Stop Your Team from Crumbling Under Pressure in Rivalry Games

What a D1 Athlete Wishes Every High School Coach Knew

A D1 athlete just shared what she wishes her high school coaches had prioritized. Get the free training here → coachfreetraining.com 🎙️ Sydney Dreves is a Division I volleyball player at Boise State University and an 8-time state champion who trained her mental game inside The Elite Mental Game program throughout her high school career. She came back to tell coaches exactly what surprised her most about competing at the next level. It wasn't the physical demand. It was the mental game. In this episode, Sydney and I break down: 👉 What actually separates athletes at the D1 level (coaches need to hear this directly from a player) 👉 How comparison nearly derailed her freshman year - and the skill that pulled her out of it 👉 Why "just showing up" is a mental skill coaches can start building right now 👉 What college coaches are watching for beyond physical talent 👉 The one thing she wishes she had more reps on before she left high school 👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a 4-time state champion volleyball coach and Certified Mental Performance Coach. I've spent 14+ years coaching girl athletes and built The Elite Competitor to give coaches proven, plug-and-play mental training systems that actually work. Sydney played for me for four years. She won four state championships in volleyball and went on to start in six rotations as a freshman at a D1 program. 🏆 I asked her to come back and tell coaches what she wished she'd had more of before she got there. This conversation is the one coaches need to share with their staff. What You'll Learn: ✅ Why mental consistency - not talent - separates players at the college level ✅ How to help athletes handle comparison without letting it wreck their confidence ✅ What "showing up" looks like on days when athletes have nothing left in the tank ✅ How to help athletes separate their self-worth from their performance ✅ Why 30 minutes of mental training per week is enough to change the game 🕓 Key Moments: 00:00 Introduction  02:08 Meet Sydney Dreves  02:41 Bre's Story: The Mental Game  06:47 Why Mental Training Matters  10:09 Sydney's First Year at Boise State  12:04 What Separates Athletes at the Next Level  13:42 Overcoming Adversity & Mental Blocks  16:58 Navigating Team Dynamics  20:09 Lessons from High School & Dealing with Failure  22:18 Advice for Athletes & Resources 👍 Found this helpful? Like, subscribe, and share with a coach who needs it. 👇 Drop a comment below - what's your biggest challenge when it comes to fitting mental training into practice? 📩 Join the Varsity Squad newsletter for weekly coaching tools: coachfreetraining.com 🎓 Explore Plug and Play Elite Mental Game for Teams: coachfreetraining.com 📌 Other Tools & Resources Free training for coaches →coachfreetraining.com 👉 Plug & Play Elite Mental Game System for High School Coaches → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg 📲 Instagram: @coachhergame 🎙 Podcast: Coach Her Game Podcast 🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame 🔹 Championship Program Membership: champions.elitecompetitor.com 🔹 Player Impact Plan: https://elitecompetitor.kit.com/6639eaaf9f| P.S. Here's what the research shows:  ⚡️ Athletes who use structured reset routines recover from errors up to 40% faster during competition. (Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Mesagno & Mullane-Grant, 2010) ⚡️ Visualization activates the same neural pathways as physical practice, meaning mental reps have measurable impact on skill execution. (Journal of Neurophysiology, Jeannerod, 2001) ⚡️ 95% of elite athletes report using mental training, yet fewer than 10% of high school coaches have a formal system for teaching it. (Association for Applied Sport Psychology, 2021)   The Coach Her Game YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge. #mentalperformance #coachinggirls #highschoolcoach #mentaltoughness #girlsports Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

Encore: How 3 High School Coaches Solved the "No Time for Mental Training" Problem

3 high school coaches share exactly how they fit mental training in without losing a single rep. Get the free training to the system they used 👉 coachfreetraining.com Real coaches from volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse share exactly how they squeezed mental training into their season without sacrificing a single rep. 👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a 4-time state champion volleyball coach and Certified Mental Performance Coach. I've spent 14+ years coaching girl athletes and built The Elite Competitor to give coaches proven, plug-and-play mental training systems that actually work. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: ✅ How to use dead time (before practice, between school and practice) to run a 15-minute session ✅ The one skill all three coaches kept coming back to ✅ Why their athletes started asking for mental training on their own ✅ How mental skills transferred beyond sport into school and home life 🎯 These aren't theory-based tips. These are coaches in the thick of it, telling you what actually worked. 🕓 Key Moments:   00:00 Introduction 02:46 Meet the Coaches 08:05 Why They Started Mental Training 15:03 How They Introduced It to Their Teams 28:21 What Skills Made the Biggest Difference 37:43 Team Accomplishments & Results 42:15 Mental Training Beyond Sports 48:26 How to Fit It Into Your Season 55:20 Wrap-Up  👍 Found this helpful? Like, subscribe, and share with a coach who needs it. 👇 Drop a comment below - what's your biggest challenge when it comes to fitting mental training into practice? 📩 Join the Varsity Squad newsletter for weekly coaching tools: coachfreetraining.com 🎓 Explore Plug and Play Elite Mental Game for Teams: coachfreetraining.com 📌 Other Tools & Resources 📲 Instagram: @coachhergame 🎙 Podcast: Coach Her Game Podcast 🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame 🔹 Championship Program Membership: champions.elitecompetitor.com 🔹 Player Impact Plan: https://elitecompetitor.kit.com/6639eaaf9f| P.S. Here's what the research shows:  ⚡️ Athletes who use structured reset routines recover from errors up to 40% faster during competition. (Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Mesagno & Mullane-Grant, 2010) ⚡️ Visualization activates the same neural pathways as physical practice, meaning mental reps have measurable impact on skill execution. (Journal of Neurophysiology, Jeannerod, 2001) ⚡️ 95% of elite athletes report using mental training, yet fewer than 10% of high school coaches have a formal system for teaching it. (Association for Applied Sport Psychology, 2021)   The Coach Her Game channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge. #mentalperformance #coachinggirls #highschoolcoach #mentaltoughness #girlsports Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

What Plug & Play Mental Training Actually Looks Like for High School Coaches

Coach, mental training for your high school athletes doesn't have to be complicated. Get the free training here → coachfreetraining.com I'm pulling back the curtain on the exact mental training curriculum I've used with my volleyball program for 8 years. 👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a 4-time state champion volleyball coach and Certified Mental Performance Coach. I've spent 14+ years coaching girl athletes and built The Elite Competitor to give coaches proven, plug-and-play mental training systems that actually work. In this episode, you'll see: ✅ How to teach the Snapback Routine (athletes learn it in one session) ✅ The 321 BRAVE daily mindset routine that takes 7 minutes before practice ✅ How to run Mindset Mondays without any extra prep ✅ The parent resource kit that gets everyone on the same page ✅ A full behind-the-scenes walkthrough of the program dashboard This is built for coaches who know the mental game matters but don't have time to become a sports psychologist to teach it. You don't need more training. You need a proven system you can plug in today. 🕓 Key Moments:   00:00 Introduction 01:46 What Is Plug and Play? 02:49 The Snapback Routine 04:15 Core Performance System & Curriculum 06:33 Parent Resource Kit 08:10 How to Facilitate the Program 12:00 Season Timeline & Results 13:20 The 3, 2, 1 Brave Daily Mindset Routine 18:05 Behind the Scenes: Program Dashboard 24:03 Championship Program Mentorship 28:31 Common Questions & Who It's For 31:43 Athlete Buy-In & Wrap Up CONNECT WITH US:  🔔 Subscribe for weekly mental performance strategies for coaches of girl athletes.  💬 Comment below with your biggest mental game challenge this season.  🫶 Share this with a coach who needs a system, not more random tips. 📩 Work with Coach Bre: coachfreetraining.com 📌 Free Tools & Next Steps 👉 Plug & Play Elite Mental Game System for High School Coaches → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg 🎓 Free Mental Training Resource for Coaches: coachfreetraining.com 📲 Instagram: @coachhergame 🎙 Podcast: Coach Her Game Podcast 🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame 🔹 Championship Program Membership: champions.elitecompetitor.com 🔹 Player Impact Plan: https://elitecompetitor.kit.com/6639eaaf9f| P.S. Here's what the research shows:  ⚡️ Mental practice alone improved muscular strength by nearly 24%, compared to 28% for physical training (Cleveland Clinic Foundation / Dr. Guang Yue, Neuropsychologia, 2004) ⚡️ Athletes who practiced psychological skills training performed significantly better under competitive pressure than those who did not (Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, Vealey, 2007)  ⚡️ Up to 90% of athletic performance is attributed to mental factors, according to coaches and athletes surveyed across high school and collegiate sports (National Alliance for Youth Sports) The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge. #mentalperformance #highschoolcoach #coachinggirlsports Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

How to Structure Practice for More Wins (4 Part System)

Your practice structure is either winning you games or costing you them. Here's the 4-part system I use every day. 🎯 Get the free training → https://coachfreetraining.com Most coaches plan what they're going to run. They never plan how their athletes will actually show up to run it. 👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a 4-time state champion volleyball coach and Certified Mental Performance Coach. I've spent 14+ years coaching girl athletes and built The Elite Competitor to give coaches proven, plug-and-play mental training systems that actually work. In this episode, I break down the four parts of our daily practice structure: ✅ Pre-Practice: athletes moving, checked in, and connected before we ever run a drill ✅ Mental Training: 5 minutes of 321 BRAVE to train what you say you actually value ✅ Team Practice: game-like reps, adversity training, and the competitive cauldron ✅ Reflection: fighting the negativity bias so athletes leave knowing what went well If it's not in your practice plan, it's not a value. It's just something you wish was true. 🕓 Key Moments:   00:00 Introduction 01:00 Pre-Practice Setup 01:46 Whiteboard System & Player Jobs 03:10 Mental Training 04:10 3-2-1 Brave Daily Practice 05:25 Team Practice Structure 06:52 Competitive Cauldron 08:30 Reflection & Closing 💬 Comment below: which of these four parts is missing from your current practice structure? 📩 Work with Coach Bre: coachfreetraining.com 📌 Free Tools & Next Steps 👉 Plug & Play Elite Mental Game System for High School Coaches → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg 🎓 Free Mental Training Resource for Coaches: coachfreetraining.com 📲 Instagram: @coachhergame 🎙 Podcast: Coach Her Game Podcast 🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame 🔹 Championship Program Membership: champions.elitecompetitor.com 🔹 Player Impact Plan: https://elitecompetitor.kit.com/6639eaaf9f| 🔔 Subscribe for weekly mental training strategies built specifically for coaches of girl athletes. P.S. Here's what the research shows: ⚡️ Athletes who use structured pre-performance routines are 22% more consistent under pressure. (University of Chicago) ⚡️ The human brain registers negative experiences roughly 3x more strongly than positive ones - which is exactly why the reflection close matters. (Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Hardwiring Happiness, 2013) ⚡️ Mental imagery activates the same neural pathways as physical practice and improves performance consistency by up to 23%. (Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology) The Coach Her Game YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge. #mentalperformance #coachinggirls #collegerecruitment Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

Mental Training Tips: What’s Worth Your Time (and What’s Not)

Stop wasting time on mental training that doesn’t work. Here’s what actually builds toughness + confidence in your athletes → https://coachfreetraining.com Coaches—you don’t have hours to waste, and when it comes to mental training not everything is worth your time. In this episode, I’ll break down the 3 things that aren’t worth it (like telling athletes to “shake it off” 🙄 or long motivational speeches) and the 3 simple strategies that are—tools that actually help athletes bounce back, reset, and perform in big games and pressure moments. I’m Coach Bre—a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a long-time head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion. 🏐✨ Over 14 years of coaching, I’ve seen exactly what helps high school athletes handle nerves, mistakes, and adversity—and what doesn’t. These proven coaching strategies can transform your team’s mental game in minutes a day. You’ll learn: Why telling athletes to just “shake it off” wastes your time—and what to do instead How to use the SnapBack routine (breath + reset word + signal) to recover in seconds 💨 Why visualization beats motivational speeches every time (and how to do it in 1 minute) 👁️‍🗨️ The power of a daily mindset routine (3-2-1 BRAVE) for confidence + focus before practice How to integrate mental prep seamlessly so you’re not sacrificing physical training 🕓 Key Moments 00:00 Introduction to Mental Training  00:38 Why 'Shake It Off' Doesn't Work  01:40 The Snapback Routine  03:14 The Power of Visualization  04:57 Daily Mindset Routine  06:32 Conclusion and Next Steps Bottom line: Your athletes won’t magically “be mentally tough.” They’ll rise—or fall—to the level of their mental preparation. Learn how to give them the tools to reset, stay confident, and hit peak performance when it matters most. 📢 Coaches—comment below: Which mental training tool do you want to try first with your team?👇   📌 Free Tools & Next Steps 🔹 Grab our in-depth FREE training → https://coachfreetraining.com 🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach 🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame   🔔 Subscribe for More → Never miss an episode of Coach Her Game! Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!