builds on the work that came before it so your child can gradually develop stronger and more dependable mental skills.
Coaching Built Around Your Child
Your child’s personality, sport, position, experience, confidence, challenges, and goals all shape the program.
The coaching isn’t based on what young athletes are “supposed” to struggle with. It’s based on what your child is actually experiencing.
Age-Appropriate Mental Training
Mental performance concepts are explained in a clear and practical way.
Your child won’t be expected to understand complicated psychological language. We take the skill and connect it directly to situations they recognize from their own sport.
Practical Tools for Competition
The exercises aren’t designed only to increase your child’s knowledge.
They’re designed to help your child do something differently when pressure, mistakes, fear, or negative thoughts show up during a game.
Weekly One-on-One Attention
Your young athlete works directly with me throughout the entire program.
I get to know their habits, triggers, concerns, goals, and communication style. That makes it possible to explain skills in a way that connects with them and adjust the coaching as they develop.
Support During Real Challenges
Your child’s mental game won’t only be tested during our weekly calls.
It will be tested before tryouts, during close games, after difficult performances, and when confidence begins to slip. Text and email support allow me to help your child work through those moments while they’re actually happening.
Space to Talk Honestly
Some young athletes have difficulty explaining their struggles to parents or coaches.
They may feel embarrassed, worry that they’ll disappoint someone, or assume they should be able to fix the problem themselves.
One-on-one coaching gives them a separate space to talk openly, understand what they’re experiencing, and learn how to respond.
Experience Across Different Sports
I’ve worked with young athletes from a wide range of individual and team sports. This experience helps me adapt the mental training tools to different competitive demands, coaching styles, positions, and performance environments.
This isn’t a motivational speech, a one-time seminar, or a collection of generic mindset tips.
It’s a personalized mental performance coaching program designed to help your young athlete make meaningful changes in the way they prepare, compete, and respond to challenges.
Benefits of Sport Psychology Coaching for Kids
Build Real Confidence
Young athletes often believe they need to play well before they can feel confident. Your child will learn how to build confidence from their preparation, effort, strengths, and response to challenges rather than allowing one mistake or one result to determine how they feel about themselves. The goal is to help them trust their ability and compete with greater freedom.
Improve Focus
Distractions can come from the score, the crowd, the opponent, a coach’s reaction, previous mistakes, or worrying about what might happen next. Your child will learn how to bring their attention back to the present moment and focus on the specific actions that help them perform.
Recover Faster After Mistakes
A single mistake can stay with a young athlete for the rest of a game. They may replay it, become embarrassed, lose confidence, or grow afraid of making another one. Mental performance coaching teaches your child how to acknowledge a mistake, reset their attention, and become engaged in the next play instead of allowing one moment to control the rest of their performance.
Manage Nerves Before Competition
Feeling nervous before a game is normal, but nerves can become overwhelming when a young athlete doesn’t know how to handle them. Your child will learn how to prepare mentally, calm their body, manage anxious thoughts, and direct their attention toward what they can control.
Play More Freely
Fear of failure can cause young athletes to hesitate, avoid taking chances, or play not to make mistakes. Your child will learn how to focus on competing, making decisions, and committing to the moment rather than constantly trying to protect themselves from failure.
Handle Pressure and Expectations
Young athletes can feel pressure from coaches, teammates, parents, competition, or their own personal standards. The program helps your child understand where their pressure comes from and develop a healthier, more productive way of responding to expectations.
Your Child Doesn’t Just Receive a Program. They Get a Personal Mental Performance Coach.
For 12 weeks, I work directly with your child to understand what they’re experiencing, teach the mental skills they need, and help them use those skills in their sport.
They aren’t expected to figure everything out alone.
They have someone in their corner who understands their game plan, knows the challenges they’re working through, and can help them respond when pressure, mistakes, nerves, or confidence problems show up.
What Parents are Saying
“My wife and I can’t say enough good things about Eli Straw. When our 10-year-old first started training, he had talent but often lacked confidence in himself. With just a few sessions we’ve seen an incredible transformation in his mindset. Eli Straw did a great job connecting with Noah, challenged him appropriately, and helped him believe in himself. Noah now approaches practices and games with confidence, works harder, and isn’t afraid to make mistakes. We are grateful for the impact he has had on our son and would highly recommend him to any parent looking to help their child grow as an athlete and as a person.”
-Thibault B. | Soccer
“Direct quote from my 13 year old son (a freeskier – slopestyle). ‘Eli helped me put my fear of crashing into perspective, because in my mind it was worse than in real life. He helped me know how preparation and using visualization can calm my nerves and help me be successful. It is working and I am hitting my goals faster than last year, because I am not afraid to try new tricks.’ As the dad of a naturally cautious kid, I have witnessed my son use the techniques Eli taught him. It has been amazing to see the transformation and rise in his confidence this season. I highly recommend Eli.”
– Tony C. | Ski Dad
“Eli truly transformed my son’s approach to the game. At the start of the season, he hesitated and doubted himself on the field. But thanks to Eli’s guidance, my son gained confidence, and by season’s end, he played with unwavering commitment—never coming out of the game. His team clinched the conference championship, and my son was honored as an All-Tournament Player voted on by opposing coaches. I honestly can’t explain how Eli worked his magic, but the incredible change in my son’s performance—from uncertainty to standout player—was nothing short of remarkable. I can not thank Eli enough.”
“We reached out to Eli after seeing our 12-year-old daughter struggling with confidence in ring tournaments. She was performing amazingly in practice, but when competition came around, she would freeze on the mat. She was so nervous before her matches that she couldn’t focus. After meeting with Eli over 12 weeks, she has transformed into a more confident athlete. She is controlling the ring during her matches, doing the things she learns in practice, following a pregame routine, and improving her self-talk. She is a totally different athlete and has made amazing progress in her mental game.”
Sport Psychology for Kids is Built Around Three Core Steps
1.) Understand What’s Affecting Your Child
The first step is identifying what’s happening beneath the surface.Your child may look hesitant, nervous, frustrated, distracted, or unmotivated during competition, but those outward behaviors don’t always explain the real problem.Through the assessment and our early conversations, we work to understand the specific thoughts, emotions, expectations, fears, and performance patterns affecting them.This gives us a clear starting point instead of guessing at what they need.
2. Create a Personalized Mental Training Plan
Once the main challenges have been identified, I create a coaching plan designed specifically for your child.We focus on the mental skills that will make the greatest difference for them. That could include confidence, focus, mistake recovery, emotional control, performance anxiety, self-talk, handling pressure, or pregame preparation.There’s no single plan that works for every young athlete.The goal is to give your child the tools that match their needs and help them turn current mental challenges into strengths.
3. Create Change Through Coaching and Practice
Understanding a mental skill is only the beginning.Your child also needs to practice using that skill so it becomes available when they need it during competition.Weekly coaching sessions teach the tools, while exercises and action steps between sessions help your child apply them during practices and games.That combination is what turns mental training from an interesting idea into something that can change how your child competes.
Weekly Mental Training Action Steps
Your child will leave each weekly coaching session with a clear action step to complete.
These action steps may include:
- Practicing a pregame mental routine
- Using a specific mistake-reset strategy
- Completing a confidence exercise
- Tracking their self-talk
- Following a focus plan during practice
- Using visualization before competition
- Reflecting on what they handled well
- Identifying controllable goals for an upcoming game
- Applying a new response to pressure or feedback
The exercises won’t be added simply to give your child more work.
Each action step has a purpose and is directly connected to the mental skill we’re developing.
Change happens when your young athlete takes what they learn during coaching and begins using it consistently in their sport.
Is Your Young Athlete Ready to Strengthen Their Mental Game?
The best way to determine whether the program is the right fit is through a free introductory coaching call.
The initial call is usually with a parent so we can discuss what your child is experiencing, what you’ve noticed, and what you hope will change.
Your young athlete is also welcome to join the call, and I’m always happy to speak with them directly.
During the introductory call, we’ll talk about:
- Your child’s current mental performance challenges
- How those challenges are affecting their sport
- What they’ve already tried
- Their goals for coaching
- How the 12-week program works
- Whether one-on-one mental performance coaching is the right next step
There’s no pressure to enroll. The purpose of the call is to answer your questions and determine whether the program is a good fit for your family.
Schedule a Free Introductory Call
Prefer to reach out first? You can also send a message below and I’ll get back to you personally.
Young Athlete Success Story
My daughter plays competitive basketball and had trouble handling negative feedback from coaches. Eli was able to break the problem down into specific parts that made sense to her and felt achievable.
She has been able to listen to feedback from coaches and implement it rather than locking up because she’s afraid of making mistakes. Eli also helped her work on maintaining her composure when games become physical.
She has really grown as a player, and we’re grateful to Eli.
Eli Straw, M.S. — Mental Performance Coach for Young Athletes
Eli Straw, M.S., is a mental performance coach and subject matter expert in mental training for athletes. He holds a master’s degree in psychology with a specialization in sport psychology and has worked one-on-one with hundreds of athletes across six continents and more than fifteen countries.
His experience includes coaching professional, elite, college, high school, middle school, and youth athletes across a wide range of sports.
A large part of Eli’s work has involved helping young athletes navigate confidence problems, fear of failure, performance anxiety, pressure, overthinking, mistakes, and the emotional challenges that often come with competitive sports.
His approach focuses on making mental performance concepts practical and understandable. Rather than simply telling a young athlete to be confident or think positively, Eli helps them understand what’s affecting their performance and gives them specific tools they can practice and apply.
As both a coach and former athlete, Eli understands the impact competition can have on confidence, emotions, and enjoyment. He also understands how difficult it can be for parents to know what to say or how to help when their child is struggling.
Eli is the author of two mental training books and the host of the Sport Psychology Coaching Podcast, which has received more than 750,000 downloads. He is also a member of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
Meet Your Child's Mental Coach
Frequently Asked Questions About Sport Psychology for Kids
What Is Sport Psychology for Kids?
Sport psychology for kids focuses on helping young athletes develop the mental skills involved in confidence, focus, emotional control, motivation, resilience, and performance under pressure.
In this program, those skills are taught through one-on-one mental performance coaching and practical exercises your child can apply in their sport.
Is This Program Therapy?
No. This is a mental performance coaching program, not psychotherapy, counseling, or mental health treatment.
The program focuses specifically on athletic performance, including confidence, focus, preparation, handling mistakes, self-talk, pressure, and competition anxiety.
A child experiencing a mental health condition or challenges extending significantly beyond sport may also need support from a licensed mental health professional.
How Do I Know Whether Mental Performance Coaching Is Right for My Child?
The program may be a good fit when a young athlete’s physical ability is being limited by confidence, nerves, fear, overthinking, emotional reactions, or difficulty handling pressure.
A free introductory call allows us to discuss what your child is experiencing and whether the program matches their needs.
What Ages Do You Work With?
Fit depends more on the individual athlete than a strict age requirement.
The program works best when a young athlete can participate in a conversation, reflect on what they experience, and complete short exercises between sessions.
During the introductory call, we can discuss your child’s age, maturity, and specific situation.
Do You Work With All Sports?
Yes. I’ve worked with athletes from a wide variety of team and individual sports.
The mental skills are adapted to the specific demands of your child’s sport, position, competitive environment, and personal challenges.
Can You Help a Child Who Performs Well in Practice but Struggles in Games?
Yes. This is one of the most common reasons parents reach out.
We work to identify what changes mentally when competition begins and teach your child how to manage pressure, trust their preparation, stay present, and perform more freely.
Can Coaching Help With Performance Anxiety?
Mental performance coaching can help young athletes understand and manage sport-related nerves and performance anxiety.
Your child can learn tools for calming their body, responding to anxious thoughts, preparing before competition, and focusing on what they can control.
This coaching is focused on performance anxiety within sports and isn’t a replacement for mental health treatment when broader anxiety is present.
Can You Help With Fear of Failure?
Yes.
Fear of failure can cause a young athlete to hesitate, avoid taking chances, play cautiously, or become overly concerned with mistakes and outcomes.
The program can help your child change how they respond to failure, focus more effectively on controllable actions, and compete without feeling as though every mistake defines them.
What Happens During a Typical Coaching Session?
Each session is based on your child’s personalized coaching plan and what they’re currently experiencing.
We may review a recent practice or game, discuss a specific mental challenge, teach a new skill, walk through an exercise, and create an action step for the coming week.
Sessions are structured but conversational so your child has room to ask questions and talk honestly.
How Long Are the Sessions?
Your child receives one 30-minute virtual coaching session each week during the 12-week program.
Will My Child Receive Work Between Sessions?
Yes.
Your child receives focused action steps and workbook exercises that reinforce what we discuss during coaching.
These exercises are designed to be manageable and directly connected to their sport.
Is Parent Involvement Allowed?
Yes.
Parents play an important role by providing background information, asking questions, and helping create a supportive environment.
At the same time, young athletes often benefit from having space to speak openly and take ownership of their mental development. The exact level of parent involvement can be adjusted based on the athlete’s age and needs.
What If My Child Is Quiet or Has Trouble Opening Up?
Many young athletes are hesitant at first, especially when they aren’t used to talking about confidence, pressure, or emotions.
I focus on asking clear questions, discussing real situations from their sport, and creating a conversation that doesn’t feel like an interrogation or lecture.
It can take time for some athletes to become comfortable, and that’s okay.
Is Virtual Coaching Effective for Young Athletes?
Yes.
Virtual sessions allow your child to receive individualized coaching from home while still having a direct, face-to-face conversation through Zoom.
The effectiveness of coaching comes from the relationship, personalization, consistent practice, and application of the tools—not from being in the same physical room.
What Results Can We Expect?
The goal is to help your child develop stronger confidence, focus, composure, preparation, self-talk, and responses to mistakes and pressure.
Specific results depend on your child’s starting point, participation, willingness to complete the exercises, and ability to apply what they learn.
Mental performance coaching can’t guarantee particular statistics, playing time, team selections, wins, or competition outcomes.
What If My Child Misses a Week?
When a week needs to be missed or taken off during the program, that week is added to the end so your child can complete the full 12 weeks of coaching.
Can This Program Help My Child Enjoy Sports Again?
When pressure, anxiety, mistakes, or fear begin controlling a young athlete’s experience, sports can stop feeling enjoyable.
Mental performance coaching can help your child develop a healthier way of responding to competition so they can play with greater freedom and reconnect with what they enjoy about their sport.