Mental Edge Athletic Performance Consulting & CoachingCase Studies / Success Stories

“Ryan”

Ryan is a sixth grade student-athlete who plays basketball, soccer, and baseball. Ryan is a

good athlete with a lot of natural ability. He is fast. He has good hand-eye coordination. He also

works hard and wants to do well. Ryan also does well in school. Ryan has been playing on elite,

travel, and AAU teams since he was 9 years old. Ryan is motivated to succeed especially in

basketball. Ryan and his parents began working with Mental Edge to develop his mental

approach. Ryan would sometimes struggles in pressure situations because of difficulty

controlling his nerves and occasional fear of failing. Even though he did well, he was afraid that

he would disappoint others if he didn’t come though when the game was on the line.

I met with Ryan every other week for a month. Ryan, as I find with many young athletes,

had a problem with controlling his self-talk. His internal dialogue with himself was not only

negative, but also created tension during competition. When we have tension in our muscles, it is

difficult to perform well. As a result, during these times, he would perform poorly during

important parts of competition. Ryan learned methods of controlling his self-talk. He then

learned about progressive relaxation and mental rehearsal. Ryan used this tool daily during the

regular and AAU basketball season. Ryan used these tools to become a consistent high

performer. They helped him take advantage of his natural ability and skill. He worked on both

his physical and mental skills. He has taken his game to a totally new level. With the help of

Mental Edge, Ryan is maximizing his physical skill and talent to take his game to a higher level.

Ryan was already motivated to succeed in the classroom and in athletic competition.

Mental Edge helped him not only manage his thoughts and emotions, but also use them to raise

his performance even higher!

Even motivated, high achievers benefit from what Mental Edge has to offer. How high

will your middle or high school athlete climb with Mental Edge?