Coach Her Game

Struggling to choose the right team captains? 😣 Discover real coaching strategies that build athlete leadership. Then catch our in depth training for coaches on how to create a winning edge this season → https://coachfreetraining.com
 
How you pick captains can make or break your team culture. In this video, I’m sharing exactly how I revamped my approach after 14 years of coaching —because what used to work… didn’t anymore. From setting expectations to leadership roles, I'm walking you through how to pick captains with intention and strategy—not just by default.
 
👋🏼I’m Coach Bre – a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a long time head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion. I’ve seen firsthand how the right leadership can elevate (or tank) your team’s confidence, cohesion, and accountability.
 
In this episode, I talk about:
Why choosing captains earlier changed everything
The 7-question leadership nomination method
How to integrate captains into your mental training program
Why your leaders must model the mindset you expect from your team
 
🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction: Rethinking Captain Selection 
00:38 Identifying the Need for Change 
01:05 New Approach: Early Captain Selection 
01:55 Revised Selection Process 
03:55 Incorporating Mental Training
 
💬 Coaches - comment below: What’s your process for picking captains? 
 
📌 Want to take your team’s game to the next level?
🔹 Grab our FREE training for coaches → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Check out our plug & play elite mental game info → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg 
 🎥 Learn more here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3oEOJvlRHE&list=PLYeP0oZHlVGnYka7f5rZc4VMcU0GTTfI3

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

Two players quit after a state championship 🏆—and it forced me to completely rethink how I coach. Here’s what I changed 👇 Be sure learn more at our in depth training for coaches: https://coachfreetraining.com

This one hurt. After one of our most successful seasons ever, two players quit the team. As a long-time coach, I could’ve blamed them. Instead, I looked inward—and what I uncovered changed the way I build team culture forever.

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre – a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a longtime head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion. 

In this episode, I’m opening up about what happened after the wins, what I realized about my own leadership, and the 3 specific things I changed to prevent team drama, foster trust, and develop confident, connected athletes.

🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction: Reflecting on a Coaching Challenge 
01:07 The Importance of Role Clarity 
02:37 Regular Check-ins with Athletes 
04:25 Focusing on the Mental Game 
06:26 Building Team Connection and Trust


🎯 You'll learn:
The #1 reason athletes quietly disengage (even on winning teams)
The impact of clear role definition on player retention and buy-in
How to run biweekly 5-minute check-ins that build trust fast
Why insecure athletes cause the most drama—and how to fix it
How simple mental training tools can completely shift your team culture

✨ If you’re a high school or middle school coach who’s felt blindsided by players quitting, struggling with team drama, or just looking to build a stronger, tighter culture—this is for you.

📌 Want to take your team’s mental game to the next level?
🔹 Grab our FREE training for coaches → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Check out our plug & play elite mental game info → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg 

 👇 Coaches - comment below: What’s one thing you wish your athletes better understood about their role?

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

Coaching girls is different—and if you don’t know these 3 things, you’re making it harder on yourself (and them). Check it out and then grab our free training on how to build mental toughness → https://coachfreetraining.com

Coaching girl athletes takes more than just good drills and game plans—it requires understanding what’s happening beneath the surface. In this video, I’m breaking down three crucial lessons every middle school and high school coach should know to help their female athletes play with more confidence, resilience, and connection.

From building mental toughness with simple daily routines, to creating a safe and supportive environment where athletes can take risks and bounce back from mistakes—you’ll get actionable tips you can use immediately to strengthen your team’s performance and connection.

✨ Inside this video, you’ll discover:
 ✔️ How to help girls separate performance from self-worth
 ✔️ Why daily mindset check-ins can prevent emotional breakdowns at practice
 ✔️ What "psychological safety" really looks like for female athletes (and how to create it)
 ✔️ How to use a Snapback Routine to recover faster from mistakes
 ✔️ The power of team connection outside of the sport itself

🎤 I'm Coach Bre — a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a 4x state champion volleyball coach. I help coaches like you develop strong cultures, confident leaders, and teams that thrive beyond just wins and losses.

🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction and Post-Practice Reflection 
00:32 Emotional Challenges in Coaching Girls 
02:11 Mental Training and Its Importance 
04:39 Building a Supportive Environment 
07:23 Final Thoughts and Resources

💬Coaches – comment below: Which of these 3 strategies do you want to focus on with your team first?

📌 Want to take your team’s mental game to the next level?
🔹 Grab our FREE training for coaches → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Check out our plug & play elite mental game info → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

These five resources replaced thousands of random Google searches. Grab more coaching tools here → https://coachfreetraining.com

In this episode, I'm sharing the top five resources I've used across 14 years of coaching and four state championships. No fluff, no theory. Just the systems that have actually worked.

Here's what I break down:
* Bruce Brown's leadership pamphlets for captain development
* Abby Wambach's Wolf Pack for female athlete leadership
* JP Nerbun’s Culture System for building intentional team culture
* Gold Medal Squared for creating common language across your program
* Plug and Play Elite Mental Game for systematic mental training

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre - a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a long-time head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.

If you've been cobbling together random resources from the internet and social platforms, this episode will save you hours of mental energy. I'm giving you the exact tools I use so you don't have to reinvent the wheel. 

🧐What You'll Learn:
* Why haphazard research drains your time and energy as a coach
* The leadership development system I use with my captains
* How to build intentional culture with Player Impact Plans
* Why common language matters across your entire program
* How to implement mental training in 5 minutes a day without extra prep

🕓 Key Moments: 
00:00 Introduction: The Coach's Responsibility
01:19 The Importance of Structured Mental Training
02:16 Resource #1: Bruce Brown's Leadership Materials
03:31 Resource #2: Wolf Pack by Abby Wambach
04:33 Resource #3: The Culture System by JP Nerbun
05:50 Resource #4: Gold Medal Squared
07:48 Resource #5: Plug and Play Elite Mental Game
09:16 Conclusion and Call to Action

💬 Coaches - comment below: What's one resource that's been a game changer for you when it comes to culture, leadership, or the mental game?

📌 Free Tools & Next Steps
🔹 Grab our in-depth FREE training → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame 

🔔 Subscribe for More → Never miss an episode of Coach Her Game!

P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
* 85% of high school athletes report experiencing performance anxiety during competition (Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 2022)
* Teams that implement structured mental skills training show 23% improvement in performance consistency under pressure (Sport Psychology Research Institute, 2021)
* Coaches who use systematic culture-building frameworks report 40% reduction in team drama and conflict (Positive Coaching Alliance, 2023)

The Coach Her Game channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge.

#coachinggirls #mentalperformance #teamculture #leadershipdevelopment #youthathletics

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

📹 Thinking about using Hudl for your team? Don’t press record until you listen to this. Plus catch our free training to learn more about creating a winning edge for your team → https://coachfreetraining.com

If you're a high school or middle school coach looking to level up your team's performance and culture (without burning out), this video is for you. I'm sharing everything I’ve learned using Hudl software since 2011—what it actually does, the best ways to use it for Sports Coaching, Mental Performance Coaching — including visualization, mindset development, and creating highlight reels that reinforce player confidence, and team development… and a few mistakes to avoid (like forgetting to hit record 😅).

Whether you coach volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, or beyond—if you want to maximize this tool for both athlete development and team culture, you’re in the right place.

👋 I’m Coach Bre, a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a longtime head volleyball coach + 4x state champion. I help coaches build confident, mentally tough teams and lead with intention—beyond just the X’s and O’s.

🧠 In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to use Hudl to build mental toughness & mindset
My favorite time-saving tip that reinforces team values & behavior
A unique way to use Hudl to prep your team for pressure
The one feature that changed everything for us (hint: Hudl Assist)

Plus, I’m sharing what not to do — from failed uploads to busted tripods.

🕓 Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction to Hudl 
01:07 What Hudl Does 
03:39 Using Hudl to Reinforce Team Culture 
04:37 Game Preparation with Hudl 
06:14 Mental Training with Hudl 
09:04 Pitfalls to Avoid with Hudl

👇 Grab free resources to start training the mental side of the game:
Grab our in-depth free training → https://coachfreetraining.com
Learn more here [link to full playlist]

💬 Coaches — comment below: Are you using Hudl? What’s your biggest challenge or win with film?

This isn’t just about tech — it’s about making your coaching smarter, your players stronger, and your team culture unshakable. Let’s go.

Want more coaching tips and resources?

🔹 Grab our FREE training for coaches → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Check out our plug & play elite mental game info → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

This is Part 2 of my story. After becoming a Mental Performance Coach, I had to actually apply what I learned with my own team → https://coachfreetraining.com

In Part 1, I shared how I quit volleyball due to performance anxiety and eventually became a coach who kept losing in the big moments. After those back-to-back devastating losses, I got certified as a Mental Performance Coach.

But here's the thing. Learning the science was the easy part. Figuring out how to actually teach it to high school athletes without becoming a full-time sports psychologist? That took some trial and error.

I'm breaking down the exact system I built: the Snapback Routine, Mindset Mondays, plug-and-play mental training that fits into 5-20 minutes per week. This is what helped us win four consecutive state championships, including a comeback from championship point against a team that hadn't won in 36 years.

🧐 What You'll Learn:
🔹 3-step Snapback Routine (breath, reset word, reset signal) that my athletes used under pressure
🔹 How I structured mental training into our season without losing practice time
🔹 Why this system makes coaching easier, not harder
🔹 The real story behind our fourth state championship comeback
🔹 How to build a common mental skills language with your team
🔹 Why "shake it off" doesn't work and what does

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre - a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a long-time head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.

🕓 Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction: The Power of Mental Training
00:34 Building The Elite Competitor
01:40 Four Consecutive State Championships
03:38 Championship Point: Mental Game in Action
05:30 Creating The Elite Competitor Program
08:36 Serving Coaches and Athletes Nationwide
10:07 Making Mental Training Practical for Coaches
13:46 Resources and How to Get Started

💬 Coaches - comment below: What's the biggest mental challenge your team faces in high-pressure games?

📌 Free Tools & Next Steps
🔹 Grab our in-depth FREE training → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame 

🔔 Subscribe for More → Never miss an episode of Coach Her Game!

P.S. A few stats worth knowing:
1) 70% of youth athletes quit sports by age 13, with performance anxiety cited as a leading factor (National Alliance for Youth Sports, 2019)
2) Athletes who use pre-performance routines show 23% improvement in consistency under pressure compared to those who don't (Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2018)
3) 85% of coaches report lack of time as the #1 barrier to implementing mental training, yet teams that dedicate just 10-15 minutes weekly see measurable performance improvements (Sport Psychology Research Institute, 2021)

The Coach Her Game YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge.#mentaltraining 

#coachingstory #mentalperformance #highschoolcoaching #athleteconfidence

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

New to coaching or stepping into a new program? Avoid these top coaching mistakes that could derail your season. Learn more about building a mentally tough team here → https://coachfreetraining.com 👈

In this episode, I break down the exact mistakes I made early in my coaching career — and how YOU can avoid them to become a more confident, effective leader. Whether you're coaching high school girls teams or just want to build a stronger program from the inside out, these tips will save you time, stress, and burnout. 💥

These aren’t just technical fixes — they’re real stories and game-changing shifts around leadership, culture, and the mental and emotional side of coaching girl athletes. You’ll walk away with tangible, honest insights that most new coaches don’t learn until it’s too late.

Learn how to: 
✔️ Avoid over-coaching & control traps
 ✔️ Implement mental training techniques that actually work
 ✔️ Communicate roles clearly (to reduce playing time drama)
 ✔️ Empower athletes and lead with clarity, not chaos

👋 I’m Coach Bre — a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor™, and a long-time head volleyball coach and 4x state champion. I created this channel to help coaches like you lead with confidence, build winning cultures, and grow strong female athletes on and off the court. 💪

🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction and Personal Story
00:27 Mistake #1: Over Coaching and Proving Yourself
03:55 Mistake #2: Ignoring the Mental Side of the Game
06:14 Mistake #3: Poor Communication
08:32 Conclusion and Next Steps

💬 Coaches – comment below: Which rookie mistake did you make early in your coaching career?

Want the mental tools your athletes need to thrive? 
🔹 Grab our FREE training for coaches → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Check out our plug & play elite mental game info → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

I quit volleyball my senior year due to performance anxiety. Years later, I'm a 4-time state champion coach. Grab my coaching tips → https://coachfreetraining.com

This is my story. Not the highlight reel version, the real one. I was a talented high school player who walked away from college offers because I couldn't handle the pressure. I didn't know it then, but what I was experiencing was completely normal performance anxiety that I just had no skills to manage.🧐 

What You'll Learn:

• Why I quit volleyball after my senior year despite college offers
• How I became a walk-on at Western Washington and eventually earned a full-ride scholarship
• The back-to-back devastating losses that forced me to look at myself as a coach
• Why talented athletes often struggle most with pressure and perfectionism
• How I went from not knowing how to manage anxiety to becoming a Mental Performance Coach
• The moment I realized I wasn't training the mental side of the game with my own team 

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre - a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a long-time head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.

🕓 Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:03 Early Athletic Journey
02:53 Stepping Away and Returning to Volleyball
04:52 Multi-Sport Experience and Finding Her Fit
07:00 Understanding Performance Anxiety
09:17 Coaching Philosophy and Awareness
11:37 Early Coaching Challenges
13:15 Developing Mental Performance Skills

💬 Coaches - comment below: Have you ever experienced a loss that made you completely rethink how you coach?

📌 Free Tools & Next Steps
🔹 Grab our in-depth FREE training → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame  

🔔 Subscribe for More → Never miss an episode of Coach Her Game! 

P.S. A few stats worth knowing:

• 70% of youth athletes quit sports by age 13, with performance anxiety and pressure cited as leading factors (National Alliance for Youth Sports, 2022)
• Performance anxiety affects up to 60% of competitive athletes, with female athletes experiencing higher rates (Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 2022)
• Athletes who receive process-focused praise show 28% higher resilience scores than those receiving outcome-focused praise (Sports Psychology Research Journal, 2021)

The Coach Her Game YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge. 

#mentaltraining #performanceanxiety #coachingstory #athletementalhealth #mentaltoughness

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

🏀 Want to know how Coach Cori Close built UCLA into a national powerhouse?  It wasn’t just talent—it was MENTAL TRAINING. Learn how to train your team’s mindset too → https://coachfreetraining.com 👈

In this episode, we dive into the mental side of the game that separates elite programs like UCLA Women’s Basketball from the rest—and how YOU can bring the same sports psychology techniques to your high school or middle school team. Whether you're coaching 7th graders or state contenders, you’ll walk away with simple, powerful mental training techniques you can implement right away.

👋🏼I’m Coach Bre – a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a long-time head volleyball coach + 4x state champion. I help coaches build resilient, confident athletes without the overwhelm.

Here I break down: 
✔️ How Cori Close and UCLA created one of the most mentally tough teams in the country
 ✔️ The game-changing Mind Gym system that transformed Lauren Betts from a transfer struggling with confidence into an All-American leading scorer
 ✔️ The top 3 mental training techniques championship teams use: visualization, self-talk, and failure recovery systems
 ✔️ Why your team can’t reach peak performance without training the mental side of the game
 ✔️ How to build daily mindset habits in your practice—even if you have zero extra time or budget

👀 We’re unpacking the sports psychology coaching strategies behind programs like UCLA, so your athletes can learn to:
• Navigate pressure with poise
• Bounce back from mistakes
• Cultivate peak performance with confidence
• Strengthen team dynamics and communication

🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction: The Real Reason for Losing Games 
00:23 The Importance of Mental Training in Sports 
01:48 UCLA's Mental Training Success Story 
02:53 Mind Gym: The Secret to Mental Toughness 
03:51 Key Mental Training Techniques 
08:25 Implementing Mental Training in Your Team

🧠 Want to help your team recover fast after mistakes? Learn the Snapback Routine and more in our free coach training → https://coachfreetraining.com

👇 COACHES – comment below: What’s one mental skill your team needs to improve most right now?

✨ Bonus links:
• Grab our in-depth free training → https://coachfreetraining.com
• Learn more here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT1LkVw5Xvg&list=PLYeP0oZHlVGnxJfK4m7ViFejx8r3hnHWL 
• Dive into the full breakdown of recovering from mistakes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ6OmF7gC3I

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

Mental toughness isn't something athletes stumble upon. It's something you train every single day → https://coachfreetraining.com

If your athletes check out during hard drills or lack competitive drive, it's not a physical problem. It's a mental one.

As a championship head coach with 14 years of experience, I'm breaking down three drill-based strategies to train mental toughness in your gym. This isn't motivational speeches. This is intentional, daily training that builds focus, competition, and performance under pressure.

What You'll Learn:
Why mental toughness is trained, not stumbled upon
How to optimize pre-practice time to train focus and connection
The 3-2-1 BRAVE daily mindset routine (5-7 minutes that saves you 20-30 minutes of wasted practice)
The competitive cauldron system that trains competitive drive
How to create pressure situations that train athletes to perform when it counts

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre - a mental performance coach for girl athletes, Co-Founder of The Elite Competitor, and a long-time head volleyball coach and 4-time state champion.

🕓 Key Moments
00:00 Introduction: The Mental Game Problem
00:50 Strategy 1: Optimize Pre-Practice Time
06:06 Strategy 2: Implement Competitive Cauldron System
07:35 Weekly Competition Tracking
09:21 Strategy 3: Create Pressure Situations
11:14 Recap and Final Thoughts

💬 Coaches - comment below: What's one mental skill you wish you could train your athletes to have tomorrow?

Next Steps:📌
🔹 Grab our in-depth FREE training → https://coachfreetraining.com
🔹 Follow us on IG → @elitecompetitorcoach
🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame 

🔔 Subscribe for More → Never miss an episode of Coach Her Game! 

P.S. A few stats worth knowing:

• Athletes who practice mental skills show 15-20% improvement in performance consistency under pressure (Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2022)
• Teams that implement structured mental training programs report 40% fewer in-game mental errors (International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2023)
• 85% of high school coaches believe mental training is important, but only 23% feel confident teaching it (National Federation of State High School Associations, 2023)

The Coach Her Game YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge.

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!