Building Champion Mindsets: Mental Training Tips from a Youth Sports Performance Coach
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Join us as mental performance coach Allison Fink reveals powerful strategies to transform young athletes' confidence and performance on the court, field or course. From the "BRAVR" technique to visualization exercises used by elite players, Allison shares the exact methods she uses to help teenage athletes overcome mental blocks, bounce back from mistakes, and perform at their peak. Whether your young athlete struggles with confidence or you're looking to give them a competitive edge, this episode delivers actionable techniques used by championship-level players. Learn how simple reset words, proven affirmation techniques, and mistake rituals can help your athlete unlock their full potential.
Allison FInk is the founder of Mindset Mastery - Mental Performance Coaching, where she empowers female athletes ages 14-18 to build confidence, establish effective routines, and navigate setbacks. She currently serves as the Sports Information Coordinator at Stevenson High School and has been the assistant coach for the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team since 2013. Previously, she spent 14 years teaching health at Lake Bluff Middle School, where she specialized in developing and implementing skills-based health curricula.
A seasoned presenter at the IAHPERD Convention, Allison has led sessions on topics such as Peak Performance Through Mental Toughness, Helping Students Relieve Stress and Anxiety, Skills-Based Grading and Reporting, The Flipped Classroom, and Aligning Assessments and Rubrics. In 2021, she was honored as the IAHPERD Health Teacher of the Year for both the Northeastern District and the State of Illinois.
As a mental performance coach, Allison guides athletes in optimizing their performance by teaching strategies to manage game pressure, create effective mistake rituals, understand brain function, and use positive affirmations. She is passionate about delivering thought-provoking content that enhances motivation, resilience, and overall athletic experience. Known for her honest approach, willingness to take risks, and deep understanding of female athletes, Allison continues to inspire and elevate those she works with.
If you’d like to contact Allison about working with your teen or want to learn more about her Mindset Mastery - Mental Performance Coaching see her email or link to her website bellow:
https://www.mmallison-fink.com/
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Episode Transcript
Tom: [00:00:00] When a 12-year-old athlete avoids touching the ball during games, what's really going on? Mental performance coach Allison Fink reveals her proven techniques to transform young athletes’ confidence, including the innovative BRAVR method, and exercises that helped one of her players shoot a pro level 66 in golf, which is about 30 strokes better than my best round ever. I’m, Tom…
Jeannie: And I'm Jeannie. We are siblings on a mission to help kids become their strongest selves. Each episode we share proven strategies with parents, teachers, and coaches to build resilient, confident kids who can tackle life's challenges and thrive. Welcome to the Raising Resilient Kids podcast.
Tom: Welcome everybody. Our question of the month actually comes all the way from Australia! We have a dad who asked, our son is 12 and plays basketball for fun and struggles with confidence on the court. He says he's having fun and wants to play, but avoids the ball when on [00:01:00] the court.
He says he thinks his teammates would do a better job with it. So I have the perfect person to answer this question. Jeannie, I was at a conference back in December, and saw this awesome presentation. It was all about the champion mindset. So, I asked the presenter, Allison Fink, to actually be here with us today to share her thoughts on this question and a few other things, because I think she's got a lot of great ideas in her program.
But before we get to her answer, let me tell you a little bit about Allison's background. She is the founder of Mindset Mastery Mental Performance Coaching, where she empowers female athletes age 14 to 18 to build confidence, establish effective routines and navigate setbacks.
She serves as the sports information coordinator at Stevenson High School and has been assistant coach of the girls varsity volleyball team since 2013.
She taught for many years and was actually the Health Teacher of the Year back in 2021 for the state of Illinois.
As a mental performance coach, [00:02:00] Allison guides athletes in optimizing their performance by teaching strategies to manage game pressure, create effective mistake rituals, understand brain function, and use positive affirmations. She's passionate about delivering thought provoking content that enhances motivation, resilience, and overall experience.
So, Alison, welcome, welcome, welcome to the podcast!
Allison: Oh my gosh. That was, that was such a nice introduction. Thank you for having me.
Tom: What are your thoughts on that question from that dad?
Allison: Well, obviously confidence is something that I believe. Quite a few teenagers struggle with this, but I would say one way that confidence can be improved is especially with successful experiences. So, I might ask this child, when was the time that you had a successful experience? And it doesn't have to be on the basketball court necessarily, but what did that experience feel like?
Was it in the classroom? Was it with [00:03:00] friends? How did they interact and did that experience help them become more confident? Another thing that the parent could do is obviously praise their effort. Sometimes it's okay to give him credit just for getting out there, not necessarily touching the ball or passing the ball or dribbling the ball, but just, you know what, kiddo, great job for getting out there.
And the parent can also provide some descriptive feedback. I really liked how you tried to dribble with the ball or I really liked how you shot your free throw today, you're getting so much better. But also, don't discount the child's feelings, too. So, you know, validate what they're feeling. The one question that I love to ask is, can you tell me more about that?
I think that is an open ended question and it gives them a little bit of time to think about, where is that thought initially [00:04:00] coming from that is not allowing them to have the confidence that they want.
You know, I'm not a parent myself, but I do know that parents try a lot to, I don't want to say negate what their child's feeling, but they're like, oh, you know, you did great. Don't worry. And while that is good for the parent, it's not always good for the child because in that moment they're feeling that their experience wasn't as great as it could have been. And so they generally won't listen, but if you start to have more conversations, I think that helps
Tom: Can you tell us a little bit about the programs that you run for athletes?
Allison: Yeah, so I do two different programs. Most of the time they are one on one. One is an elite mindset program, and that is a three month commitment. And basically, what we do is we go through the conscious versus the [00:05:00] subconscious mind, getting those two on board with one another, because
Jeannie: Mm hmm.
Allison: if one is not on board, it's, it's not going to work.
We establish goals in that time. We'll create positive affirmations in that time and really get to the heart of why the athlete is experiencing whatever situation they are. We talk about limiting beliefs and those limiting beliefs, you know, I'm working with teenagers ages 14 to 18 and those limiting beliefs can start like as early as age eight. So, it's essentially helping them reframe those thoughts. And then in that three months, we will also do what's called a mistake ritual. So whatever they need or however they need to overcome mistakes, we'll walk through that. I use a process called the T.E.A.R. process, which helps reframe their thoughts from [00:06:00] something that's negative.
Allison: Like, Oh, my coach hates me too. That's really not what's happening, you know
Tom, I think something that you saw at our presentation was the concept called BRAVR
Tom: Yeah, that was one thing that really stood out. I really like that idea. And I taught it to my daughter.
Allison: Oh, awesome! It is really pretty cool because it teaches, the kids to take a breath. Obviously, breathing is really important and then what we have established after that is a reset word. So, we inhale and say their reset word. Then we have established positive affirmations. And so they will use a positive affirmation and say that in their head and really start to visualize what that affirmation looks like.
So, can they see it? Can they feel it? Can they hear the crowd and what's going on. [00:07:00] And then the R is just kind of a release. So you're releasing all of the stress that you might have or the negative thoughts that you might be having. You're exhaling out all of the, the ick.
Tom: Can you maybe give us a couple examples of both reset words and the positive affirmations that athletes have used?
Allison: With the reset word, how we come up with that is that they will have a few different journal entries that we go through and one of them is literally the question, think about your most recent best performance and they have five minutes to journal on that.
You know, what did it look like? What did it feel like? What kind of sounds, smells?
Teaching them to become a little bit more self-aware. We'll talk about that entry and then through that entry we'll pick out a certain words that maybe stood out to them. So sometimes in their best performance, they are more [00:08:00] focused, or they have more confidence, whatever word they do pick has to be something where they're like, oh, yes! Like, I am going to run through a brick wall.
This is my reset word because when I say it to myself, it helps me focus again and get back into the game. I have an athlete who softball player in particular that has been working to build up her confidence. Her affirmation is, “I am a great softball player because I move to the ball quickly in the field.” Usually it's action oriented. It's positive. It's always in the present tense. Another one she had was, “I am a great softball player because I have a 325 batting average and I take solid swings at the ball.”
So, she's able to visualize actually doing those actions and you know moving to the ball.
Tom: I think that that [00:09:00] visualization piece is so important for athletes. Do you have any other tips that you share with your athletes on that?
Allison: So, one of the things we do in our sessions is we practice it. So, I will take them through it. I will read them through a visualization. And there's a variety of ones that I will send them.
I have a pre competition one that they can visualize before their competition. Um, they have ones that they can do, you know, at night after they're done with their schoolwork
I have, uh, one that's called a pond visualization that, you know, just talks about floating and releasing all of the stress, but it depends on the athlete and really where they are as far as which visualization might work best. But as far as doing the visualization, I tell them all the time, I'm like, You've got to practice, like it's not something that is going to happen overnight.
Tom: How [00:10:00] often? Like once a day, twice a day. What’s your recommendation?
Allison: So, for these athletes, I tell them at least once a day, you know, and I tell them at least six of the seven days, and for some athletes, it also depends on like the time of the season, you know, so when athletes are getting into like championships and playoffs and things like that, they will tend to do it more, um, just on their own without me asking or recommending that they do that.
I think the biggest thing with visualization is, you've got to practice. You've got to be in a place where you're not going to be distracted, put the phone away and really work at seeing yourself doing the activity or doing the visualization that they're walking through.
Tom: We had another listener that I got a question from, this dad said that his daughter is as phenomenal softball player, but sometimes she'll make a mistake and then like gets a mental block [00:11:00] in her head and then her performance, the rest of the game declines. Any suggestions for her?
Allison: I would definitely establish a reset word. And I say that because I worked with some golfers. Golfing, you spend so much time walking from shot to shot, hole to hole. I mean, you've got a ton of time to think.
And, so we established a reset word for her and it just so happened to help her and she's like, I said my reset word from one shot to the next shot. You know, she's like, I might've said the word thousands of times that day and she ended up shooting a 66! And for those of you who know golf, a 66 is pretty darn good and many professionals can't shoot that.
So, she's like, I just, I got into a zone and focus and the reset word really helped. I would recommend that. I would recommend, you know, this, this [00:12:00] player discovering some positive affirmations for themselves, but again, affirmations always need to be positive. And then I would bring the journaling back as well. One of the questions that I really like that I ask is, “What do you see or how do you see yourself performing, a week from now, a month from now, three months from now?”
I think that anytime the kids are looking at that, they're going to find words that come out that are common, um, that allow them to get a reset word, but also, you know, this is what I want.
Jeannie: And the reality is we all, I mean, when you said that you specifically train girls 14 to 18, and that those thoughts can start at, you know, 8. I'm like, geez, they can go all the way to 38, as I can say. So, I mean, I think learning this at, from 14 to 18, in the sports world, it can certainly transfer over into work, [00:13:00] friendships, whatever it, it might be.
Allison: Absolutely. And when I, you know, the very first thing I do with my athletes at our appointments is I will say, okay, what was your progress this wee and what was your challenge? And, you know, some of them, their progress is I hung out with my friends this week and truly I'm like, that's awesome! That means you weren't spending your entire week, filled up in sports and athletics and you were doing something that you wanted to do. So yeah, there's always a life lesson that could be learned throughout our sessions too.
Tom: So many great techniques. Do you have one more maybe you could share with us? One of your favoritetechniques?
Allison: I really like, I mentioned the T. E. A. R. process earlier. T. E. A. R. is a thought management process. The T stands for the thought. The E stands for emotion. The A, action, and then the R is result.
So let's say [00:14:00] for example, an official makes a bad call and your initial thought as an athlete's like, oh my God, that official doesn't know what they're doing. And so, then the emotion attached with that is. Frustration or anger and then the action, you know, let's say we're in a basketball game and now I'm so frustrated and angry, I start fouling. And the result is my coach takes me out because they don't want me to foul out. Well, we have control over how we manage that thought. So now we want to reframe that thought into something that's more positive and more productive. So instead of, ugh, that official doesn't know what they're talking about. We can turn it back on ourselves and be like, oh, yeah, maybe yeah, I did that, your emotion could still be frustration but then your action might be different right so you might actually, you know step it up and be a little bit more crisp in the in the [00:15:00] motions you make and so then as a result, you know, you're forcing the other team to turn the ball over or, you know, that result is something that's more positive.
When I take athletes through that, it's amazing because they're like, like, because I don't think they realize that, the anger, the frustration, all of those emotions tend to not be productive. And so changing that into something that is more positive and more productive. Is really, really important.
Tom: This has been great, Allison! If there are some parents out there or coaches out there who have girls who were 14 to 18, that, would need your services, where can they go for more information
Allison: So they can always email me at allison_fink@yahoo.com. I do have a website, which is www.mmallison-fink.com [00:16:00] Um, and then Mindset Mastery is out there on LinkedIn and Facebook. Um, so they can find me out there too.
Jeannie: Cool.
Tom: All right, we will link all that up.
Jeannie: And yeah, if you ever broaden those ages, you know, to 38, let me know.
Allison: Absolutely.
Tom: Thank you so much, Allison. Thanks for being here.
Allison: Oh my gosh. Thank you guys. It's been a pleasure.
Tom: Alright Jeannie, what did you learn? What did you like from that podcast? What stands out for you?
Jeannie: I feel like something I've repeated a lot over the course of however many interviews we've done now is I was, as you know, not an athletic kid at all growing up. I was a theater kid and sports just never, it just isn't in like my DNA, but as I've gotten older, I joined this silly intramural softball team with my friends and I try to be good and I learned so much from Allison.
Like talking about that reset word, about journaling, all of those things, but putting myself into the mind of a parent or a coach, I [00:17:00] think about how she says at the beginning of her meetings with her student athletes, she talks about what's your progress and what's your challenge and how she said, sometimes their progress is, I hung out with my friends this week.
And I think with student athletes, it's so important to have that balance in life. Like, I just really love the fact that like, she is a mental performance coach who's trying to make these kids be the best athletes that they possibly can be, but also completely recognizes that you also need to be a kid and a human being.
You know, and that that is just as important.
Tom: Yeah, I liked that too. I liked how it, you know, I think she said, it was like a weekly thing. Like, it forces the kids to say, I did make progress. So not, you know, there's some kids who are so very, very negative on themselves and there's never anything they're doing that's right.
And, and this forces them to say, yeah, I made progress in this area, but also nothing's ever perfect. I can always improve.
Jeannie: Totally agree. What else stood out to you?
Tom: Um, I really liked the journal entry. So, you know, I had my kids do that and then some of the programs that I do, I have them, you know, kind of write down, but for me what usually what I'll do is [00:18:00] I'll just have them do a bullet, but I really liked kind of more of those longer things where she actually has them write for five minutes.
Hey, think of your best performance, your best recent performance and really write that out in detail. What did you see? What did you hear? What did you feel? All of that stuff. I thought was really, really good
So they can kind of get in their head, alright, this is where I'm at, but this is where I'm going. And, you know, what do I need to do to get there? So, I really like that. I thought those were a couple of good, um, you know, journal entry techniques that, that parents could have their kids do, or coaches could have their entire team, each individual on their team do.
Jeannie: Yeah, and thinking about the journal entry in the realm of that reset word. If they're writing down one of their most successful moments in their sport and they can find that reset word in there, that's really going to bring them back to that journal entry. It's going to bring them back to that moment where they succeeded or where they thrived.
And I think it, it can really reset them to go [00:19:00] like, okay, you know, I might've messed up here in this moment, but like, Boom. Here's my reset word from that journal entry. I'm back in that moment where I succeeded. Like, here I go moving forward through it.
Tom: Well, that was another great episode. Thanks, sister, and thanks to Allison for joining.
Jeannie: Yes, and thank you to all of you for listening. We will see you next month.