Why intentional coaching matters.

“YouTube keeps coaches in business.”

A young high school golf coach shared this with me earlier this week as we discussed her team’s mental performance.

I was kinda confused at first. I didn’t get it.

Then she explained.

Any young athlete can go on YouTube to figure out how to fix a problem.

The YouTube content creator is fixing that problem for everyone.

However, they don’t understand what the person seeking their help truly needs.

They can’t observe the athlete.
They don’t know their background.
They don’t know their goals.

So, the athlete goes to YouTube looking for a solution uniquely for them, only to find a solution for everyone.

This leads the athlete back to their coaches.

The athlete might have an idea about how to solve their problem. But they need their coach to help them:

Understand what’s happening.
Identify solutions for them.
And experiment until they get it right.

This requires trust, and it requires patience. The best coaches build trust and remain patient until their athlete gets it.

Coaching a sport is no different than coaching an athlete’s mental game.

Anyone can go on the internet and find a one-size-fits-all solution or slogan to fix a lack of confidence.

What you can’t get on YouTube or Instagram is the coach who listens, understands, and helps the athlete piece together a solution that works within the real-life constraints that they face every day.

This is why intentional coaching matters.

So, what does this have to do with mental performance coaching?

A lot.

Intent over content.

This is a philosophy I adopted in my sport psychology graduate program when I considered how to differentiate myself as a mental performance coach.

We were all learning the same academic material, the same performance enhancement skills.

I realized the difference between being like everyone else and being unique would be incorporating everything that made me unique.

My personality.
My experiences.
My desire to serve.

The content we consume is everywhere, and it often sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher.

Information about mental performance can come from a properly trained professional, from reading a book, or by watching a reel created by someone who simply calls themselves a mental performance coach.

And in many cases, you may not be able to tell the difference.

👉 Read THIS before you hire a mental performance coach

So, what makes that information usable?

The intentional coaching that accompanies it.

Listening.
Understanding.
Purpose.

Most importantly, helping the athlete apply learning in a way that works for THEM, not for the coach.

What intentional coaching looks like.

This past Monday, I had a check-in meeting with the parents of a college baseball player I’ve been helping for the past three months.

His mother was extremely grateful for the work we’ve done together. I’ve helped her boy get back to being his “old self.”

Calm.
Confident.
Process-driven.

The solution?

Helping her son rediscover the behaviors leaked away during a very difficult freshman season.

Poor performance can cause the best athletes to become emotional, chase results, and lose themselves.

So where’s the intention?

Intentional coaching is about the effort to understand what her son’s “old self” looked like in the first place.

It wasn’t about trying to transform him into something I thought he should be.

Here are three questions that can help you reveal why intentional coaching matters:

Do they ask about your athlete before they ever offer advice?
Would their answer change if your athlete were a completely different kid?
Are they trying to understand your athlete — or just apply a solution that works for them?

Are you seeking a mental performance coach you can trust?

If this post struck a nerve, then I’d love to talk about how having an intentional mental performance coach on your team can make all the difference in a young athlete’s life. Not just in sport — but in life.

👉 Schedule your free 30-minute consultation now

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Michael Huber, MA, CMPC® holds a master’s degree in sport psychology. He helps young athletes ages 14 to 22 be themselves when everyone is watching, including learning how to navigate overthinking under pressure. Learn more about Michael.