Sports Psychology Coaching

Fear of failure in sports causes many athletes to hesitate, play cautiously, and hold themselves back during competition. This fear is rarely about the mistake itself, but about the perceived consequences such as embarrassment, criticism, getting benched, or negative statistics. In this episode, I explain why the fear of failure develops, how it leads to performance anxiety and timid play, and a s...

What should you do if you have a big game, competition, or tryout coming up—but your recent practices haven’t gone well? This is something I see athletes struggle with all the time. When practices go poorly leading up to a performance, confidence drops. Doubt increases. Athletes begin to question whether they can perform well. In this episode, I explain how athletes can mentally prepare for compet...

Athletes often struggle with anxiety and overthinking because they focus on results, playing time, or other things outside their control. In this episode, I explain why focusing on controllable actions like preparation, response to mistakes, and present-moment thinking improves confidence, reduces anxiety, and helps you perform better under pressure. Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coachin...

Game-day confidence isn’t about hyping yourself up. It isn’t about convincing yourself you’re the best player on the field. It’s about trust. In this episode, I break down why confidence often disappears during competition — even when you’ve prepared well — and I share a simple three-pillar strategy you can use to build real game-day confidence and perform more freely under pressure. If you play w...

If you (or your athlete) are underperforming during games, you might be asking: Do we need more practice? Or is this a mental game issue? In this episode, I break down how to tell the difference between a physical skill problem and a mental performance problem. Because sometimes working harder on mechanics actually makes things worse — especially when pressure, anxiety, and overthinking are the re...

How do athletes reset mentally between plays or points? In this episode, mental performance coach Eli Straw explains a simple and effective mental reset routine athletes can use between every play, point, or moment in competition. Resetting quickly helps prevent one mistake from turning into many and keeps your focus, confidence, and performance consistent. In this episode, you will learn: The 3-s...

Many athletes tie their self-confidence directly to stats, wins, and recent performances. When they play well, they feel confident. When they struggle, their confidence drops — and that drop in confidence makes it even harder to turn things around. This creates a frustrating cycle of slumps, pressure, and underperforming. In this episode, mental performance coach Eli Straw explains why confidence...

What’s the best way for athletes to develop positive self-talk habits before and during games? In this episode, mental performance coach Eli Straw explains how your thoughts shape your mindset, emotions, and performance, and how to train your thinking to compete with confidence and freedom. You’ll learn how negative thought patterns create fear, tension, and hesitant play, and how positive self-ta...

What is the best way to build a strong, repeatable pre-performance routine as an athlete? In this episode, mental performance coach Eli Straw explains how to create a pre-game mental routine that helps you feel confident, focused, present, and ready to compete. A strong pre-performance routine does not guarantee perfect results, but it gives you a consistent mindset so you can perform at your best...

Why are you confident in practice but nervous in games? Many athletes play freely and confidently during training — but once competition starts, they feel anxious, tight, and afraid of making mistakes. In this episode, I explain why this happens and the best approach for athletes who are confident in practice but nervous in games. As a mental performance coach, this is one of the most common issue...

What’s the best way for an athlete to start mental training if they’ve never worked with a sports psychologist or mental performance coach before? The best way to begin mental training is to treat mental skills like physical skills and build a simple daily routine focused on four foundational areas: mindfulness, self-talk, self-awareness, and visualization. Mental skills such as confidence, focus,...

Visualization is one of the most powerful mental training tools athletes can use before competition—but only when used the right way. In this episode, mental performance coach Eli Straw explains how to use visualization correctly to build confidence, stay calm under pressure, and perform freely during games. Many athletes unknowingly create stress during visualization by forcing perfection or tryi...

Are you struggling with fear of failure in sports, performance anxiety, or playing scared in competition ? Many athletes believe they lack confidence, but the real problem is often fear of mistakes, fear of embarrassment, and fear of letting others down . When fear controls your game, confidence cannot show up — no matter how skilled you are. In this episode, mental performance coach Eli Straw exp...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...

Work with me! 🧠 1-1 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching/ 👉 Confident Competitor Academy: Go from playing with fear & anxiety to playing with confidence in just 6 weeks! 👉 Mentally Tough Kid Course (for youth athletes) 📖 Mind Games Book: https://a.co/d/gXZfORN 📖 Athlete Mental Training Book: https://a.co/d/bfojamY Free T...