What Is Mental Performance Training for Athletes?
You've probably heard athletes and coaches talk about the mental side of sport. "The game is 90% mental" is a common line, even if the exact percentage is made up. But what does mental performance training actually involve? And do you need a sports psychologist to do it?
What mental performance training covers
Mental performance training is a set of skills that help athletes focus, manage pressure, stay motivated, and learn faster. It's not therapy (though sports psychologists can help with both), and it's not just positive thinking. It's practical skills you can practice, the same way you practice technique or build fitness.
The main areas usually include:
Focus and attention control. Learning to direct your attention where it's useful and bring it back when it drifts. This shows up as pre-performance cues, routines for resetting between plays, and strategies for staying present instead of dwelling on mistakes or worrying about outcomes.
Goal setting. Specifically, setting process goals (things you control and can act on) rather than only outcome goals (things that depend on opponents, officials, or luck). Process goals change how you train day to day, which is where most improvement actually happens.
Mindfulness and present-moment awareness. Learning to stay in the current moment instead of worrying about outcomes or replaying mistakes. Even a few minutes of daily practice can improve composure under pressure.
Visualization. Mentally rehearsing specific skills or scenarios before you do them physically. Effective visualization is detailed and sensory: you're imagining the feel of the movement, the sounds of the environment, and the decisions you'll make. Research suggests it works best as a supplement to physical practice, not a replacement.
Reflective practice. Reviewing your training and competition deliberately instead of relying on memory and feel. This is where structured debriefs, intention-setting, and journaling fit in.
Do you need a sports psychologist?
A good sports psychologist can be incredibly valuable, especially for athletes dealing with performance anxiety, burnout, or return-from-injury confidence. But many mental performance skills can be practiced on your own with a consistent system.
Start with what you can do today
Pick one mental skill and practice it for a week. Set a focus cue before each session. Or do a 60-second debrief after each practice. If you want a structured system for building these habits, Sherpa is a free app that builds mental performance practices into your daily training routine.