Advertise on podcast: Clutch Academy: Sports Psychology for Youth Sport Coaches

Softball Coach Robin Penoyer on Building Confident, Calm, Clutch Athletes Through Pressure Practice & Visualization Valerie Alston interviews veteran softball coach Robin Penoyer, who has coached across youth, NCAA (D1 and D3), and pro levels overseas, about developing athletes who are confident, calm, and clutch with character. Penoyer explains that confidence is created through environment, not talk, by stressing practice with controlled chaos and scenarios athletes must solve without being given every detail, focusing on controlling controllables like emotions. She teaches mental imagery and “controlled daydreaming” to build positive blueprints—keeping successful reps “in your pocket” and throwing failures “in the trash”—and emphasizes refocusing and reframing after mistakes, with mental reactions mattering more than physical errors. The conversation highlights resilience, competitive drive, growth mindset, team culture, travel and cultural experiences as development tools, and the importance of character, respect, and accountability modeled by coaches. 00:00 Mental Errors Matter 00:30 Show Intro and Offer 01:26 Meet Coach Robin 02:16 Defining Calm Confidence 04:48 Practice Under Pressure 06:28 Controlled Chaos Mindset 07:32 Visualization Play Your Movie 09:36 Rehearsing Game Scenarios 12:16 Bounce Back After Mistakes 14:51 Grit and Competitive Drive 18:51 Travel Builds Resilience 24:26 Character and Accountability 26:23 Final Takeaways and Outro And one more time if you want to give your athlete a science-backed process to take them to the next level without changing anything about their physical practice and training routine, then you need to learn the three secrets at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/coaches. All links below include affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from the sale of services/resources linked in this video. Resources from this episode Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology - Valerie R. Alston https://amzn.to/3PI7ieJHow to Teach Mental Skills to Athletes: Confident, Calm, and Clutch Coaching Companion - The Ultimate Guide to Coaching Mental Toughness https://amzn.to/4dEGwNH Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666

Mindfulness for Youth Athletes: Building Confident, Calm & Clutch Players with Hockey Coach Nate Buck In this Clutch Academy episode, host interviews Minnesota high school hockey coach Nate Buck (20 years on staff in Hermantown) about developing athletes who are confident, calm, and clutch through mindfulness, trust, and mental resilience. Buck explains “fix it, flush it, forget it,” being present, controlling breathing, and responding pragmatically without getting stuck in past mistakes or future worries. He details team mindfulness routines on game days (five minutes of quiet focus) and daily practice starts (30 seconds of silence to reflect on what to improve, what they’re struggling with, and gratitude), plus using competition and high-pressure scenarios in practice. Buck also describes a phone-free locker room culture to build connection, recommends resources like Mind Game and Legacy, and emphasizes balancing high expectations with positivity to help kids handle modern sports pressure. 00:00 Youth Sports Mental Game 00:53 Show Intro and Sponsor 01:46 Meet Coach Nate Buck 03:47 Defining Calm and Clutch 05:39 Game Day Mindfulness Routine 06:57 Pressure and Expectations 09:02 Trust and Team Resilience 10:29 Mindfulness in Daily Practice 14:34 Gratitude and Team Culture 17:19 Training Under Pressure 18:36 Keeping Practice Fresh 19:23 Phone Free Locker Room 20:59 Trauma Bonding Teams 22:39 Decoy Phone Stories 23:56 Mindfulness Book Picks 27:24 Coach Learning Resources 29:16 Lessons From Experience 34:41 Final Words On Mindset And one more time if you want to give your athlete a science-backed process to take them to the next level without changing anything about their physical practice and training routine, then you need to learn the three secrets at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/coaches. All links below include affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from the sale of services/resources linked in this video. Resources from this episode Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology - Valerie R. Alston https://amzn.to/3PI7ieJHow to Teach Mental Skills to Athletes: Confident, Calm, and Clutch Coaching Companion - The Ultimate Guide to Coaching Mental Toughness https://amzn.to/4dEGwNHMind Gym: An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence https://amzn.to/4xcvcA5Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success - Phil Jackson https://amzn.to/4uqhdUzLegacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About The Business of Life https://amzn.to/4xmSymG Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666

Volleyball Coach Laura Watling on Building Confidence Under Pressure with Culture and Practice Design In this Clutch Academy episode, host Valerie Alston interviews high school volleyball coach Laura Watling, who shares how mental pressure—not technique—often causes athletes to miss fundamentals like serving, and how she builds confident, calm, clutch performers. Watling explains the importance of relationships and understanding athletes’ lives so coaching corrections don’t deflate confidence, and describes challenges with a young team that struggled to perform under pressure. She discusses how social media and comparison increase pressure, plus the high-stakes postseason qualification system in Colorado. Watling outlines strategies including summer camps and open gyms to prepare athletes early, building a program-wide culture across three teams, daily pressure-serving and goal-based drills that add fatigue and consequences, faster-than-game practice tempo to make matches feel slower, and teaching players to think for themselves rather than relying on constant coaching. 00:00 Why Athletes Miss 01:01 Clutch Academy Intro 01:56 Meet Coach Laura 02:45 Defining Calm Clutch 05:21 Coaching Confidence 07:08 When Pressure Hits 10:04 Social Media Comparison 13:32 Summer Prep Strategies 15:31 Building Program Culture 16:54 Culture Does The Work 17:30 Competitive Love Balance 17:55 Building a Program 19:15 Pressure Proof Practices 19:41 Serving Under Pressure 22:29 Fast Tempo Training 24:12 Explaining the Why 25:05 Empowering Athlete Leaders 26:45 Teaching Self Reliance 29:07 Community of Coaches 30:08 Wrap Up and Resources And one more time if you want to give your athlete a science-backed process to take them to the next level without changing anything about their physical practice and training routine, then you need to learn the three secrets at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/coaches. All links below include affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from the sale of services/resources linked in this video. Resources from this episode Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology - Valerie R. Alston https://amzn.to/3PI7ieJHow to Teach Mental Skills to Athletes: Confident, Calm, and Clutch Coaching Companion - The Ultimate Guide to Coaching Mental Toughness https://amzn.to/4dEGwNH Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666

Coach Jack Smithlin on the Mental Game, Mindset, and Building Resilient Athletes This episode of Clutch Academy features veteran softball coach Jack Smithlin, who shares how confidence leads to calmness and enables athletes to perform clutch under pressure. He emphasizes that skill alone doesn’t keep athletes on the field; the mind, heart, and body must work together, with relaxed muscles and a relaxed mind producing better performance. Smithlin discusses coaching tactics such as repetition and “perfect practice,” focusing on controllables, redefining success beyond stats, and teaching players to react rather than overthink. He describes using Valerie Alston’s books and weekly team sessions to develop mindset skills like positive self-talk, handling failure as learning, and building grit and character for life beyond sports, while adapting coaching to individual athletes’ needs. 00:00 Mind Over Skill 00:35 Show Intro and Mission 01:29 Meet Coach Jack 02:18 Defining Confident Calm Clutch 06:54 Control the Controllables 09:22 Practice Mindset Tactics 14:06 Teaching Flow at the Plate 17:00 Where the Title Came From 21:30 Growth Mindset and Failure 25:07 Passion Drives Progress 26:36 Resources for Coaches 29:43 Final Thanks and CTA All links below include affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from the sale of services/resources linked in this video. Resources from this episode Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology - Valerie R. Alston https://amzn.to/3PI7ieJMindset: The new Psychology of Success - Carol Dweck https://amzn.to/4nyMjYnThe Mental Game of Baseball : A Guide to Peak Performance - H.A. Dorfman https://amzn.to/491GkW0Secrets of Sports Psychology Revealed by Rick Wolf https://amzn.to/42GF6vDYou Haven’t Taught Until They’ve Learned - Swen Nater & Ronald Gallimore https://amzn.to/3RfCi6e Follow Me on: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoaching YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666