Patrick Cohn

Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D., earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia in 1991, specializing in sports psychology, and founded Peak Performance Sports in 1994. Dr. Cohn is an author, professional speaker and one of the nation’s leading mental game coaches. His coaching programs for young athletes instill confidence, composure and effective mental strategies that enable athletes and teams to reach their performance goals.

Fear of Failure is a Top Worry for Young Athletes

Building Confidence in Athletes

As a sports psychology practitioner and founder of Maximize the Mind Mental Performance Coaching, Ashley Eckermann is fielding more and more requests from parents of kids as young as 7 or 8. Their biggest challenge is fear of failure, Eckermann said. Kids say they are afraid of messing up and … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Using Neuroscience to Improve Athlete Performance

Using Neuroscience to Improve Athlete Performance

Improve your Athletes Performance Athletes are quick to focus on optimizing their physical performance but rarely concentrate on how they can improve their brain function in ways that will make them think and react faster. But it’s possible to measure certain aspects of brain function and tune up the brain, … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Improving Young Athletes’ Thinking to Boost Performance

Building Confidence in Athletes

It’s possible to speed up young athletes’ thinking and reaction time, says Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, a sports dad, professor and president of NeuroCatch, a medical device startup that evaluates cognitive function. For example, he recently used red light therapy to speed up a football player’s cognitive processing by 70 milliseconds. … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Choosing Neutral Thinking When Facing Adversity in Youth Sports

Building Confidence in Athletes

When sports kids face adversity, it’s not always easy to quickly shift from making mistakes to positive thinking. Instead, they should choose neutral thinking first, said Donovan Dreyer, owner of Get Ready Coaching and a sports dad with three teens. This involves focusing on a specific task that needs improvement. … Read Sport Psychology Tip