Right From the Start: Mental Performance Skills for Youth and Adolescent Athletes
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2025
Pages: 84
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2025
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The book Right from the Start is intended to introduce developing athletes to essential mental and behavioral skills that support personal growth and performance. Targeted primarily at youth and adolescent athletes and performers, this book also serves as a valuable resource for family members, coaches, and sport psychology professionals who play a crucial role in a young athlete’s development and fostering a supportive environment for their athletes.
The book is structured to provide clear and engaging explanations of foundational and performance-based skills. Through straightforward descriptions and relatable illustrations, young readers will learn about key mental skills and how to apply them in high pressure, performance situations.
The book will introduce the reader to mental and behavioral skills and highlights the how they can impact performance. The core of the book is divided into four main sections, including:
- Mental, Behavioral , and Social Skills – This section explores foundational skills such as goal setting, self-care, time management, motivation, and confidence. Then performance and regulatory skills like breathwork, mindfulness, self-talk, attention and focus, and visualization. Each skill is supported with practical tools, resources, and journaling exercises.
- Competition Applications – Readers will learn how to apply these strategies in situations leading up to, during, and post-performance. There is also a section covering when athletes may be away from competition, such as in the off-season or injured.
By linking skills across units and providing practical applications, Right from the Start equips young athletes with the tools to build confidence, resilience, and a strong mental foundation for success in sport and life.
1. Introduction
2. Foundational Skills
Recharge
Goal Setting
Time Management
Motivation
Confidence
3. Mental Performance Skills
Journaling
Breathwork
Mindfulness
Self-talk
Attention and Concentration
Imagery
Environmental Factors
4. Performance Applications
Pre-Competition
Competition
Post-Competition
Out-of-Competition
5. Conclusion
Differing Skills and Abilities
Summary
Journaling Ideas
Christopher Stanley, PhD, is part of the Sport and Performance Psychology faculty at the University of Western States and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. His professional work centers on helping people perform and thrive across athletic, health, and educational settings. Considerable work has focused on developing athletes.
Dr. Stanley has given dozens of invited lectures and presentations and written numerous publications. Another book he has authored is Reach Every Athlete, which explores ways coaches can better support neurodivergent athletes. In applied practice, he has worked with USA Track and Field since 2014, serving on several international teams, including at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris. He also consults with the Atlanta Track Club's elite program and has coached cross country and track & field at the high school and collegiate level. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife Lauren and their three children Savannah, Cy, and Declan.
The book Right from the Start is intended to introduce developing athletes to essential mental and behavioral skills that support personal growth and performance. Targeted primarily at youth and adolescent athletes and performers, this book also serves as a valuable resource for family members, coaches, and sport psychology professionals who play a crucial role in a young athlete’s development and fostering a supportive environment for their athletes.
The book is structured to provide clear and engaging explanations of foundational and performance-based skills. Through straightforward descriptions and relatable illustrations, young readers will learn about key mental skills and how to apply them in high pressure, performance situations.
The book will introduce the reader to mental and behavioral skills and highlights the how they can impact performance. The core of the book is divided into four main sections, including:
- Mental, Behavioral , and Social Skills – This section explores foundational skills such as goal setting, self-care, time management, motivation, and confidence. Then performance and regulatory skills like breathwork, mindfulness, self-talk, attention and focus, and visualization. Each skill is supported with practical tools, resources, and journaling exercises.
- Competition Applications – Readers will learn how to apply these strategies in situations leading up to, during, and post-performance. There is also a section covering when athletes may be away from competition, such as in the off-season or injured.
By linking skills across units and providing practical applications, Right from the Start equips young athletes with the tools to build confidence, resilience, and a strong mental foundation for success in sport and life.
1. Introduction
2. Foundational Skills
Recharge
Goal Setting
Time Management
Motivation
Confidence
3. Mental Performance Skills
Journaling
Breathwork
Mindfulness
Self-talk
Attention and Concentration
Imagery
Environmental Factors
4. Performance Applications
Pre-Competition
Competition
Post-Competition
Out-of-Competition
5. Conclusion
Differing Skills and Abilities
Summary
Journaling Ideas
Christopher Stanley, PhD, is part of the Sport and Performance Psychology faculty at the University of Western States and is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. His professional work centers on helping people perform and thrive across athletic, health, and educational settings. Considerable work has focused on developing athletes.
Dr. Stanley has given dozens of invited lectures and presentations and written numerous publications. Another book he has authored is Reach Every Athlete, which explores ways coaches can better support neurodivergent athletes. In applied practice, he has worked with USA Track and Field since 2014, serving on several international teams, including at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris. He also consults with the Atlanta Track Club's elite program and has coached cross country and track & field at the high school and collegiate level. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife Lauren and their three children Savannah, Cy, and Declan.