Patrick Cohn

Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D., earned his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Virginia in 1991, specializing in sports psychology, and founded Peak Performance Sports in 1994. Dr. Cohn is an author, professional speaker and one of the nation’s leading mental game coaches. His coaching programs for young athletes instill confidence, composure and effective mental strategies that enable athletes and teams to reach their performance goals.

What Can Athletes Learn from Elite Athletes’ Mindset? 

What Can Athletes Learn from Elite Athletes’ Mindset?

Elite Athletes Aren’t Elite Just Because They Are Talented. Plenty of talented athletes have not lived up to their potential. Do elite athletes just have better coaching? Again, many athletes have risen to the top without the best coaching. And many talented athletes have elite coaches and still consistently under … Read Sport Psychology Tip

The Power of Empathy in Youth Sports 

Building Confidence in Athletes

Empathy is a powerful confidence builder on youth sports teams. That’s the word from Dr. Conor Hogan, author of “The Gym Upstairs: The Neuroscience of Future Champions,” and a coach who helps young athletes improve their mental and overall performance. A team’s empathy can help individual players cope with pressure, … Read Sport Psychology Tip

How Choking Hurts Athletes’ Performance 

How Choking Hurts Athletes’ Performance 

What is Choking? Some examples of chokers: Choking is under performing during pressure moments of a game or competition. The problem is not about kids’ ability to perform. It’s about performing under pressure. For chokers, pressure becomes overwhelming and interferes with performing in the moment. Just as problematic is kids … Read Sport Psychology Tip

Addressing Anxiety, Mistakes and Low Confidence in Youth Sports

Building Confidence in Athletes

Performance anxiety, mistakes and low confidence are some of the top challenges for girls who play volleyball–challenges that help them learn important lessons in life, said Leah Jantzen, a former Ironman and marathon runner who is now a mental health and performance coach at Ward Melville High School, Long Island. … Read Sport Psychology Tip