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Description
The Sports Psychology Coaching Podcast by Eli Straw is a mental training podcast for athletes, competitors, coaches, and performers who want to improve confidence, focus, and performance under pressure. This podcast teaches practical sports psychology strategies to help athletes overcome fear of failure, performance anxiety, overthinking, and loss of confidence after mistakes so they can trust their training and compete freely.
Each episode covers key mental performance topics, including:
• Sports psychology and mental training for athletes
• How to build confidence in sports
• Overcoming performance anxiety and pressure
• Trusting your training and competing without fear
• Focus, composure, and mental toughness in competition
• Letting go of overthinking and perfectionism
• Visualization, mindfulness, and present-moment performance
• How to perform consistently in games, races, and competitions
Hosted by mental performance coach Eli Straw, this podcast provides simple, practical mental game coaching used with athletes from youth to elite levels. Learn how to stop playing scared, compete with freedom, and unlock your true performance.
If you’re an athlete, parent, or coach looking for sports psychology tips, mental toughness training, and performance mindset strategies, this podcast will help you build the mental skills needed to perform at your best when it matters most.
*This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute psychological or medical treatment. I am a mental performance coach, not a licensed psychologist. For clinical concerns, consult a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist.
481 Episodes
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In this episode, I go over what truly drives fear of mistakes in sports. I also give you two strategies you can begin applying to games if you currently are afraid of making mistakes. 🧠 If you want to strengthen your mental game and work directly with me, you can learn more about my personalized 1-on-1 mental performance coaching program here: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching 🥇Team Mental Performance Coaching Program: https://www.successstartswithin.com/menta...
Why does frustration cause you to make more mistakes? In this episode, I discuss how frustration, either toward yourself or others, distracts you and results in more mistakes. I also go over a mindset shift to work on managing frustration during games. 🧠 If you want to strengthen your mental game and work directly with me, you can learn more about my personalized 1-on-1 mental performance coaching program here: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching 🥇Team Mental Pe...
In this episode, you will learn the three signs you need to look out for that indicate fear of failure is controlling your game. How to Overcome Fear of Failure Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlwtJYzKCHU 🧠 If you want to strengthen your mental game and work directly with me, you can learn more about my personalized 1-on-1 mental performance coaching program here: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching 🥇Team Mental Performance Coaching Program: https:...
In this episode, I go over why athletes play scared during games. Including the two major reasons why scared play forms, how scared play hurts your performance, and a few tips you can use to stop playing scared during competition. 🧠 If you want to strengthen your mental game and work directly with me, you can learn more about my personalized 1-on-1 mental performance coaching program here: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching 🥇Team Mental Performance Coachi...
In this episode, I discuss the pattern that occurs when athletes hesitate. You'll learn what truly drives hesitation during competition, and a mindset shift you can make to stop hesitating during games. 🧠 If you want to strengthen your mental game and work directly with me, you can learn more about my personalized 1-on-1 mental performance coaching program here: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching 🥇Team Mental Performance Coaching Program: https://www.successsta...
In this episode I go over three main reasons athletes are inconsistent during games. And three tips you can use to play better during games. 🧠 If you want to strengthen your mental game and work directly with me, you can learn more about my personalized 1-on-1 mental performance coaching program here: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-performance-coaching 🥇Team Mental Performance Coaching Program: https://www.successstartswithin.com/mental-coaching-for-teams/ 👉 Confident Competi...
In this episode, I explain what to say to your athlete after a bad game and how the wrong conversation can actually hurt their confidence moving forward. I break down how criticism increases fear and pressure, why athletes struggle to move on from poor performances, and how you can guide them to bounce back faster. 🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: If your athlete struggles with confidence, pressure, or letting one bad game turn into many, I work with athletes through my 12-week on...
In this episode, I explain why trying too hard during games can actually hurt your performance. I break down how pressure leads to forcing outcomes, how that creates tension and slows reaction time, and the mindset shift you need to make to play freely and perform at your best in competition. 🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: If you struggle with overthinking during games, feeling tense under pressure, or playing worse in competition than you do in practice, I work with athletes th...
In this episode, I explain why athletes often play great in practice but struggle in games. I break down the three biggest mental reasons this happens—fear of making mistakes, overthinking with a practice mindset, and trying to over-control performance. I also share a simple mental shift you can use to start performing more freely and confidently in competition. 🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: If you struggle with overthinking, fear of mistakes, or performing worse in games than ...
In this episode, I explain why one mistake during a game often leads to many more mistakes. I break down the mental reaction that causes this snowball effect and share a simple reset technique athletes can use to stop mistakes from spiraling and return to confident performance. ' 🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes If you struggle with overthinking, negative self-talk, or losing confidence after mistakes, I work with athletes through my 12-week one-on-one mental performance coaching pr...
In this episode, I explain why athletes lose confidence after one mistake and why a single error can cause negative thinking, fear, and hesitation during competition. I also share a simple mental reset strategy athletes can use to regain focus and prevent one mistake from turning into many more. 🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes If you struggle with confidence dropping after mistakes, negative self-talk, or fear of making another error during games, I work with athletes around the ...
In this episode, I explain why mental coaching and sports psychology are so important for youth athletes. I cover the most common mental game challenges young athletes face, including fear of failure, performance anxiety, perfectionism, and negative self-talk. 🧠 Mental Performance Coaching for Youth Athletes: If your child struggles with confidence, pressure during games, or frustration after mistakes, I work with youth athletes through my 12-week one-on-one mental performance coaching prog...
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 simple three-step process athletes can use to overcome fear of failure, focus on controllable acti...
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 competition even when recent training sessions haven’t gone well. I discuss why many athletes base thei...
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. 🧠 If you want to strengthen your mental game and work directly with me, you can learn more about my personalized 1-on-1 mental performance coac...
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 well in practice but struggle during games, I explain: Why preparation alone doesn’t guarantee con...
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 real issues. You’ll learn: How to know if performance drops are caused by pressureWhy practice alon...
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-step mental reset routine (Release → Refocus → Recommit)How to let go of the previous play or poi...
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 tied to results is unstable and how this pattern increases fear of mistakes, stress, and timid pl...
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-talk helps athletes stay confident, focused, and resilient under pressure. Eli breaks down a simple...
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