FROM SUMMER MODE TO GAME MODE

Why your athlete’s struggles aren’t about effort to look ready on the outside. On the inside, the pressure’s building. How to help them reset so their season doesn’t unravel before it starts.

Each month, peak performance sports psychologist (and fellow parent) Dr. E tackles your toughest questions head-on.

Dear Dr. E—
My teen practices a lot over the summer, but when school starts up again, they tend to be mentally all over the place. How can I help them shift into a more competitive mindset without overwhelming them?
—Shifting Gears

Dear Shifting Gears—
This is such a crucial—and common—moment in an athlete’s year. On the surface, it might seem like your teen is just rusty or distracted. But what’s really going on beneath the surface is a full-blown mental transition. And most athletes are never taught how to make it.

Summer tends to bring looser schedules, lighter practices, and less pressure. Even when they train, it’s often at their own pace. Then suddenly, the demands shift overnight: early mornings, structured team practices, academic expectations, pressure to perform, and social stress—all at once. The nervous system doesn’t flip that switch automatically. And when athletes haven’t mentally recalibrated, they enter the season with one foot still in summer.

That’s when you see the signs:

• They overthink plays they used to execute with ease.
• They have trouble getting past mistakes.
• They seem unusually tired, irritable, or indifferent.

As a parent, you wonder—What happened? Here’s the good news: They don’t need more pressure.
They need a pathway.

1. Create a “Mental Preseason”
Just like the body needs conditioning, the brain needs calibration. Before the first game whistle blows, your athlete needs to mentally reconnect with why they play. Not just their goals, but their purpose, their identity as a competitor. The spark doesn’t come from pressure; it comes from alignment.

2. Anchor Them with Routines
Athletes thrive on rhythm. Simple pre-practice or pre-game rituals can act like a mental switch: “Now it’s time to compete.” These don’t need to be elaborate. What matters is that the ritual becomes a reliable cue to shift from chaos to clarity.

3. Address the Invisible Pressure
Many athletes feel they’re supposed to “just be ready.” But that creates hidden stress—especially when expectations are high and confidence is still catching up. When athletes internalize pressure without tools to manage it, performance suffers. When they learn how to reframe pressure, it becomes fuel.

4. Ditch Balance. Teach Regulation
The truth is, perfect balance between school, sports, and social life doesn’t exist. What does exist—and what elite athletes learn—is the ability to regulate their energy and focus. That means knowing when to push, when to pause, and how to reset fast.

This isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about training smarter.
The athletes who learn to shift their mindset with intention—who build mental strength alongside physical skill—are the ones who don’t just start the season strong…

They own it.

Want to give your athlete every advantage—not just physically, but mentally—this season? Dr. E equips young athletes with the strategies to stay composed under pressure, bounce back from setbacks, and bring their best when the stakes are high. Learn more at ELevive.com.