Training the Mental Game: Practical Tools for Coaches, Educators, and Leaders

Led by the leaders of the Women's Coaching Alliance (WCA), a California - based non-profit on a mission to develop female leaders through coaching youth sports, this interactive professional development session introduces coaches, educators, and leaders to the Game Face framework—an applied mental performance system originally developed in collegiate athletics and grounded in sport psychology research. The Game Face framework is foundational to WCA's training approach. 

Drawing from Kathy Toon’s work with Division I athletes, the session focuses on how individuals can train for optimal performance during high-pressure moments, particularly the critical time between plays, decisions, or challenges. Participants will explore the Four R’s—Reaction, Recovery, Readiness, and Ritual—and engage in practical exercises that demonstrate how mental, emotional, and physiological regulation directly influence performance. Designed for immediate application in coaching, teaching, and leadership settings, this session blends theory with practice and provides attendees with concrete tools they can use with student-athletes, teams, and classrooms.