Stefan Peter, MAS in Sports Health and Leadership and Pro Soccer Mindset Coach
Why Mental Coaching is Essential for Soccer Players
When it comes to soccer, we train our bodies to be faster, stronger, and more agile. But what about our minds? Mental performance coaching is about personal development, leveling up mentally and emotionally, and unlocking our full potential.
It helps young athletes:
- Build Self-confidence
- Manage Setbacks
- Better Deal with the Natural Ups and Downs of Life and
- Develop the Inner Dialogue that Fuels Joy and Well being
Just like physical training, mindset training is a crucial part of reaching peak performance. Instead of being controlled by fear or the often detrimental “me against the world” mentality, regular mental training helps athletes perform from a place of joy, passion, and trust. Many athletes struggle with fears that hold them back—fear of failure, fear of judgment, perfectionism, a scarcity mindset, or tying their self-worth solely to results. These limiting beliefs create pressure and anxiety, making it harder to play freely and with confidence. By developing mental strength, athletes learn to shift their focus and perform with a sense of control, resilience, and belief in themselves. It also creates awareness of what thoughts and feelings hold us back, what habits are sabotaging us and teaches us how to break through those mental and emotional blockages so we can perform sustainably at our best without compromising our health.
3 Big Mental Challenges specifically for Young Soccer Players in 2025
Through conversations with soccer parents and coaches, we’ve identified three major mental challenges young players face today:
- Overthinking and Decision-Making
The world we life in becomes faster and more demanding daily I often feel like. And also soccer is getting faster and faster in pace. As players we have to make split second decisions, but not just on the pitch. Overthinking leads to hesitation, which can hurt performance. Mental performance habits like breathwork or meditation help players to trust their instincts, stay present, and act confidently under pressure but also acknowledging mistakes as part of any game, even the game of life. I think games like soccer are a great way to prepare us for life and school. It’s like a practice run, teaching us how to win, how to lose and how to collaborate and work as a team. After all, as humans, we thrive on connection and teamwork, but we actually also like to show our talents and get appreciation (love) from our peers. Parental Pressure from the Sidelines
While parents want the best for their kids, excessive sideline coaching can be overwhelming. It creates stress and hinders players from learning to think independently. The best approach? Let the coach do the coaching—your role as a parent is to support and encourage, not critique. Encourage your young player to journal and write about the experiences, thoughts and feelings of todays game and simply acknowledge their struggles without trying to fix them. Speaking from personal experience, I know firsthand how much we as young players thrive on positive reinforcement from mum and dad. We love hearing you cheer for us, but it’s incredibly tough when we see your anger, frustration, or disappointment. In my case, many moons ago, my dad’s way of handling mistakes—sometimes ignoring me for days—was far more painful than the mistake itself. Your reactions matter more than you realize, so instead of criticism, be the voice that lifts us up, no matter the outcome. All we want is to make you proud and feel your love and support.Individualism vs. Team Play
Some players struggle to adapt their personal style to the team’s strategy. While individual skills are important, soccer is a team sport – big news – I know. Mental performance coaching helps players learn more about their own personality type. Finding out, through personality analysis, if I am a Captain, Playmaker, Guardian or Strategist type of player, gives players the self-awareness needed to understand their perfect role on the team, and how to improve and contribute their own strengths to the team’s success. I love what one of my coaches once told me in regards to this: “It’s not just about being the best player ON the team, but also the best player FOR the team.”
The Consequences of Neglecting Mental Strength Training
If young athletes don’t train their mental strength, it can take a real toll. Without the tools to handle pressure, setbacks, and self-doubt, they might lose confidence, burn out, and even fall out of love with the game – that’s actually what happened to me unfortunately. Anxiety and fear of failure can creep in, making it harder to perform and enjoy the sport. Just like skipping physical training leads to injuries, neglecting mental training can bring unnecessary struggles—both on and off the pitch.
Breaking the Stigma
Many people hesitate to embrace mental performance coaching because they confuse it with mental health treatment—and let’s be honest, no one wants that stigma. But the truth is, mental performance coaching isn’t about fixing problems; it’s about preparing for them. Yes, it can help during tough times (I’ve experienced this firsthand), but more importantly, it teaches us the skills and techniques to quiet the overthinking and self-doubt that often leads to blocking emotions ultimately holding us back in every aspect of life. I believe every player should treat mental strength training as just as important as physical training, also to be prepared for the challenges in school, job and life. No one thinks twice about hiring a private soccer coach to improve footwork—so why not a mental performance coach to improve focus, confidence, and resilience?
The Bottom Line
Training mindfulness and mental strength helps especially young athletes to learn how to balance the demands of a high-performance soccer world and society with greater ease of mind, from a young age on. Even pro players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, Mo Salah, and literally every NWSL player I’ve worked with, would say that the mental aspect is just as important as everything else in soccer and it positively influences life away from the pitch as well. With the right mindset training, young athletes can improve their performance, manage stress, and build lifelong resilience. Mental performance coaching isn’t just about soccer—it’s about preparing kids for success in life.
Parents, let’s equip our young athletes with the mental tools they need to develop a champion’s mindset. When they learn to perform with joy and passion, they don’t just succeed; they thrive.
If you want to learn more visit: www.stefanpetercoaching.com
I wish you and your kid(s) all the best and best performance,
Yours,
Stefan Peter, MAS in Sports Health and Leadership and Pro Soccer Mindset Coach
