Imagine this: you’ve spent weeks preparing your athletes for a competition. Their physical condition is top-notch, their skills are refined, and they’ve dominated every drill in practice. But on competition day, it’s as if all that preparation disappears. They hesitate, falter, and underperform.

Frustrating, isn’t it? You probably find yourself asking...

‘Why do my young athletes excel in training but not on competition day?‘

As a youth sports coach, you know the effort it takes to prepare your athletes. And yet, their performance doesn’t always reflect that hard work. The issue isn’t their talent, effort, or drive to succeed—it’s their mental game.

As a Certified Mental Performance Consultant® since 2010, I’ve heard countless times from coaches and sports parents saying things like:

•   “Competitions don’t reflect the kind of athlete he is during training.”
•   “They perform so well in practice but can’t seem to replicate it in competitions.”
•   “He’s such a strong athlete in training but unrecognizable on competition day.”
•   “They’re excellent in training but lose their edge when it really counts.”
•   “They can do so many great things in practice that we never see during competitions.”
•   “They’re never able to deliver the same solid performances when it matters most.”
•   “My kid is one of the best during practice but one of the weakest during competition.”
•   “In competition, they just can’t show what they’re capable of in training.”

(And the list goes on and on!)

Being a youth sports coach, you’ve likely experienced similar frustrations or heard these concerns from parents and athletes firsthand. This blog will explore why so many athletes struggle to replicate their training success in competition and, more importantly, how mental training can bridge the gap.

Why Athletes Underperform in Competition

Athletes don’t fail in competition because they lack skill or conditioning. More often, it’s because their mindset isn’t prepared to handle the pressures of competition, or they simply lack critical mental tools to perform at their best. A lack of athlete mental skills leads to problems ahead.

Here are a few reasons why this happens:

1. Performance Anxiety

Picture a swimmer stepping onto the starting block. In training, they’ve nailed every lap, hitting personal bests consistently. But under the bright lights of a championship meet, their heart races, their breathing becomes shallow, and they’re overwhelmed by the thought of disappointing their coach, parents, or teammates.

This kind of anxiety sabotages their ability to stay calm and perform at their peak. If that athlete doesn’t have any strategies to manage their stress and regain control, then the pressure will likely take over, causing their performance to unravel. Without tools to refocus and reset, they may become trapped in a cycle of negative self-talk, hesitation, and physical tension, which only amplifies the problem.

Athletes in high-pressure situations need practical mental tools to bring themselves back to the moment: to steady their breathing, clear their mind, and redirect their focus. (We’ll delve into this more later in the article.)

Without these strategies, they risk letting one bad moment snowball into an entire performance derailed by stress and doubt. Developing these mental tools isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for handling the unpredictable nature of competition and ensuring that all the hard work in training doesn’t go to waste.

2. Fear of Failure

A soccer forward who’s typically aggressive and confident during scrimmages suddenly hesitates during a critical match. They pass up scoring opportunities, afraid they’ll miss the shot.

This fear not only limits their performance but also affects team dynamics. The forward loses trust in their abilities, and their teammates sense the hesitation. If the athlete doesn’t have the tools or strategies to refocus and reframe their mindset in the heat of the moment, the fear can take over entirely. This often leads to regret after the game as they reflect on missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential.

Without mental tools to “comeback,” the athlete is left replaying those moments in their head—what they could have done differently, how they let themselves and their team down, and the chances they let slip away. These regrets not only weigh heavily on their confidence but can also perpetuate a cycle of fear in future games, making it even harder to perform.

3. Negative Self-Talk

Negative thoughts can spiral out of control during competition. Imagine a gymnast preparing for their floor routine. A minor stumble during warm-ups triggers a cascade of internal criticism:

• Why did I mess that up?
• I’m going to fail.
• It's not my day.
• Everyone’s watching, and I’ll embarrass myself.

This inner dialogue creates a mental block that prevents them from performing at the level they’re capable of. If the gymnast doesn’t have the tools or strategies to first recognize that this internal dialogue is counterproductive, they’ll remain trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and negativity. The first step to overcoming this mental hurdle is acknowledgment—becoming aware of the negative self-talk as it happens. Without this awareness, they cannot move to the next steps: challenging the thoughts and ultimately reformulating those thoughts into constructive, empowering messages.

For instance, instead of thinking, “I’m going to fail,” the gymnast could learn to replace it with, “I stumbled, but I’ve trained hard for this, and I know I can recover and deliver a strong performance that reflects my abilities.” 

Failing to interrupt and reshape this dialogue can lead to a spiral of frustration and regret after the performance. The gymnast may leave the competition feeling they didn’t perform to their potential, not because they lacked ability, but because their mindset got in the way.

How Psychological Skills Training for Athletes Makes the Difference

In your role as a youth sports coach, understanding how to equip your athletes with mental tools is just as important as teaching technical skills. Mental skills training addresses these barriers by equipping athletes with tools to manage stress, build confidence, and stay focused. Here’s how:

1. Controlling the Narrative

Through techniques like positive self-talk and visualization, athletes learn to replace negative thoughts with empowering ones. For instance, a basketball player standing at the free-throw line during the final seconds of a game can use visualization to picture the ball swishing through the net, reinforcing their belief that they’ll succeed.

Steve Nash, the former NBA point guard, never hid the fact that visualization was a key part of his success. Before every free throw, he would visualize the ball going through the hoop as part of his routine. With a remarkable career free-throw percentage of 90.4%, it’s no surprise that he dominated in this aspect of the game. This exceptional achievement places him among the greatest free-throw shooters in NBA history.

Watch this 90-second clip to learn more about Steve Nash’s pre-shot routine—it’s worth it! 

2. Managing Stress Levels

Breathing exercises and mindfulness practices help athletes stay present and calm. A track athlete, for example, can use box breathing before a race to steady their nerves and focus on their form instead of the pressure.

Need an example to inspire your young athletes about the importance of mental training, especially mindfulness? Look no further than basketball superstar LeBron James. A longtime advocate for mental preparation in sports, LeBron has even partnered with the meditation app CALM. Listen to LeBron James wise words about the power of the mind in this short commercial.  

3. Building Confidence

Confidence comes from preparation—both physical and mental. Role-playing high-pressure scenarios during practice helps athletes feel more prepared when faced with similar situations in competition. For example, a volleyball team could frequently simulate match-point scenarios to build resilience under stress.

This is just one of many ways to develop confidence under pressure, but being regularly exposed to this type of environment is essential. When combined with the right mental strategies and tools taught beforehand, that’s when the magic happens.

How 'Mind Your Game' Helps Coaches and Athletes

At Mind Your Game, we know that the mental game is often the missing piece in an athlete’s performance. That’s why we’ve created a psychological skill training program specifically designed to help coaches integrate mental skills training into their practices with consistency, ensuring they incorporate mental training regularly and effectively. As mentioned in our About section, our mission is: At Mind Your Game, we empower youth sports coaches to confidently facilitate our proven mental skills training program with ease, helping their athletes perform better and thrive.

Our Approach

1. Simple, Actionable Tools: Techniques like visualization, self-talk, and stress management are broken down into easy-to-implement steps.
2. Seamless Integration: Our tools fit naturally into your existing practices, so mental skills training becomes part of your routine—not an additional burden.
3. Proven Results: Coaches who’ve adopted our proven sport psychology program report athletes who are more focused, resilient, and confident on competition day.

For example, one of our clients, a high school girls’ volleyball coach, shared this:

“I’ve never seen my athletes so focused and in control of themselves during a competition. With only three modules completed in the program so far, we’ve already seen the direct impact of these strategies on the court. And during our provincial competition, where we had never placed higher than 8th, this year we finished 4th—a huge achievement for us. The girls proved to themselves that they can compete with the best when their mindset is in the right place, their focus is on the present moment, and they quickly move past mistakes. The Mind Your Game mental skills program quickly provided them with these tools.”

Tips for Coaches: Start Strengthening the Mental Game Today

You don’t need to overhaul your entire training regimen to begin incorporating mental skills training. Here are three simple tips you can try immediately:

1. Foster a Growth Mindset

Encourage athletes to focus on improvement rather than perfection. Instead of saying, “You have to win this,” try, “Let’s aim to play our best and learn from the experience.”

2. Normalize Mistakes

Athletes often fear failure because they see it as unacceptable. Reframe mistakes as opportunities to grow. After a game, ask your team, “What did we learn today that can help us next time?”

At Mind Your Game, we firmly believe that mistakes and failures aren’t the opposite of success—they’re essential building blocks of it. Every stumble, every setback is a step closer to growth, learning, and ultimately achieving greatness. Success isn’t about avoiding failure; it’s about embracing it, learning from it, and using it to fuel your journey forward.

3. Introduce Breathing Exercises

Teach your athletes a simple technique like box breathing. Use it during practice breaks so it becomes second nature when they face pressure in competition.

Don’t know what box breathing is? It’s really simple and a great tool to teach your young athletes. Have them inhale for 3 seconds, hold their breath for 3 seconds, exhale for 3 seconds, and pause for 3 seconds before repeating. Prefer a different rhythm? Adjust the cycle to 2 seconds or 4 seconds per step—it’s flexible to match their needs. This easy yet powerful technique helps calm their minds, keep them focused, and perform better under pressure. Your athletes will thank you for it!

Conclusion: Don’t Let the Mental Game Be the Weak Link

As a youth sports coach, you’ve poured time, energy, and effort into preparing your athletes physically and technically. But without a strong mental foundation, they’ll struggle to reach their full potential in competition. Don’t let the mental game become their Achilles’ heel.

The good news? You don’t have to tackle this challenge alone. With Mind Your Game, you’ll gain the tools and strategies to build mentally resilient athletes who can perform when it matters most.

Coaching is about action, not endless theory. Our psychological skills training program provides practical, hands-on mental skills and drills that deliver real results, empowering your athletes to thrive both on and off the field.

And don’t worry—we’re not here to turn you into a sports psychologist for youth athletes. You’re already a coach, teacher, leader, role model, mentor, motivator—and so much more! Adding “sports psychologist” to that list? That’s too much. Let our program do the heavy lifting with a “done-with-you” approach. You’ll feel fully supported while remaining in control of the process.

Let’s connect and make it happen 👉 https://calendly.com/mindyourgame/30-min-discussion-mind-your-game 

Blog Recap: What Causes Athletes to Underperform in Competition Despite Excelling in Training?

Many youth sports coaches face the frustration of watching athletes excel in practice but falter on competition day. The issue often lies not in physical skills but in their mental game. Performance anxiety, fear of failure, and negative self-talk can disrupt athletes’ ability to replicate their training success during high-pressure moments.

Mental training equips athletes with tools to manage these challenges, including techniques like positive self-talk, visualization, and mindfulness practices. For example, NBA star Steve Nash relied on visualization for his legendary free-throw success, while LeBron James advocates for mindfulness to handle pressure.

At Mind Your Game, we help coaches integrate psychological skills training seamlessly into their athlete development plans. Our simple, actionable tools teach athletes, among other things, to manage stress, build confidence, and stay focused when it matters most. During and After using our proven formula, coaches report dramatic improvements, leading to breakthrough performances in competition.

If you’re ready to bridge the gap between practice and competition and bring more consistency to your athletes’ mental development, explore our tailored mental skills program designed to empower both coaches and athletes. Mental preparation isn’t extra work—it’s the missing piece to success.

Let’s build a stronger mental game together 👉 Schedule a Call.