Ever sat in the bleachers or the car pickup line, wondering how to help your daughter shake off a tough game and truly believe in herself again?

If so, you’re in the right place. This isn’t just another list of sports pep talks or motivational quotes. These are tried-and-true strategies, straight from sports moms who’ve watched their athletes deal with nerves, tough coaches, self-doubt, and those make-or-break moments that happen on every field or court.

Here, you’ll find stories about what’s really working like pre-game breathing routines, bounce-back rituals after mistakes, and little traditions that build big-time confidence. If you’re searching for down-to-earth advice, honest wins (and challenges!), and practical tips you can try this week, you’ll feel right at home.

Let’s get real about confidence, mental tools, and how sports families are helping their girls grow tougher, happier, and more resilient every season.

A Mom’s Winning Story: Using Breathing, Visualization, and Affirmations

Before we get into the conversation with the moms, I want to give a shout-out to Jennifer, a mom in our community who shared this inspiring story.

Jennifer’s daughter was sitting in the car before a lacrosse summer league game, nervous and quiet. Jennifer helped her daughter with breathing exercises and visualization, and gave her affirmations to “trust her training.” Her daughter did a “preparatory snapback routine”, a failure recovery method we teach athletes to help them regain confidence quickly after mistakes.

The result? Her daughter went right into the game, received a pass on her first play, aggressively went for the goal (something she’d never done before), and scored! Jennifer said this has been a game changer for her daughter, getting her tools she can control. After the game, the daughter was so chatty and full of excitement which was a huge win after having been nervous.

That story gives me goosebumps every time! It’s so normal for young athletes to get nervous or even irritable before competing. But many don’t have the mental tools to navigate those feelings, so they start thinking it’s “bad” to feel nervous. Jennifer and her daughter had strategies like breathing, visualization, affirmations, and snapback routines, and they were able to transfer those tools right onto the field. That’s huge.

This Back-to-School Season: Get Your Athlete Mentally Ready!

It’s the back-to-school time and many athletes are heading back to their sports seasons. That’s why we’re running a special discount on The Elite Mental Game program right now. If you’re looking to prepare your athlete with the confidence and mental strength she needs for her season, check out elitecompetitor.com/EMG for the special pricing during this back-to-school season.

Introducing Our Sports Moms Panel

Now, let’s hear from some active moms in our community. We have Grace, Kristen, Miranda, and Angela — all sports moms who are either going through or just joined The Elite Mental Game. They’re here to share their experiences: what’s working, what isn’t, and to answer some questions. 

Here’s a quick intro:

• Kristen: Mom to Lila, a 13-year-old volleyball player, and also has a 16-year-old son who boxes.
• Grace: Mom of four kids, with three daughters playing volleyball across various ages including an 8th grader, 5th grader, and 3rd grader.
• Miranda: Mom of a 12-year-old volleyball player, and a 2-year-old toddler eager to follow in big sister’s footsteps.
• Angela: Mom of a 14-year-old volleyball player who also runs track, appreciating her daughter getting everything this time around.
  

Common Question: What Sparked You to Join the Program?

Understanding what motivates sports moms to seek out support for their athletes shines a light on the real-life pressures and hopes behind every journey. Here are some honest reflections straight from moms who decided to join The Elite Mental Game program and what pushed them to take that step for their girls:

Kristen’s Story: From Love of Sports to Mental Struggles

Kristen shared that her daughter loved volleyball, but as pressure mounted and her daughter started curling inward after mistakes, tears in the car and an overwhelmed attitude, Kristen felt lost. They moved to a new club and made the team, but the coach starting talking about her “attitude,” which Kristen agreed was a concern. But she didn’t know how to help.

After asking coaches about “mental toughness” or “attitude work,” Kristen found that many didn’t have answers or know where to start. Since she trains adults for a living, she was determined to find a mental coach for her daughter, and found me. She realized that if she was putting so much time and money into training her daughter physically, she needed to invest in her mental health too. The change started working overnight, which was amazing for both mother and daughter.

Kristen’s story really hits home because it’s so common for coaches to say “work on your attitude,” but not provide clear, actionable ways to do that. As Kristen said, it’s like telling a kid to bake a pie but not giving her the ingredients or recipe, it just doesn’t work.

Grace’s Story: Supporting Multiple Daughters and School Teams

Grace’s motivation was watching her daughters and middle school volleyball team struggle with bouncing back after mistakes. Despite repeated coaching cues like “shake it off” or “focus on the next play,” kids didn’t have tools or steps to do that effectively.

Grace and her husband started researching sports psychology and mental toughness. They brought in a local college basketball coach to talk about self-talk and SMART goals. They even created “Mental Toughness Mondays” for their middle school team to practice these skills.

They later found The Elite Mental Game and loved having a packaged, proven program designed specifically for girls and their moms, which saved them from having to piece all the concepts together on their own.

Miranda’s Story: From Volleyball Player and Coach to Protective Mom

Miranda comes from a volleyball background herself and coached at higher levels, so she thought sports would be a safe outlet for her daughter. But when middle school started, she noticed her daughter, usually social and spirited, began second-guessing herself on the court. The daughter received negative feedback from the coach, including eye-rolling and yelling, which crushed her spirit.

At a tournament, her daughter was yelled at again and literally ran to Miranda crying, saying she didn’t want to play anymore. This was heartbreaking for her family and made them reconsider how to help support their daughter emotionally and mentally through sport.

Miranda learned that her daughter had always been hard on herself, with tough self-talk from a young age. She realized the importance of showing grace and empathy when addressing her daughter’s struggles, especially when the athlete feels pressure to please others.

Angela’s Story: Building Confidence the Second Time Around

Angela, mom of a 14-year-old volleyball and track athlete, shared that her daughter is having a much more positive season this time. With previous experience under their belt, Angela appreciated seeing her daughter apply all the tools and support from the outset.

She recognized how access to mental skills training helped her daughter feel more prepared, resilient, and better equipped to handle both challenges and successes as she heads into her new sports season.

For Angela, it was all about giving her daughter a stronger foundation, cementing a sense of confidence and enjoyment from the very beginning.

Insights and Tips from These Sports Moms

These first-hand insights come straight from sports moms actively supporting their athletes through the mental ups and downs of competition. Their experiences reveal what works (and what really matters) when building lasting confidence.

1. Practical Tools Create Real Change

• Breathing exercises: Intentional deep breathing before games helps athletes calm nerves, find their focus, and feel settled. Moms found this especially helpful during anxious car rides or right before their daughters took the field.
• Visualization: Guiding athletes to picture themselves succeeding—executing a perfect serve, scoring a goal, or calmly resetting after a mistake—boosts self-belief and gives the brain a rehearsal for success.
• Affirmations: Short, positive phrases like “I trust my training” or “I am ready for this” help athletes reframe doubts. Repeating these before and during games keeps negative self-talk in check and builds a more confident inner voice.
• Snapback routines: Simple, physical resets (like snapping a ponytail band or taking a deliberate breath after a mistake) help athletes move on quickly from errors. This prevents spiraling thoughts and teaches resilience on the spot.

2. Mental Skills Are Learned, Not Inherited

• Moms discovered that confidence and resilience aren’t just traits you’re born with; they’re skills to be practiced, just like any serve or sprint.
• Tools like performance journals, setting SMART goals, and regular self-reflection help athletes measure growth and learn from both wins and losses.
• Making mental strength part of the regular training routine (for example, “Mental Toughness Mondays” or after-practice check-ins) reinforces growth and keeps athletes improving from the inside out.

3. Coaching Gaps Are Common, Parents Often Fill In

• Many coaches focus on the physical side of sport and may not provide step-by-step methods for handling nerves, confidence, or recovering from mistakes.
• Moms repeatedly heard advice like “work on your attitude” without more guidance, spurring them to find additional support and resources on their own.
• Proactively finding dedicated programs or bringing in experts made a noticeable difference for their daughters’ mindsets and enjoyment of the game.

4. Results Can Be Immediate and Transformative

• Small changes in approach, such as introducing a breathing exercise or a bounce-back routine, often led to dramatic improvements in attitude, recovery from mistakes, and overall happiness in sports.
• Many moms observed turnaround moments, where their daughters went from silent car rides home to sharing stories and celebrating what went well, even after challenging games.

5. Mental Training Spreads to Siblings and Family

• Once one child embraces mental skills, others often join in. Siblings, regardless of age or sport (and sometimes even parents!), start adopting the same breathing techniques, affirmations, and recovery practices for confidence in their own activities.
• Modeling mental resets and open conversations about mindset turn these habits into family norms, not just sports rituals.

6. The Power of Community and Support

• Being connected to other sports parents granted comfort, accountability, and new ideas. Moms valued sharing not only their struggles but also practical, actionable tips and small victories.
• This sense of community normalized conversations about mental health and “mental training” as essential, not extra, parts of youth sports.

These candid stories show there’s no magic fix for building confidence but small, consistent mental tools, honest conversations, and support make a lasting difference. By making mindset a family priority and supporting each other, sports moms are helping their daughters become not just better athletes, but stronger, more resilient people.

Preparing Your Athlete for Success

This back-to-school season, I encourage you to not just focus on physical training but to arm your athlete with mental skills as well. Confidence, resilience, and mental toughness are just as important as strength or technique.

If you’d like to get your athlete started or deepen her mental skills this season, check out The Elite Mental Game program at elitecompetitor.com/EMG where there’s a special discount running now.

From breathing through nerves to mastering the snapback routine, these tools can transform your athlete’s experience on and off the field.

Thanks for joining me here. And to all the sports moms out there: keep up the incredible work supporting your girls!

If you want the full conversation and more insights, be sure to listen to the podcast episode, “Ep 256: Back to School Special: Tips on Building Confidence in Your Athlete this Season from Successful Sports Moms.”

Episode Highlights: 

[00:00] Opening & Importance of Mental Skills. Introduction to why mental confidence is a key factor for young athletes as they head into a new sports season. Sets the stage for discussing practical mental tools beyond physical training.

[02:10] Jennifer’s Story: Breathing and Visualization. A mom shares how breathing exercises, visualization, and affirmations helped her nervous daughter gain confidence before a lacrosse game, leading to a major personal breakthrough on the field.

[06:45] Mental Challenges Young Athletes Face. Discussion about nerves, pressure from coaches, and difficulty bouncing back after mistakes. Highlights the gap in mental skills training in many youth sports programs.

[09:30] Introducing the Moms Panel. Brief intros to moms Kristen, Grace, Miranda, and Angela, outlining their daughters’ sports backgrounds and the unique challenges each family faces.

[11:00] What Sparked Moms to Join the Program. Moms describe spotting struggles like anxiety, self-doubt, and harsh coaching feedback. They explain how generic advice wasn’t enough, leading them to seek mental training tools tailored for their daughters.

[18:40] Effective Mental Tools That Work. The group shares specific strategies that help: deep breathing, visualization, affirmations, and quick “snapback” routines to reset after errors, all aiding confidence and composure.

[22:30] Integrating Mental Skills into Family Life. Panel discusses how mental tools influence siblings and parents too, creating a supportive environment where resilience and positive mindset become family habits.

[25:50] Coaches’ Limitations & Parents’ Role. Moms recount experiences where coaches mention “attitude issues” but don’t provide tools, illustrating why parents often step in to fill this coaching gap themselves.

[28:15] The Value of Community Support. Highlighting how sharing wins, struggles, and advice with other parents creates accountability, normalizes mental training, and offers emotional reassurance.

[31:30] Practical Advice for Parents. Suggestions include celebrating small improvements, conducting regular mental check-ins with athletes, and showing empathy towards both the athlete’s and parent’s learning curve.

[34:00] Invitation to The Elite Mental Game Program. Encouragement to incorporate mental training this season and details about current program offerings and discounts for families interested in deeper support.

[36:00] Kristen’s Breakthrough: Physical & Mental Training Together. Kristen elaborates on the overnight turnaround when combining mental exercises with physical practice, reinforcing that mental skills turbocharge athletic development.

[40:20] Grace’s Team Approach to Mental Toughness. Grace shares how she and her husband created team-wide initiatives like “Mental Toughness Mondays,” bringing mental skills training to their daughters’ volleyball and school teams.

[44:10] Miranda’s Focus on Empathy & Self-Compassion. Miranda talks about learning to approach her daughter’s perfectionism with understanding, helping her develop kinder self-talk rather than harsh self-criticism after mistakes.

[48:00] Angela’s Perspective: Confidence from the Start. Angela emphasizes the benefits of starting mental skills training early, allowing her daughter to enter her sports seasons feeling ready, confident, and balanced.

[51:15] Tips for Post-Game Reflections and Growth. The moms discuss routines for reviewing games positively, focusing on effort and learning rather than just outcomes, to build a growth mindset and reduce pressure.

[55:00] Handling Negative Coaching Moments. Strategies for parents to support athletes when they face criticism or harshness from coaches: validating feelings, reinforcing mental skills, and maintaining communication.

[58:40] Q&A: Parents Ask About Habit-Building. Discussion about how to encourage consistent mental skill practice without making it feel like a chore, emphasizing small daily habits and family involvement.

[1:02:10] Encouraging Athlete Autonomy. Insights on empowering athletes to take ownership of their mental routines, making the practice authentic and self-motivated instead of parent-driven.

[1:05:20] Final Thoughts on Confidence & Resilience. Reflection on how confidence is built day-by-day through intentional practice, patience, and connection, rather than overnight success or natural talent.

[1:08:00] Closing Encouragement & Resources. The episode ends with encouragement for parents, practical info on joining The Elite Mental Game program, and an open invitation to connect with a supportive community. Listeners are reminded they’re not alone and have resources to keep building their athlete’s confidence all season.

Next Steps:

• Join our FREE Training for Sports Moms – How to Strengthen Your Athlete Daughter’s Mental Game so She Believes in Herself as Much as You Do
• Visit our podcast website for more great episodes

Thank you in advance for joining us on our mission and leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.