What mental training can do – and what it can’t
Editorial background text · Status 18.6.2026
"Mental training" sounds like a shortcut. It isn't.
What's happening right now?
- · Psychological skills work like technical ones: They need repetition in training, not just in competitive situations.
- · Brief interventions change attention and activation, not talent, technique, or playing time.
Why does that happen?
- · Self-talk and goal-setting show reliable, but moderate, meta-analytic effects (Hatzigeorgiadis et al., 2011; Kyllo & Landers, 1995).
- · Imagery complements physical training, it doesn't replace it (Simonsmeier et al., 2021).
- · For mental illnesses, mental training is not a substitute for treatment (Reardon et al., 2019).
What can you do?
- · Choose one tool per situation and practise it in training for four weeks.
- · Measure success by process, not outcome.
- · If stress is persistent, involve a professional instead of training harder.
Try this
Choose one tool and use it in the same spot in the next three training sessions.
When to get help
- · If symptoms last longer than two to four weeks or limit daily life.
For Parents
What we know
- · Psychological skills are trainable and have a positive overall effect.
What we don't know
- · How significant the benefit is for an individual child.
What that means in practice
- · Offer exercises, don't control them. Don't attach performance promises to them.
Methods behind it
Sources
- Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. American Psychologist.Specialist LiteraturePopulation: Cross-cutting, incl. SportDOI 10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705
- Kyllo, L. B., & Landers, D. M. (1995). Goal setting in sport and exercise: A research synthesis to resolve the controversy. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.Meta-AnalysisPopulation: Sporting SamplesDOI 10.1123/jsep.17.2.117
- Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Zourbanos, N., Galanis, E., & Theodorakis, Y. (2011). Self-Talk and Sports Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science.Meta-AnalysisPopulation: Athletes of various ages and performance levelsDOI 10.1177/1745691611413136
- Simonsmeier, B. A., Andronie, M., Buecker, S., & Frank, C. (2021). The effects of imagery interventions in sports: a meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology.Meta-AnalysisPopulation: Athletes, predominantly teenagers and young adultsDOI 10.1080/1750984X.2020.1780627
- Holmes, P. S., & Collins, D. J. (2001). The PETTLEP approach to motor imagery: A functional equivalence model for sport psychologists. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.Specialist LiteraturePopulation: Applied Sport PsychologyDOI 10.1080/10413200109339004
- Rupprecht, A. G. O., Tran, U. S., & Gröpel, P. (2021). The effectiveness of pre-performance routines in sports: a meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology.Systematic ReviewPopulation: Athletes of various performance levelsDOI 10.1080/1750984X.2021.1944271
- Brenner, J. S., & American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness (2019). Sports Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes. Pediatrics.Medical organisationPopulation: Children and young people in competitive sportsDOI 10.1542/peds.2016-2148
- Reardon, C. L., Hainline, B., Aron, C. M., et al. (2019). Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement. British Journal of Sports Medicine.Professional AssociationsPopulation: Competitive athletes, including youth.DOI 10.1136/bjsports-2019-100715
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These contents are knowledge and training offerings from sport psychology. They do not replace psychotherapy, medical treatment, or professional sport psychological support.