MindBalanceSPORT

Schedule Consultation

Build Confidence Early. Compete With Balance.

Helping young athletes develop the focus, confidence, and emotional skills they need to grow in sport and in life.

Youth Athlete Mental Skills Training

Youth athletes face more than physical demands. They are learning how to handle pressure, manage emotions, recover from mistakes, and build confidence while still growing as people.
MindBalanceSPORT helps young competitors develop age-appropriate mental skills that support performance, confidence, and overall well-being.
DESIGNED FOR YOUTH ATHLETES
Athletes who want to build confidence, improve focus, manage pressure, and enjoy their sport with a healthier mindset.
THE IMPACT
Mental skills training helps young athletes respond better to mistakes, stay composed under pressure, and develop tools they can use in competition, school, and everyday life.
Specialized training for youth athletes

Mental Performance Coaching for Young Athletes

Youth sports psychology — often called mental performance coaching for young athletes — is age-appropriate mental-skills training that helps youth, teenage, and high school athletes build focus, confidence, and composure under pressure, and bounce back from mistakes. At MindBalanceSPORT it’s delivered by certified mental performance coaches who specialize in young athletes and overseen by two licensed psychologists, in person in McLean, VA and Plano, TX or online nationwide — and the skills athletes build generalize beyond sport into the classroom and life.

What You Gain

1.

Skills for Life

MBS athletes leave with stronger cognitive tools to excel on the field and in life.
2.

An Experienced Coach

Expert coaches that help you perform at your best and have fun doing it.
3.

Measurable Growth

98% of MBS athletes reported improved performance, confidence, and focus.

Why Families Choose MindBalanceSPORT for Young Athletes

For a teenage or high school athlete, the right support pairs genuine youth specialization with credible oversight. MindBalanceSPORT is founded and overseen by two licensed psychologists and delivers coaching through certified mental performance coaches who specialize in young athletes — so your child gets age-appropriate coaching with a licensed team behind it.

Deep youth & adolescent specialization — age-appropriate coaching rooted in adolescent psychology, for athletes as young as 8.

Licensed psychologists behind every coach — founded and overseen by Dr. Brenna Chirby, Psy.D. and Dr. Virginia Jones, Psy.D.

Certified mental performance coaches (CMPCs) — credentialed coaches who work specifically with youth and high school athletes.

Measurable progress — the MBS Mindset Assessment sets a baseline (benchmarked against 1,300+ youth athletes) so growth is tracked, not guessed.

Matched to your athlete's sport and age — from gymnastics and soccer to basketball, tennis, and beyond.

In person or online — in the Washington, DC metro (McLean, VA) and Dallas–Fort Worth (Plano, TX), or virtually nationwide.

Hear from Athletes & Parents

''

MBS was a godsend; They helped make competitions more enjoyable/less stressful for her. She also provided useful tools and strategies that despite her young age, really resonated with her. My daughter attributes her gymnastics advancement in large part due to her work with Paula.

Parent of Youth Athlete
''

She’s helped me recover my “why” so that I can find joy in running again. MBS has been life changing!

Marathon Runner
''

I was able to overcome every mental block I had and return to sport better than before my injury. I have recommended MBS to all of my teammates!

NCAA Division 1 Athlete
''

If you are an athlete … this is the place to come. MBS completely changed my outlook and mindset in a time when I needed it most.

NCAA Division 1 Champion
''

After just a few sessions with John, we noticed a significant improvement in our son’s motivation and mental approach to sports and life in general.

Parent of Athlete

Frequently Asked Questions

What parents ask most about mental training for young athletes.
At what age should an athlete start mental performance training?

There’s no single right age — mental performance training can help whenever an athlete is committed to improving their mental game. At MindBalanceSPORT we specialize in youth and adolescent development and deliver age-appropriate mental skills training rooted in adolescent psychology, so younger athletes build foundational skills like focus and confidence in a way that fits their stage.

Signs you and your athlete might notice include pre-competition nerves that disrupt performance, dread or avoidance around competition, loss of focus or confidence, and reduced enjoyment of a sport they used to love. At MindBalanceSPORT we help athletes build skills to manage performance stress; if signs point to a clinical concern, support is available through our licensed mental health professionals or by referral. This is general information, not a diagnosis.

Common signs include persistent exhaustion, dropping motivation, irritability, performance declining despite continued effort, and losing the joy your athlete once had for their sport. These can overlap with everyday performance stress or, at times, a clinical concern. At MindBalanceSPORT we support the performance side and route clinical needs to our licensed mental health professionals or an appropriate provider. This is general information, not a diagnosis — when in doubt, it’s worth talking with a qualified professional.

Yes. Decades of sport-psychology research tie mental skills — attentional control, self-regulation, imagery, and stress management — to measurable performance gains, and those skills can be taught early. At MindBalanceSPORT we deliver them in an age-appropriate way, and the skills athletes build (focus, confidence, resilience) generalize beyond sport into the classroom and life.

A mental performance coach helps athletes work through pre-competition nerves, frustration after setbacks, and the emotional side of competition, building skills like reset routines, self-talk, and composure. At MindBalanceSPORT we specialize in young athletes, and because we’re founded and overseen by licensed psychologists, we can bring in clinical support or refer out if what’s showing up looks like more than performance stress. This is general information, not a diagnosis.

No — mental performance coaching builds the mental skills behind performance and is not therapy. At MindBalanceSPORT we lead with coaching, and because we’re founded and overseen by licensed psychologists, clinical mental health support is available in-house or by referral if your child needs it. Many parents start with coaching and are reassured that a licensed team stands behind it.

No — an athlete doesn’t have to be struggling to benefit. Just as strong players keep practicing when they’re playing well, mental performance coaching helps athletes at every level sharpen focus, build consistency, and develop resilience under pressure. At MindBalanceSPORT, our work is as much preventative and developmental as it is corrective — building mental skills before they’re urgently needed.

Yes. We offer secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual mental performance coaching for young athletes across the country, as well as in-person sessions in McLean, VA and Plano, TX. Our virtual sessions follow the same MBS Approach as in person and are a practical option for busy families.

Keep Exploring

Start 1:1 coaching

Pair your young athlete with a coach matched to their sport and goals.

Individual sessions

Coming back from an injury?

Mental performance support to rebuild confidence and return to play.

Injury recovery

Coaching a youth team?

Workshops and programs that build culture, communication, and composure.

Team training

From the MBS blog: Growth Mindset in Youth Sports · The Psychological Risks of Youth Sport Specialization · What to Say After a Tough Game · How to Talk to Your Young Athlete

Train Your Other Half.

Schedule a free consultation to learn how MBS can help you reach your goals.
Schedule Consultation
Get in Touch
Scroll to Top