Written by Stacy Ingram, Mental Performance Coach
Stacy Ingram is a dedicated Mental Performance Coach for teen athletes and performers. She believes every teen deserves the chance to succeed at their highest level, to learn the skills and techniques needed to help them be at their best in sport, the arts and in everyday life.
Teen athletes face unique challenges, from building confidence to managing the pressures of competition. Mental performance coaching equips them with essential tools like focus, resilience, and goal-setting to excel both on and off the field. By fostering a growth mindset and teaching strategies to overcome setbacks, this transformative approach unlocks their full athletic and personal potential.
The role of mental performance coaching in modern athletics
In a world where teen athletes face intense competition, academic demands, and social media pressures, the need for support beyond physical training is needed now more than ever. Mental performance coaching offers young athletes and performers a new avenue for growth, providing them with psychological tools to overcome challenges, sharpen their focus, and reach their full potential.
Working on mental performance is sort of like the frosting and sprinkles on a donut. You have your base level of competence but are missing the elements that can stretch your skill to a new level. I mean a donut without frosting and sprinkles just doesn’t seem the same, does it? This specialized coaching focuses on developing mental skills such as focus, confidence, stress management, and emotional regulation, which are essential for success in sports.
Prevalence of mental health challenges among teen athletes
Anxiety and depression: Approximately 65% of student-athletes experience overwhelming anxiety. Sometimes the pressure comes from their coach, sometimes their parents but more often than not it’s from themselves.
Stress levels: A significant number of student-athletes report high levels of stress, with 68% feeling overwhelmed. It’s an easy thing to happen when you have something to do with your sport almost every day.
Eating disorders: Athletes have a 15% to 35% higher risk of developing eating disorders compared to non-athletes. Athletes can feel they are too big, too small, too tall, too short. Depending on the sport and position, this issue can be more prevalent in some sports vs others.
As you can see, athletes can also rank high in certain types of mental health challenges as well as simply striving for peak performance. Mental performance coaching serves to address multiple needs.
Understanding mental performance coaching
By honing mental strategies, athletes learn to handle pressure, stay focused, and bounce back from setbacks. Unlike physical training, this approach targets an athlete's inner game—their confidence, resilience, and ability to remain calm and composed. Mental training isn’t just for kids with blocks or other issues, it’s for all athletes and performers who want to improve their skills and continue to grow.
The unique pressures teen athletes face
Today’s teens are dealing with a combination of high expectations, social media scrutiny, and the pressure to succeed in both sports and academics. These challenges can be overwhelming, often leading to anxiety and burnout. Mental performance coaching provides a structured way to navigate these pressures, helping athletes build the mental stamina necessary for success.
The benefits of mental performance coaching
1. Enhanced focus and concentration
Mental coaches introduce techniques like mindfulness and visualization to improve concentration. By focusing on these skills, athletes learn to block out distractions and stay mentally present during games and practices. This heightened focus not only improves athletic performance but also translates into better study habits and academic performance. I like to use various apps that athletes can use at any time with focus games and games that teach different cognitive skills like depth of field, focus, control, etc.
2. Building confidence and resilience
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks, and confidence is the belief in one's ability to succeed so while they are related, they are 2 different skills. Mental performance coaching builds these qualities by helping athletes confront their fears and setbacks head-on. Through goal-setting exercises, positive self-talk, and visualization techniques, young athletes learn to trust themselves, even after mistakes.
3. Mastering anxiety and stress management
Pre-game jitters and competitive stress are common, but they don’t have to be overwhelming. Mental coaches teach young athletes practical strategies for managing anxiety, such as deep breathing, grounding exercises, and positive visualization. These tools allow athletes to handle stress and maintain composure in high-stakes moments.
Top tips for teen athletes to stay mentally strong
Set realistic goals: Break larger goals into smaller, achievable steps. Celebrate each small win to stay motivated. Stack your wins to build self-confidence. Athletes also need to compare against themselves not others. How do “I” improve a little bit every day. It’s also important to look at what might get in the way of their goal and what are they willing to give up for it.
Use visualization: Picture success before competition. Visualizing success can increase confidence and reduce nerves. When visualizing it’s critical that you use your senses. Memories are encoded through our senses and including them is critical to visualization.
Practice deep breathing: When feeling overwhelmed, take a few slow, deep breaths to regain focus and composure. Breath in to the count of 11, and exhale at a count of 7, eyes looking up the whole time. This technique resets the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's "rest and digest" functions, essentially relaxing the body after periods of stress by slowing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, increasing digestion, and promoting other calming activities; it is considered the opposite of the "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system. This is just one example of a tool to rapidly destress.
Real-world success stories
Across the sports world, young athletes are discovering the transformative power of mental coaching. For instance, one high school basketball player who struggled with confidence found his game improved dramatically after working with a mental coach. By learning to handle self-doubt and negative self-talk, he shifted his focus to his strengths, becoming a leader on his team.
Why every teen athlete can benefit, regardless of skill level
Mental coaching isn’t exclusive to elite athletes; it benefits young athletes at all skill levels. Whether it’s a middle school student learning to manage pre-game nerves or a high schooler striving for a college scholarship, mental coaching provides foundational skills that help in all areas of life. I like to say it’s mental toughness for your sport but also for your life.
Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Courageous.
Stacy Ingram is a dedicated Mental Performance Coach specializing in empowering teen athletes and performers to overcome the invisible barriers that often hinder their performance. With a focus on the mental side of the game, her programs are designed to equip athletes and performers with the cognitive tools and resilience needed for success both in sports/the arts and in everyday life.
