What is Mental Performance Training?

You already train your body — now it’s time to train your MIND.

Hey there, athlete!

Mental Performance Training is all about helping you become a stronger, more confident, and more focused athlete by strengthening the most important muscle you have — your BRAIN.

In youth sports, it’s not just about running faster, hitting harder, or jumping higher…

You also need confidence, focus, motivation, and the ability to deal with pressure and bounce back from mistakes. This is what differentiates the good athletes from the great athletes.

And that’s where Mental Performance Training (“MPT,” for short) comes in…

MPT is like a secret superpower that helps you play your best, every day and every game, no matter what the circumstances.

Think of it like a workout…but for your brain.

Why train your mind? Because your brain is just as important as your body when it comes to achieving optimal performance in sports.

You know that saying “Sports is 10% physical and 90% mental”? Well, MPT is how you unleash your 90%.

Just like you practice your physical skills to get better at shooting, pitching, dribbling or hitting, honing your mental skills can help you:

  • 🎯 Focus when the game is on the line

  • 🧊 Stay cool under pressure

  • 💥 Bounce back after mistakes

  • 💬 Talk to yourself in a powerful way

  • 🏆 Believe in yourself, even when things get tough

Can you imagine being an elite athlete without these mental skills?

Didn’t think so.

And now you understand the WHY behind Mental Performance Training…

Mental Performance Training is used by pro athletes every day — it’s their hidden super power that takes them from good to ELITE:

  • A basketball player takes deep breaths before a free throw to stay calm

  • A soccer goalie uses a reset routine after letting in a goal

  • A gymnast pictures her routine in her head before she competes

  • A baseball player says a positive phrase to himself before every swing

These are all examples of mental skills at work!

Click here to check out real-life stories and videos from the G.O.A.T.’s in sports…

MPT in Action!

Learn more

Your MPT Toolbox

Here at Power Me Up, we’ll give you the tools you need to master MPT — tools like:

  • Breathing techniques to stay calm

  • Visualization to see success before it happens

  • Pre-game rituals to get locked-in every time

  • Power phrases to build confidence through self-talk

  • Reset routines to move on from mistakes

You can start using these skills in practices, games — even in school!

Go to your Toolbox

Why is Mental Performance Training often overlooked?

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
— Muhammad Ali

MPT doesn’t get the same attention as physical workouts.

It’s easier to measure speed, strength, or goals scored than it is to measure focus or confidence.

Because of that, mental training is often ignored (or not even considered) — even though it can be the missing link to unlocking an athlete’s full potential.

A lack of general knowledge about MPT, and a lack of available MPT resources for coaches, means MPT hasn’t become the core part of athletic training that it should be.

Power Me Up aims to change that.

Why MPT is often overlooked

How Mental Performance Training has worked for Elite Athletes

Elite athletes know that success isn’t just about physical ability—it’s about mindset.

Champions like Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Simone Biles have all credited mental training as a key part of their success.

By practicing skills like visualization, focus, and confidence, they’ve shown that Mental Performance Training can be just as powerful as time in the gym.

How MPT works for Elite Athletes
I had to train my mind like I train my body.
— Michael Phelps

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