Can structured mental training help young athletes become more confident, manage anxiety and perform with greater composure under pressure?
A newly accepted 2026 study in Frontiers in Psychology offers encouraging findings.
The research examined 123 female athletes aged 15–19 across basketball, handball, football and gymnastics. Of these, 58 participated in a two-month, hypnosis-based psychological skills training programme, while 65 formed a comparison group.
Following the programme, the participating athletes demonstrated more favourable scores than the comparison group across several important psychological measures, including:
Higher self-confidence and psychological resilience: Greater confidence and personal hardiness.
Lower levels of anxiety: Reduced cognitive anxiety (worry and negative thoughts) and somatic anxiety (physical symptoms of nervousness).
Stronger self-regulated motivation: More favourable scores relating to the ability to regulate motivation.
More adaptive coping strategies: Better psychological characteristics associated with managing challenging situations.
This was a non-randomised study, so the findings show an association rather than proving that hypnosis or the programme itself caused these differences. The study also measured psychological characteristics rather than actual improvements in sporting results.
Here is the link to the study:
Why This Matters to RKPP
At Russell Knox Peak Performance, I regularly work with athletes who have developed strong physical and technical skills but find that confidence, anxiety or overthinking can interfere when competition pressure increases.
What interests me about this research is its emphasis on developing psychological skills early, rather than waiting until an athlete begins struggling with performance.
Through the RKPP PEAK Method, I combine hypnosis, mental rehearsal, performance cues and practical reset techniques to help athletes recognise and manage the mental barriers that can interfere with their performance.
This includes developing confidence, reducing unhelpful overthinking, learning to reset after mistakes and building the ability to focus on the next task rather than becoming distracted by outcomes.
The study is particularly relevant because it examines young athletes competing at a high level, where expectations, comparison with others and fear of failure can become significant challenges.
It also reinforces the importance of repetition. Just as physical skills require consistent training, mental skills need to be practised and reinforced to become more familiar and accessible under pressure.
My Takeaway
Mental preparation shouldn't begin when an athlete starts struggling. It should be developed alongside their physical and technical training.
For me, this is one of the most important messages from the research.
The findings are encouraging, although they do not prove that hypnosis alone produced the reported benefits.
At RKPP, my focus is on helping athletes develop practical mental skills they can use in training, competition and everyday life.
The goal isn't to eliminate nerves or pressure. It's to help athletes build the confidence, composure and mental flexibility to respond effectively when those challenges arise.
Train the body. Prepare the mind. Trust the performance.
