Mental Performance
Performing well in a sport is challenging. But this challenge is often not entirely physical… Regardless of experience or skill level, the mental components of performance often set limits on what any given athlete is able to achieve.
Whether it’s performing under pressure, bouncing back from failures or injuries, being able to focus on the “right” things for long periods of time, learning quickly, becoming a great leader & communicator, or even just feeling good in order to enjoy the sport more – even the very best athletes struggle mentally at one point or another.
At The Volleyball Institute, we believe that practicing these skills is critical to success on the court — sometimes even more so than the physical skills of volleyball. Because of this, we’ve developed the Mental Performance department as a place where athletes not only are educated on what it takes to perform well mentally, but are given opportunities and safe places to practice these skills.
Amanda Peterson — Director of Mental Performance
Amanda has a wealth of high-level playing and coaching experience:
Played 4 years at Ohio State University
Played professionally in Austria and Slovenia, the United States, and Greece
Played professionally in the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited Volleyball
Most recently an assistant coach for DI Ohio University as they out-performed expectations this season.
Most importantly, though, she is an exceptional person and cares deeply about having others find success in life and sport.
Mental Performance Dates and Locations
Mental Performance Dates and Locations
Pressure Serving Group
Vineyard Church of DuPage - Wheaton
Saturday, May 18: 5:30-6:30PM
Setters Mental Training
Vineyard Church of DuPage - Wheaton
Saturday, May 18: 12-1PM
Private Mental Performance Training
Custom 1:1 Mental Performance sessions available
Email amanda@thevolleyballinstitute.com to schedule 1:1 mental performance
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Pressure Serving Group Sessions
Serving in a game, especially in pressure situations like game point, can be very different from serving in a normal practice setting because of the mental component.
In addition to practicing the physical skills involved in serving, these sessions include opportunities to practice overcoming the sounds, distractions, fear of potential consequences, past mistakes, mental chatter, worries about “letting the team down”, and even heckling crowds, so that our athletes can “get out of their head” and play great volleyball even in pressure situations!
In these pressure serving group sessions, we aim to mimic some of these external factors, as well as discussing and practicing different tools so that we can get better at this part of serving!
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Setters Mental Training
Setters are often referred to as the “quarterback of the court” because they are in charge of calling plays and choosing who to set when. There is a huge mental component to setting.
Setters need to be able to stay calm under pressure, make decisions quickly, understand and work with each player’s strengths and weaknesses, and bounce back quickly after mistakes (they don’t get to take a point off).
In these sessions, we will talk about, as well as practice these components so setters build these skills and can confidently command the court and run a great offense.
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Confidence Bootcamp
At The Volleyball Institute, there is nothing more important to us than providing athletes the opportunity to experience Confidence Through Volleyball… Because of this, we’ve created our Confidence Bootcamp as a way to directly address this mission.
This program is designed to both educate and provide opportunities for athletes to practice the mental skills that underlie confidence. Each week of the program will focus on a specific component of confidence that will be relevant to most all volleyball athletes — things like building focus & mindfulness, performing under pressure, thriving after failure, communication & leadership, and more.
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Private Mental Performance Training
Looking for a more personalized approach? We are also offering off-court or hybrid private mental performance coaching, working on customized training with coach Amanda. We can work on general confidence, how to bounce back after mistakes, team dynamics, planning for success, being a “student of the game”, dealing with injuries (#comebackstronger), leadership, going from good to great, and more — whatever will help you improve your game on and off the court, and build Confidence Through Volleyball. These sessions allow for highly-specialized training that is designed around you and your needs. Regardless of if you are new to mental performance training or a seasoned veteran, our trainers are committed to helping you get better. To schedule an appointment, click below or send an email to amanda@thevolleyballinstitute.com
More About Amanda
Amanda grew up in the western suburbs playing for Sports Performance and Glenbard East High School. At that time she played outside and opposite before switching to primarily setting (while blocking both right side and middle in the front row).
She went on to set at Ohio State, including a Big Ten Setter of the Week award and appearances in the NCAA tournament all four years while reaching the Sweet Sixteen twice. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biological, food, and agricultural engineering with a focus on biomedical applications.
After college and a battle with a life-threatening illness that ended in emergency surgeries and a long recovery, she privately dove into studying nutrition, physical training, psychology, and high performance.
She went on to play professional volleyball in Austria for many years, Slovenia, Greece, and the USA (Athletes Unlimited).
Over the years and through her own challenges and performance optimization, she learned a lot from working with various sports psychologists (as a team and individually) and mental training / life coaches, as well as from her own research.
She grew increasingly passionate about sharing what she has learned with others, so she started her own mental training / holistic high performance / life coaching business, as well as taking on the role of Director of Mental Performance with The Volleyball Institute where she runs private and group volleyball lessons as well as private and group mental training sessions.
She has learned that no one aspect of performance (physical training, nutrition, reps on the court, mental training, relationships, studying the game, and wellness in the rest of life) exists without the influence of all of the other pieces; so she believes that high performance comes from improving in all areas of the game and life.