Mental Performance Coaching for Soccer Player

Challenge 1: OVERTHINKING!

In soccer we still dramatically underestimate the influence thoughts and feelings have on us and our game. Overthinking is one of the most common performance blocks. Research by Gonzales (1992) shows that 50% of an athlete’s potential comes down to their mindset. That doesn’t mean you need to spend half your time on mindset training, but let’s be real - if mental strength and emotional balance plays such a huge role, leveling up your mindset is a no-brainer if you want to take the next step in career and life.

"Thoughts and emotions are the most powerful forces within us. When we overthink, we trigger negative emotions that can derail our performance on the pitch and impact our well-being off the field. Both your inner world and your game are deeply connected, and finding balance is the key to unlocking your true potential." – Stefan Peter

Challenge 1: OVERTHINKING!

In soccer we still dramatically underestimate the influence thoughts and feelings have on us and on our game. Overthinking is one of the most common performance blocks. Research by Gonzales (1992) shows that 50% of an athlete’s potential comes down to their mindset. That doesn’t mean you need to spend half your time on mindset training, but let’s be real - if mental strength and emotional balance plays such a huge role, leveling up your mindset is a no-brainer if you want to take the next step in career and life.

The second challenge in todays hyper drive society is lack of attention and constant distraction. “One of the most influential psychological variables in athletic performance is attention and focus. (research by Hatzigeorgiadis,et al 2004) Simply ask yourself how easily you get distracted, and you'll realize just how much untapped potential you still have to unlock."

Challenge 3: CONSTANTLY LIVING IN "BATTLE MODE"!

Challenge 2: LACK OF FOCUS!

Many players are conditioned to focus solely on “fighting,” “battling,” and “beating the competition.” While this drive is important, it often causes them to lose balance—forgetting when to push and when to pause, when to speed up and when to slow down. More importantly, they can lose sight of the joy and love for the game that made them the player they are today.

This imbalance between a high-performance mindset and mindful playfulness can hold athletes back. It’s not just about working harder—it’s about staying present, managing pressure, and playing with passion. Without this balance, even big wins can feel empty, and in some cases, lead to burnout or mental health struggles. But when players learn to combine discipline with recovery, focus with creativity, and intensity with joy, they don’t just perform better—they build a career and mindset that lasts.

Let's talk!

Challenge 2: LACK OF FOCUS!

Challenge 3: CONSTANTLY LIVING IN "BATTLE MODE"!

Let's talk!

Attention spans!

Actual high performers are stuck in BATTLE MODE, underperform and feel empty and depressed

Are those your challenges on the pitch?

Constant self-doubt, questioning your abilities and feeling insecure about your performances
Fear of failure and fear of mistakes aka lack of confidence
Criticizing or putting yourself down before, during, or after competitions
Lack of motivation or even feeling empty inside
Overthinking and ruminating on past performances
Worrying about future outcomes
Performance anxiety and experiencing heightened nervousness
Regularly experiencing tension, anxiety or depression
Procrastination or or avoiding tasks that are essential for improvement
Struggling to maintain focus and awareness during training or competition
Decreased motivation or enthusiasm for training and competition
Increased irritability, mood swings, or changes in behavior
Loss of enjoyment in activities that were previously pleasurable, or even not enjoying your wins anymore
Avoidance of social interactions or withdrawal from teammates and coaches.
Comparing yourself to others constantly and feeling not good enough
Chronic symptoms, injuries or illnesses (eg. fatigue, headaches, muscle tension without clear physical cause)
Lack of emotional regulation and difficulty managing emotions such as frustration, anger, or disappointment
Feeling the need to perform to be approved, loved or to belong
Having problems being present in the moment
Constantly overworking or overpowering yourself and feeling exhausted and overwhelmed
Unhealthy relationships or avoiding love in general
Struggling to make your own decisions due to lack of confidence, clarity and purpose in life
Obsessive or addictive self-sabotaging behaviors to cope (drugs, alcohol, sex, games etc.)
Feeling emotions of guilt, shame, apathy or grief
Blaming others for your own failures and making others responsible for your happiness
A constant change of environment to feel better
Sleep difficulties

HI, I AM

STEFAN PETER

Pro Soccer Mindset and Mindfulness Coach

I’m a certified Breathwork Coach with a Master’s in Sports, Health, and Leadership, certifications in High-Performance Sports Psychology and Athlete Development from FC Barcelona.

Since 2011, I’ve helped 500+ amazing human beings, soccer players, coaches and teams unlock their full potential—on the pitch and in life.. Players I work with include top athletes like Mak Whitham (the youngest pro in NWSL history), Samantha Rosette and Michelle Betos.

Together we find your optimal balance between push and pull, effort and ease, joy and resilience—the key to unlocking your high performance and your greatest life.

Just like in martial arts, where true mastery comes from knowing when to strike and when to flow, peak performance in soccer comes from balancing intensity and recovery, fighting and relaxing. As Bruce Lee said, “Be water, my friend.”The right mindset isn’t just about pushing harder—it’s about finding your flow and performing with power, precision, and joy.

"Mental stillness (Yin) creates the explosive power (Yang) needed to strike with precision."

If you’re looking to improve mindset and emotionset, let’s connect for a 20 minute chat to explore your unique challanges and goals. From there, I'll offer a free 1h coaching session to help you see a clear path forward with strategies to make an immediate difference on and off the pitch.

Let's talk!

Stefan is very knowledgeable in his field and he was very easy to open up to. He was able to help me reflect on my playing career and how it will help me transition into the next phase of my life - which is coaching. He was able to provide valuable tools an techniques to help shift my mindset and view things from a different perspective. These tools and techniques are integral for the mental side of sports, both as a player and a coach.
Jacqueline Altschuld
US Pro Soccer Player
“Stefan offered expertise and insight during our conversations. He has a defined process to help athletes improve the mental side of their game, which could be tailored to the individual needs of the athlete.”
Andrew Swift
Indy Eleven Professional Soccer, Goalkeeper Coach
As a collegiate athlete the mental side of sport is just as difficult as the physical aspect so when Stefan reached out offering his knowledge I took the opportunity. The best thing about Stefan was how personal he was, he delved in about my story before getting into the logistics of psychology. I’ve struggled a lot with recent injuries which takes a big toll of one’s mental health. He helped me identify and overcome difficulties I never knew I had.
Hannah Walsh
NCAA Division 1 Soccer Athlete
I had a great conversation with Stefan where we talked about some very important aspects on the mental side of sports performance. We went through a few exercises which really helped me to think of new ways to improve my performance from the mental side. I’m excited to learn more and apply these techniques in the future!
Brendan Koplin
Pro - Soccer Player FC Merani Tbilisi
In one call with Stefan he helped improve my understanding of psychology and emotional intelligence. He passed on some really useful tips to help with my own individual development. In the modern world, it is an aspect of sport that is becoming increasingly important for individuals and athletes to be aware of.
James Hannigan
Football Development Coach, UEFA A Licence Candidate
Stefan knows how to relate to and reach his clients in order to help them identify and overcome destructive patterns. A true enthusiast of the game, he understands the psychological importance of performance and has the educational knowledge to take his clients to the next level.
Sameer Bilal
Semi pro soccer player(USL2 & UPSL and Honors Student-athlete at Pfeiffer University
The coaching has fully changed my perspective of myself as an athlete. Even only after a first session I have already thought of my career differently. I’m looking forward to my next few games to use the techniques and strategies given to me.
Ewan Sanchez
Soccer Player - FC Malaga City Academy
Stefan shared key insights into the world of emotional development and mindset that I had initially looked over. We spoke about my specific targets, and he was patient and attentive to all my questions regarding the implementation of my mindset strategies. The call was overall an amazing reflection tool and a clear introduction to a service that can help young coaches like myself gain a fast track to advanced emotional intelligence.
Idrees Ihsanullah
Soccer Coach/Analyst and Student at Georgia Institute of Technology
The clear and simple questions in the workbook helped me to perform better quickly. I was able to identify and change beliefs that blocked my performance. It was the first time I answered questions that I would usually avoid asking myself. But i was surprised how easy it is to change my subconscious limiting beliefs, once I experienced it consciously. I can finally work on a completely new vision. I also feel that I am more relaxed now when I play tennis and I am able to perform better.
Markus Salzer
Fitness Coach and Tennis player
As a personal coach and Ironman athlete I know how important good mindset is. This 4-week course was the first time I also realized how my emotions and my thoughts are interconnected. Even me as a coach myself I appreciate being coached from time to time. I can highly recommend this program if you feel stuck or don´t know how to overcome negative emotions yourself. In addition I also booked 1:1 coaching with Stefan Peter because I wanted to speed up this process and I am glad I did.
Philipp Troschl
Ironman and Fitness Coach

For Players With Love For The Game and Awareness for Self

Pro Soccer Mindset Training helps you build a strong mindset and mindfulness routine from the ground up, combining ancient techniques like breathwork and meditation with modern day performance psychology. At the core of it all is my ©29-day Emotionset Method—a game-changer based on joy and love for optimal and long lasting high performance.

To do this, we first evaluate your unique soccer personality type with my specially designed Soccer Personality Profiling tool (SPP). Before diving into visualization, focus training, or positive self-talk, we first discover whether you are a Captain, Playmaker, Guardian, or Strategist Type.

Your personality type gives us the insides we need, so you can become more self-aware of your blockages, fears and most importantly your motivational drivers, to perform up to your full potential. As a certified coach I guide you in our one on one sessions, prepare proven coaching exercises and help you grow on a daily basis, so you can see real results on and off the field.

Want to learn more? Book your free 20-minute session today and take the first step toward unlocking your full potential!

Results Oriented - But Joy and Love always in Mind!

Mindset Meets Mindfulness:

The Leadership Challenge

When players or entire teams lose motivation and focus, it’s often because players feel like they’re treated as objects rather than valued contributors. This happens because we don’t always understand what truly motivates each player and how different personalities work together and perform best.

The Awareness Approach

Focus on the individual within the team first. For both athletes and coaches, this means developing self-awareness—giving them the ability to take control of their performance by understanding what they truly and individually need to succeed.

Motivate Individually

The science-based Soccer Personality Profiling (SPP) tool, can help you understand what drives each player, how they like to communicate based on their personality type, and what holds them back or even frightens them. This allows you to connect with your players on a deeper level, communicate more effectively, and motivate them in a way that works best for them—especially under pressure.

Science Behind Winning?

Studies from the British and Canadian Olympic programs could prove that athlete self-awareness and a strong coach-athlete relationship are the most critical factors for elite performance. Not tactics and not individual skills. Every great team is built on the unique personalities within it. As Vicente del Bosque said, “A healthy dressing room is worth more than a hundred hours of tactics.”

"The human element beats tactics and skills every time."

When athletes understand their own and their teammates motivational drivers, strengths, weaknesses and even fears they can individually overcome mental blocks and become a great team. Self awareness through mindset training strengthens coach-athlete relationships and improves overall team dynamics.

COACH - Get in touch to learn more!