Early Performance Coaching Builds Mental Strength and Resilience
Just as technical drills build skill, tactical sessions intelligence, and physical conditioning endurance, performance coaching should be part of any aspiring young soccer players training. It builds the mind that manages to hold it all together when the pressure is on. It can be what sets a youth development athlete apart.
At Bali SBK, we believe in developing the whole player as a person. We train for football and life. That’s why mental performance coaching is woven into our squad’s daily schedule alongside ball mastery, tactical work, and recovery.
The resulting mental strength and resilience helps our players perform in trials, tournaments, and high-stakes moments. It also gives them an edge against those graduating from other youth academies.
What the Research Shows
Techniques that help develop resilience and teach young players to stay calm under pressure are powerful. Deep, controlled breathing calms the nervous system, reduces tension, improves posture, and helps athletes focus more clearly on goals ahead (Positive Coaching Alliance, “Breathing Exercises for Athletes”).
A scoping review of breathing techniques for adolescent athletes aged 14–17 found that structured breathing produced significant reductions in anxiety and measurable improvements in cognitive function, heart-rate variability, and athletic performance (Physical Activity and Health, 2024). The techniques used included slow-paced breathing, heart-rate variability biofeedback, and relaxation breathing.
Professional clubs across the world are integrating these types of evidence-based techniques into their daily routines.
Mental Performance Coaching in Practice
Mental performance coaching is the systematic development of mental skills: focus, resilience, composure under pressure, self-talk, goal setting, and recovery from setbacks. Where necessary, it can involve individual support for players.
We’ve embedded these techniques into our training:
- Box breathing — a controlled four-count breathing cycle (inhale, hold, exhale, hold) that activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowers heart rate, and helps players stay composed when the pressure ramps up.
- Journaling and self-reflection — players reflect on their training, identify what went well, and set specific goals for the next session.
- Meditation and mindfulness — daily practice that builds the capacity to stay present and focused, particularly under pressure.
- Goal-setting frameworks — process-oriented goals (“focus on first touch”) rather than outcome-oriented goals (“score a goal”) to sustain intrinsic motivation.
Meet Our Performance Coach, Lisa Bonta Sumii
Bali SBK has been working with Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW, CMPC since 2025. She is currently one of the most respected mental performance coaches in professional football.
In her role as full-time Mental Performance Coach for Bay FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), she supports professional players in developing the mindset and mental skills needed to perform with confidence, clarity, and consistency, on and off the pitch.
Her credentials speak for themselves:
- LCSW — Licensed Clinical Social Worker (California)
- CMPC — Certified Mental Performance Consultant (Association for Applied Sport Psychology)
- 22+ years of experience as a psychotherapist
- Listed in the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Mental Health and Mental Performance Registries
- Listed in the NFL Players Association’s Clinician Directory
- Founder and CEO of AthMindset®, a team of licensed mental health clinicians and mental performance consultants serving athletes across multiple US states
- Member of the technical staff at Oakland Roots SC, where she leads the Nurtured Roots mental health program
- Former competitive soccer player — she understands the game from the inside
Lisa’s approach blends “evidence-based mental performance training with a holistic, athlete-centred approach”. She helps athletes strengthen focus, manage pressure, build resilience through setbacks, and enhance leadership and communication. Her work is rooted in helping athletes feel “grounded in who they are, connected to their purpose, and fully prepared to perform at their highest level”.
Her philosophy is a great match for Bali SBK’s own “whole player” model.
Why This Matters for Your Child
Mental performance coaching gives young players the tools to handle though moments. They learn valuable tools for matches and trials as well as life. Our parent feedback consistently reflects this.
Bali SBK’s youth players develop resilience by building these tools into habits through daily practice. The breathing, self-talk, reflection, goal-setting all help them manage pressure. This goes well beyond what happens on the pitch.
Professional clubs at the highest level of the game invest heavily in this skill. Bayern Munich, Chelsea, the US Women’s National Team all employ mental performance professionals as core members of their technical staff.
As a parent to a developing athlete, you should care if their youth academy also integrates performance coaching and prioritises mental health. At Bali SBK, we most certainly do. We care about our players’ well-being and holistic development.
And our collaboration with Lisa Bonta Sumii, a coach who works with professional players in the NWSL and is listed on Olympic and NFL registries, brings that professional-level mental coaching directly to young players in Bali.
It is an absolute privilege to share this level of well-rounded training. And we practice daily – including our coaches.
What Parents Should Look For
If you’re evaluating a soccer academy for your child, ask whether mental health is an integrated aspect of training:
- Is there a structured mental performance component, or just occasional motivation talks?
- Does the academy have a credentialed mental performance professional involved?
- Are mental skills practiced daily, or only discussed when something goes wrong?
- Does the academy treat mental health and mental performance as the same thing? (They’re related but distinct — and both matter.)
If the answers are vague, it’s worth asking why. The mental game isn’t optional at the elite level. It shouldn’t be optional at the development level either.
Ready to learn more about the whole-player approach at Bali SBK? Contact us at info@balisbk.com or WhatsApp +62 819‑4625‑9102.
Sources
- Physical Activity and Health — “Breathing Techniques for the Enhancement of Cognitive Function and Stress Reduction in 14–17-Year-Old Adolescent Athletes: A Scoping Review” (2024). Available at: paahjournal.com
- Positive Coaching Alliance — “Breathing Exercises for Athletes.” Available at: positivecoach.org
- AthMindset® — Lisa Bonta Sumii profile: athmindset.io/about-lisa
- Oakland Roots SC — “Welcome Back Lisa Bonta Sumii, LCSW”: oaklandrootssc.com
