🏀 When the pressure hit, she didn’t freeze. When the crowd got loud, she didn’t flinch. When the season was on the line… she stepped up. Why? Because she trained her mind—just like her game. 💥 → http://coachfreetraining.com 👈

In this episode, we’re breaking down the exact mental training tools top NCAA teams used to thrive under pressure — including how Coach Cori Close and UCLA Women’s Basketball built one of the most mentally tough teams in the country using the Mind Gym and other proven sports psychology techniques.

These are the same tools that helped Lauren Betts go from underperforming at Stanford to becoming an All-American at UCLA — and yes, your middle or high school team can use them too (no budget or extra degrees needed).

✨ I'm Coach Bre – a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, long-time head volleyball coach, and 4-time state champion. I help high school and middle school coaches build confident, mentally strong teams that compete at their peak and handle pressure like pros.

Inside the episode, you’ll learn:

✅ How to teach visualization (with or without film)

✅ A powerful failure recovery system your athletes will actually use

✅ The mindset routine that takes 5 minutes — and transforms practices

🕓 Key Moments

00:00 The Essential Skill for Athletes

00:24 Mental Training in NCAA Teams

01:53 Introducing Coach Bre and Her Approach

02:13 Success Stories: Donna's Team

03:34 Spotlight on UCLA's Mental Training

06:41 Visualization Techniques

09:28 Implementing Visualization in Your Team

13:35 Failure Recovery Systems

16:15 Team Bonding and Support

16:44 Implementing Snapback Routine

17:15 Importance of Failure Recovery

18:27 Self-Talk and Visualization

19:43 Developing Affirmations

22:59 Daily Mindset Routine: 3-2-1 Brave

27:01 Mental Training in High-Pressure Situations

28:31 Balancing Mental and Physical Training

28:52 Managing Team Emotions and Drama

29:22 Free Training for Coaches 29:38 Challenge for Coaches

30:34 Conclusion and Next Steps

🚀 Grab our in-depth free training → https://coachfreetraining.com

📺 Learn more here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT1LkVw5Xvg&list=PLYeP0oZHlVGnxJfK4m7ViFejx8r3hnHWL

🎯 Want to help your team bounce back fast after mistakes? → Watch this next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ6OmF7gC3I

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

🏐 Skill alone didn’t win us multiple state championships. The real advantage? Mental training. → https://coachfreetraining.com 👈 Learn how to build your team's mental edge!

In this powerful conversation with the Washington State Volleyball Champs, Coach Bre sits down with three team captains to reveal exactly how sports psychology, mental toughness, and intentional mental training techniques became the difference-maker in their historic 3-peat victory.

🔥 If you're a high school or middle school coach of girl athletes—this is the episode that pulls back the curtain on what separates good teams from elite ones. From navigating pressure and team dynamics to building peak performance routines—this one’s loaded with actionable insights.

👋 I’m Coach Bre — a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a longtime head volleyball coach + 4-time state champion. I created this channel to help coaches like you go beyond the Xs and Os to build teams that thrive under pressure and lead with confidence.

🧠 Topics we cover in this episode:

• The mental side of the game and how it shapes physical performance
• How athletes overcome perfectionism, overthinking, and self-doubt
• The exact mental preparation tools this team used before every game
• Why your team’s sports psychology skills could be the missing link
• Mental health for girl athletes and how to build confidence that lasts
• How to train your team like a mental performance coach without adding to your schedule

🗣 Hear directly from Logan, Lauren, and Macy—the three captains who led their team through the season’s toughest moments and emerged stronger thanks to tools like the snapback routine, visualization, affirmations, and sports psychology coaching built into practice.

🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction to Mental Training
00:23 Meet the Captains: Macy, Lauren, and Logan
01:35 Macy's Volleyball Journey and Future Plans
02:11 Lauren's Volleyball and Tennis Achievements
03:25 Logan's Role and Athletic Background
04:09 Keys to Becoming a State Champion
07:22 Handling Pressure and Surprises
13:32 The Importance of Mental Training
18:46 Personal Mantras and Their Impact
19:48 Lauren's High-Pressure Performances
20:22 Logan's Affirmations and Breathwork
21:02 Reflecting on the Season's Challenges
22:09 Overcoming Self-Confidence Issues
27:22 Favorite Memories of the Season
32:48 The Importance of Mental Training
36:35 Final Thoughts and Future Aspirations

👇 Want to build a team that’s tough and mentally resilient?

• Grab our in-depth free training → https://coachfreetraining.com
• Learn more here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT1LkVw5Xvg&list=PLYeP0oZHlVGnxJfK4m7ViFejx8r3hnHWL
• Plug & Play Elite Mental Game for Teams → https://coachhergame.com/joinemg

💬 Coaches—comment below: What’s one mental training skill your team needs to improve under pressure?

🏆 Whether your team is chasing their first state title or trying to stay at the top—this episode will show you what it really takes to lead girl athletes to greatness.

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

Most girl athletes know what to do—so why do they freeze in pressure moments? 🧠 Learn how to build mental toughness fast → https://coachfreetraining.com

In this episode, we’re breaking down exactly how to develop mentally tough teams (without adding hours to your coaching plate). Whether your team crumbles under pressure, hesitates after mistakes, or just can’t consistently bring their best game—this one's for you.

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. 🏆

🎙 This conversation first aired on the Coaching Culture Podcast hosted by JP Nerbun and Betsy Butterick, where I was a guest sharing our plug-and-play mental training system built specifically for middle and high school girl athletes. We discuss real-life coaching struggles, why the mental game is often the missing piece, and how to easily implement sport psychology into your team culture without sacrificing time.

🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction to Coach Bre and The Elite Competitor
01:33 Coach Bre's Personal Athletic Journey
04:31 The Turning Point: From Athlete to Coach
05:41 Developing Mental Performance Programs
09:39 The Importance of Parental Involvement
11:51 Real-Life Parenting Scenarios
17:07 Addressing the Inner Critic
18:32 Coaching Strategies for Mental Resilience
19:43 Adjusting Positivity: A Realistic Approach
20:09 Coaching Under Pressure: Handling Athlete Stress
21:38 Preloading Skills for Better Coaching
22:50 The Snapback Routine: A Failure Recovery System
25:09 Training Mental Skills in Low-Stakes Environments
27:36 Coaches' Emotional Regulation
31:32 Impact of Mental Training on Parenting
34:13 Introducing the Elite Mental Game Course

🎯 You'll learn about:

• Use sport psychology to build confident, mentally resilient girl athletes
• Train mental toughness with short, simple routines your players will actually use
• Coach the psychology of elite athletes in bite-sized ways
• Leverage a proven mental training program that’s designed by coaches, for coaches
• Create a winning coaching culture using growth mindset tools
• Engage your team with mental performance work that translates to peak performance
• Get athletes to take ownership, bounce back faster, and play more freely under pressure

✨ If you’ve ever thought…

• “I don’t have time for mental training”
• “I’m not a sports psychologist!”
• “I want tools that are simple, not fluffy…”

This episode will change the game for you!

👇 Coaches—comment below: What’s the #1 mindset challenge your team struggles with?

📌 Resources & Next Steps

• Grab our in-depth free training → https://coachfreetraining.com
• Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
• Plug & Play Elite Mental Game Info → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg

Let’s redefine what it means to be a mentally tough team—starting now. 💥

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!