You’ve probably heard the advice a hundred times: set goals for your season. Write them down. Make them S.M.A.R.T. Post them somewhere you’ll see them every day.

And yet, most athletes go into the summer with a list that looks something like this: Make the starting lineup. Shave 3 seconds off my 400m. Win conference championship.

Those are all great goals, but they are all outcome goals. And when it comes to summer mental training for athletes, outcome goals alone aren’t enough. Here’s the problem: outcome goals are largely outside your control.  Here’s the problem: outcome goals are largely outside your control. You can train every day, give it your all, and still fall short of an outcome because of factors that have nothing to do with you — a competitor having the best game of their life, a bad weather day, a coach’s decision, an injury.

When outcome goals are the only goals you’re focused on, your confidence becomes dependent on things you can’t control. And that’s a vulnerable place to compete from.

The athletes who make the biggest mental leaps understand that summer mental training for athletes isn’t just about reps in the weight room — it’s about building the mental foundation that carries you through next season. Specifically, mental performance goals: goals that target how you think, focus, respond, behave, and show up when it matters most.

Here’s how to do it.

What Are Mental Performance Goals?

A key part of summer mental training for athletes is setting mental performance goals — ones that focus on the psychological skills and habits that directly influence how you perform — things like managing self-talk, staying composed under pressure, developing a pre-competition routine, and building confidence that isn’t solely reliant on winning or losing.

Unlike outcome goals (“win the conference tournament”) or even process goals (“focus on driving my arms at a 90-degree angle for the first 30 meters of every sprint rep in practice”), mental performance goals target the inner game: your thoughts, emotions, and mental routines that impact your performance.

Research consistently shows that mental skills — focus, resilience, confidence, emotional regulation — are trainable. Just like you build strength by lifting weights, you build mental toughness by practicing specific mental skills with intention and dedication. Summer is the ideal time to do this work because there’s less competition pressure, more training flexibility, and space to experiment.

5 Summer Mental Training Goals Every Athlete Should Set

1. Develop a Consistent Pre-Competition Routine

One of the highest-leverage mental skills you can build is a pre-competition routine — a predictable sequence of mental and physical actions you do before every game, race, or event. You should create slightly different routines for home and away competitions. Learn more about how to use routines to mentally prepare for competition on the road.

Why does this matter? Routines reduce anxiety by creating a sense of control and predictability. They signal to your brain that it’s time to perform, helping you access a focused, ready state more reliably. Research shows that athletes who use pre-performance routines demonstrate greater consistency across high-pressure situations. Before you create your competition routine, make sure you understand the subtle, but important, difference between superstition, rituals and routines in sports. The concepts are often misunderstood and the words are commonly misused interchangeably.

Your goal: Design and practice a pre-competition routine this summer. It doesn’t need to be elaborate — even 10–15 minutes of intentional mental preparation makes a difference. Include elements such as:

1. A brief body scan to check in with tension levels
2. Practice a few minutes of imagery to reduce your stress and picture your desired performance outcomes
3. Review your instructional and motivational self-talk affirmations to overcome negative self-talk and self-doubt
4. A physical anchor (a specific movement, breath, or phrase) that cues you to shift into compete mode

The key is consistency. Run through your routine before every training session and scrimmage this summer so that by the time the fall season arrives, it feels automatic.

2. Rewrite Your Self-Talk Script

Here’s a question worth sitting with: What do you say to yourself when you make a mistake?

For many athletes, the inner critic is loud — and often more brutal than any outside voice. Negative self-talk (“I’m not good enough” or “I don’t belong here” ) doesn’t just feel bad. It actively undermines performance by increasing anxiety, narrowing attention, and eroding confidence over time.

This summer is an opportunity to audit your self-talk and intentionally rewire it. To re-write the script, you’ll want to engage elements of both positive or motivational and instructional self-talk. Learn more about the different types of self-talk here. And check out this oldie-but-goodie sport psychology book The Inner Game of Tennis to harness the power of your inner-dialogue.

Your goal: Start by noticing your current self-talk patterns. Keep a brief self-talk journal after practices — what did you say to yourself after a mistake? After a good play? After a tough training session? Then develop a set of personal performance cues: short, specific, first-person phrases that redirect your focus when things go sideways. We are not after toxically positive affirmations.  The self-talk should be instructional and specific, it should feel grounding, and be action-oriented. Statements like “reach and snap on my swing” or “drive my knees coming out of the blocks. Practice using them during low-stakes moments during training so they become your automated response under pressure in competition.

3. Build Resilience After Errors

Making mistakes in sports in human and natural. You can’t improve without making mistakes.

As Roger Federer said in his 2024 Commencement Speech at Dartmouth, “In tennis, perfection is impossible”. In the 1,526 singles matches he played over the course of his career he won almost 80% and yet he won only 54% of the points he played within those matches.

Michael Jordan missed over 9,000 shots in his career. Twenty-six times he was trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed.

The goal should not be to never make mistakes. The goal should be to learn how to recover from them quickly.

The ability to recover quickly from mistakes — what sport psychologists call a “point resetting” or “error recovery” — is one of the most consistently identified traits in elite performers. It’s also one of the most trainable.

The reason error recovery matters so much is simple: mistakes are inevitable. Every athlete at every level makes them. What separates the GOAT’s from the greats isn’t the absence of errors — it’s how quickly and effectively they come back from them.

Your goal: Develop a personal reset routine for in-competition mistakes. This is a brief, two to three second physical and mental process you use immediately after an error to help you let it go and return to focus. Common elements include a physical release (a deep exhale, shaking out your hands, tapping your feet), a mental cue (“flush it,” “next play”), and then directing your attention forward on what you need to prepare for next, rather than spending time beating yourself up about the mistake you just made. Practice this routine in training this summer every single time you make a mistake, big or small. This is how you build a habit of mental resilience one rep, or mistake, at a time.

4. Strengthen Your Confidence Foundation

Here’s the truth about confidence that most athletes don’t hear enough: real confidence doesn’t come from winning. It comes from preparation, self-knowledge, and a deep trust in your own process. It comes from reflecting on your past accomplishments, gaining wisdom from role models and mentors, and taking to hear the positive feedback you get from your coaches and teammates.

Athletes who tie confidence exclusively to performance outcomes are on a constant emotional rollercoaster — feeling great after wins and devastated after losses. That’s not confidence; that’s just mood following results. Durable and lasting confidence — the kind that holds up under pressure and lasts the entirety of the season or an entire career  — is built, earned and maintained intentionally and methodically.

Your goal: This summer, keep a daily or weekly performance journal focused specifically on evidence of growth and competence. Not just outcomes — but moments where you competed well mentally, executed something you’ve been working on, handled adversity with composure, or pushed through discomfort in training. Use these free confidence building worksheets — a collection of real, personal evidence of your accomplishments and growth. When self-doubt shows up (and it will), you’ll have something concrete to draw on instead of waiting for a win or other external feedback to feel good about yourself again.

5. Clarify Your “Why”

Athletic motivation is more complex than it looks from the outside. Some athletes are driven primarily by external rewards — parent approval, awards, scholarships, NIL deals, and recognition. Others are driven internally — by love of the game, the desire to improve, the joy of competing and winning, and the relationships with their teammates and coaches.

Research in self-determination theory consistently shows that athletes with strong intrinsic motivation are more resilient, more consistent, and report higher levels of satisfaction and well-being in their sport over time. They’re also less susceptible to career burnout.

This summer is the perfect time to reconnect with your intrinsic motivation and get clear on why you compete. Your why is what will carry you through the difficult moments next season. Your why is what motivates you to get out of bed early, get the extra reps, and go the extra mile…literally.

Your goal: Set aside time this summer to reflect on and articulate your personal “why.” Why do you compete? What do you love about your sport when it’s at its best? What kind of competitor do you want to be? Write it down. Revisit it at the start of each workout or each week when you need a boost of motivation to keep pushing.

Putting It All Together: Your Summer Mental Training Plan

Summer mental training for athletes is a gift that most competitors underuse. The absence of regular competition pressure and over-scheduled days creates a rare opportunity to slow down, go inward, and build the mental foundation that will help propel you to the next level in your career.

You don’t need to tackle all five of these goals at once. Pick one or two that resonate most and commit to building those skills consistently over the next 12–14 weeks. Small daily habits — five minutes of journaling, a developing a re-set routine, intentional self-talk practice — compound into significant mental growth by the time fall arrives.

If you’re ready to invest in summer mental training, working with a mental performance consultant can help you identify your specific needs and create a personalized plan.

At Headstrong Mindset, I work with athletes at all levels to develop the mental skills that support consistent, confident performance. If you’re ready to use this summer to invest in your inner game, I’d love to connect. Book a free discovery call here.

Dr. Brooke Rundle’s Headstrong Mindset combines evidence-based research with applied strategies to help you achieve your optimal potential and increase your enjoyment while performing.

References

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.

Dartmouth. (2024, June 9). 2024 Commencement address by Roger Federer at Dartmouth [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqWUuYTcG-o

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press.

Gucciardi, D. F., Gordon, S., & Dimmock, J. A. (2009). Advancing mental toughness research and theory using personal construct psychology. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2(1), 54–72.

Moran, A. P. (2012). Sport and exercise psychology: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Nike ‘Failure’ Michael Jordan Ad 1997. (2019, October 29). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA7G7AV-LT8

Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (7th ed.). Human Kinetics.

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Sport & performance psychology combines evidence-based mental health care with mental performance training for athletes and performers. It’s the field that sits at the intersection of how you think and how you compete. As a sports therapist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant in Denver, CO, I work with athletes on both sides of that intersection every week, and I want to give you a clear, direct answer to what this work actually involves.

This article will walk you through what sport and performance psychology is, who provides it, and what to expect during sessions. It will also cover who this kind of support helps and the misconceptions that keep people from reaching out.

What is Sport & Performance Psychology?

Sport and performance psychology has two main areas of focus, and most practitioners work in one or both. Mental performance skills are the tools that help you compete at your best. This includes imagery, confidence building, focus techniques, communication strategies, and competition routines.

Mental health support addresses the psychological challenges that show up in and around sport. This includes anxiety, depression, disordered eating, sports trauma, and identity concerns tied to your athletic career. Both matter. Your ability to execute under pressure and your overall mental well-being are deeply connected, which is exactly why this field exists.

Why Both Areas Matter

Both matter, and they’re more connected than most people realize. An athlete dealing with untreated performance anxiety often can’t fully access the mental skills training that would otherwise help them, because the anxiety itself is the barrier. Likewise, an athlete working through a mental health concern often benefits from performance-specific tools.

A grounding routine before competition, for example, can work alongside their clinical care rather than replacing it. This is why so many practitioners in this field are dually trained to move fluidly between both sides rather than treating them as separate lanes. You can read more about the role sport psychology plays in athletic performance and how the field of performance psychology is defined more broadly.

Who Actually Provides This Care?

If you’re searching for a sports psychologist in Denver, CO, this is where title accuracy matters, and it’s worth being direct about it. Anyone can call themselves a “mental coach,” but the actual scope of what someone is qualified to do depends entirely on their license and certification, not the title on their website.

• Licensed sports psychologists hold a doctorate in psychology and a psychology license, which allows them to diagnose and treat mental illness under that specific license.
• Sports therapists and licensed professional counselors are trained in clinical mental health counseling and can also address mental health symptoms, often alongside specialized sport-specific training.
• Certified Mental Performance Consultants (CMPCs), credentialed through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, focus primarily on the performance side: mental skills training rather than diagnosis or clinical treatment.

Some practitioners hold more than one of these credentials at once, which adds to the confusion. It’s worth asking directly what someone is licensed and certified to do rather than assuming based on their job title alone. A quick question about credentials at the start of a consultation can save you from starting work with the wrong type of provider for what you need, whether that’s clinical treatment for a mental health concern or performance-specific skills training.

My Own Credentials

I hold an EdD in Sport Performance Psychology, I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado, and I’m an AASP Certified Mental Performance Consultant. That combination means I’m trained to support both the mental health and mental performance side of an athlete’s experience, without claiming the specific title of psychologist.

 Whether you’re searching for a sports psychologist, a sports therapist, or a mental performance consultant in Denver, CO, the important thing is finding a provider whose credentials actually match. That match should reflect the specific kind of support you need.

For a deeper look at how this field supports performance, Cune University has a solid overview of the role of sports psychology in athletic performance, and the American Psychological Association outlines the field further in its guide to performance psychology.

What Does This Work Actually Look Like?

A lot of athletes come in expecting something vague, like a Ted Lasso style motivational pep talk or a generic worksheet. That’s not what a sports psychologist in Denver, CO does. Sport and performance psychology is built around specific, teachable mental skills, the same way strength training or footwork drills require technical training and repetition. Instead of talking about your mindset in the abstract, you’re practicing tools you can use the next time you step onto the field, court, or track.

In practical terms, sessions teach specific, learnable skills. Here’s what mental performance consulting sessions look like:

• Imagery and visualization to mentally rehearse performance and prepare for competition
• Confidence and self-talk work to quiet the inner critic and build a supportive internal dialogue
• Team communication and dynamics to strengthen how athletes work with teammates and coaches
• Performance and competition anxiety management to turn nervous energy into focused execution
• Goal setting that goes beyond writing down outcomes and builds an actual roadmap

If you are seeking sports counseling, sessions will also directly address clinical mental health concerns that show up in athletic populations, including depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and sports trauma, which can look like reliving an injury or feeling scared to return to play. This is exactly why sport and performance psychology as a field includes clinically trained providers, not just performance coaches, a distinction Faulkner University breaks down well.

How Do Sessions Work?

Whether you’re working with a sports psychologist in Denver, CO or elsewhere, sessions can happen either in person at an office space, the training environment of the athlete or performer, or virtually. The format feels similar to talk therapy. It’s a confidential, conversational space, not a lecture. You’re not sitting through a presentation. You’re working through the mental barriers you experience in competition, with someone trained to help you build skills and process what’s underneath them. The specific approach is always personalized.

Depending on what you need, sessions might draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, psychodynamic approaches, or somatic techniques. There’s no single formula because no two athletes need the exact same thing. Team sessions work a little differently from individual sessions. Instead of focusing on one athlete’s internal experience, we focus on group communication, role clarity, conflict resolution and the dynamics between athletes and coaching staff.

How Sport & Performance Psychology Helps Athletes

The specific concerns that bring athletes to a sports psychologist in Denver, CO vary widely but they tend to fall into a handful of common categories. Here’s a direct look at how sessions help with each one.

Returning to Sport After Injury or Trauma

Injury recovery isn’t just physical. Imagery helps athletes mentally rehearse their return to play before they’re physically ready for it. Sessions also help process the traumatic experience of the injury itself, not just the rehab protocol, so athletes can prepare themselves mentally before stepping back onto the field or court.

Building Confidence and Self-Esteem

Real confidence gets built from preparation and process, not just from winning. Athletes who tie their confidence solely to results tend to feel great after a win and shaken after a loss, which makes performance unpredictable. Confidence work includes addressing self-doubt and negative self-talk, directly and replacing it with something instructional and grounding. Sessions help athletes build a more stable foundation, one rooted in effort, preparation, and evidence of their own growth over time.

Managing Performance Anxiety and Stress

Competition day anxiety is one of the most common reasons athletes reach out. Sessions teach specific tools to manage the physical and mental symptoms of stress, both in the moment and in the buildup to competition. This can include breathing techniques, grounding exercises, and pre-competition routines designed to create a sense of control before the pressure sets in. The goal isn’t to eliminate nerves entirely, since some activation can improve performance, but to keep anxiety from tipping into something that gets in the way.

Strengthening Team Dynamics

This includes athlete-to-athlete relationships and athlete-to-coach communication. Teams that communicate well and hold each other accountable tend to perform more consistently under pressure. Sessions can address specific conflicts within a roster, help clarify roles that have become a source of tension, or simply give a team the tools to communicate more directly instead of letting frustration build beneath the surface.

Working Through Perfectionism and Outside Expectations

Parental pressure and self-imposed expectations can quietly erode an athlete’s relationship with their sport. Sessions help athletes separate their own values from the expectations placed on them, so they can compete with more freedom. This often means learning to distinguish between healthy high standards and perfectionism that leaves no room for mistakes, since the two get confused easily and require different approaches.

Preventing and Recovering From Burnout

Mental fatigue is a legitimate, trainable concern. It’s not a personal failing, and it’s not something you just push through. Sessions help athletes build sustainable habits and build a balanced athletic identity before burnout takes hold or recover from it if it already has, including finding balance outside of sport and reconnecting with the parts of competing that felt enjoyable before the pressure took over.

Navigating Retirement and Athletic Identity

For many athletes, sport becomes central to their identity. When that ends, whether by choice or circumstance, it can trigger a real identity crisis and stages of grief. Sessions help athletes process that transition and learn how to translate the skills they built in sport, like discipline, focus, and resilience, into their next chapter. American Public University covers more on this in its piece on how sports psychologists help athletes.

Work With a Sports Therapist in Denver, CO

You don’t have to navigate performance anxiety, burnout, or a difficult return from injury on your own. Sports counseling and mental performance consulting can help you build the mental skills to compete with confidence, process what’s been weighing on you, and reconnect with why you love your sport in the first place. Whether you’re facing a specific challenge or simply want to strengthen a mental game that already feels solid, support is available at every level. As a sports therapist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant in Denver, CO, I’m here to help, whether you’re just starting to notice a pattern or have been carrying this for a while.

To start building your mental game, follow these simple steps:

1. Schedule your complimentary 15-minute consultation to talk through what you’re navigating.
2. Meet with me to begin building a personalized plan, whether that’s individual sports counseling, mental coaching for athletes, or team mental performance workshops.
3. Start training your mind the same way you train your body, with tools that help you compete with confidence and stay connected to your sport long term.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. Reach out to Headstrong Mindset today to take the first step toward a stronger mental game.

Other Services at Headstrong Mindset

Sports counseling and mental performance consulting aren’t the only support we offer at my Denver, CO practice. I understand that athletes, coaches, and performers often navigate more than one concern at a time, and I’m here to help with those as well. Other services offered at Headstrong Mindset include mental coaching for athletes, mental coaching for teams, and individual counseling and therapy.

I also provide LGBTQ counseling in Colorado, offering an affirming, trauma-informed space for clients exploring identity alongside their athletic or personal life.

About the Founder

Dr. Brooke Rundle is the founder of Headstrong Mindset, offering sports counseling and mental performance consulting in Denver, CO. A former NCAA Division I All-American and professional volleyball player, she holds an EdD in Sport Performance Psychology, is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado, and is an AASP Certified Mental Performance Consultant. She works with USA Volleyball’s National Team Development Program and NCAA teams across a range of sports, bringing both her clinical training and her own competitive experience into every session. Dr. Rundle lives in Denver with her wife Hannah and their dog, Stevie Budd, and spends her downtime skiing the Rockies, playing guitar, and catching live music at Red Rocks.

References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Performance psychology. https://www.apa.org/education-career/guide/subfields/performance

American Public University. (n.d.). How do sports psychologists help athletes? https://www.amu.apus.edu/area-of-study/health-sciences/resources/how-do-sports-psychologists-help-athletes/

Concordia University Nebraska. (n.d.). The role of sports psychology in athletic performance. https://www.cune.edu/news/role-sports-psychology-athletic-performance

Faulkner University. (n.d.). What does a sports psychologist do? Understanding this exciting career field. https://www.faulkner.edu/news/what-does-a-sports-psychologist-do-understanding-this-exciting-career-field/

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Goal setting is a powerful strategy to get and stay motivated on the journey towards your dreams. Goal setting is the road map to the future that you want. Goal setting is the process by which you can achieve your accomplishments if you stay disciplined and continue to put forth the effort. Goal setting is the key to adopting a growth mindset. In the words of the late great basketball Coach John Wooden, “Do not let what you can not do interfere with what you can do.”

However, there is more to goal setting, then just writing lofty dreams down on a piece of paper. Goal setting is an ongoing process that needs to be reflected upon, measured, monitored, assessed, and reassessed. When done well, both individual and team goal setting can be a powerful motivator and play a critical role in achieving desired success.

Here’s 5 tips to making better and more effective individual and team goals.

1. Make your goals specific and measurable. Athletes and coaches should always be able to assess how close you are to attaining a goal.
2. Add time constraints to your goals. When are you supposed to achieve this goal? By the end of the 1^st week of practice? After 3 weeks of practice? The whole course of the season? By the time your team reaches the playoffs?
3. Write down your goals and monitor your progress regularly. Don’t just write them down and never look at them again. Put your goals in a place that you can see them regularly like a vision a board, a locker room, or gym.
4. Set goals for practice as well as games. If you can’t do it in practice, then you’re probably not going to be able to do it under pressure in competition. Always practice what you hope to achieve in competition.
5. Set positive goals not negative ones. Your mind cannot tell the difference between a negative or positive visualization, therefore you should always visualize what you hope to execute. For example, instead of saying your goal is to not lose any games this season, try saying our goal is to win all of our games this season. Always turn your negatives into positives. That goes for both goals and visualization.

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