Mental Training for Soccer – Pre-teens & Teens Edition
As a sports psychologist and a mom, I’ve seen firsthand how young athletes can struggle with mindset when the going gets tough. When my son’s team was facing a challenging time, I wanted to provide them with something more than motivational words—a practical resource they could turn to when things didn’t go as planned. That’s how Mental Training for Soccer: Pre-teens & Teens Edition was born.

This book is more than a guide – it’s a toolkit for the mental side of sports. Young athletes often hear about the importance of “staying positive” or “keeping focus,” but few are taught how to do it. Through engaging, science-based exercises, this book helps them:

  • Develop confidence and self-belief, even after mistakes.
  • Learn breathing and visualization techniques to manage stress before and during games.
  • Build a growth mindset, transforming frustration into motivation.
  • Strengthen focus, resilience, and teamwork, both on and off the field.

Every page is designed to be interactive and relatable, making mental training approachable for kids while giving parents and coaches the language and structure to support them. The goal is simple: to help young players enjoy the game, handle pressure with composure, and carry these skills beyond the field.

Whether you’re a parent, coach, or young athlete, Mental Training for Soccer offers a clear, actionable path to building mental strength and emotional awareness – skills that last a lifetime.

If you’re working with kids in sports, I hope it can be a valuable resource for you too!

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Optimalist – Guided Journal

I’m excited to announce that, in partnership with The Scribes, we’ve just launched The Optimalist Guided Journal – a tool designed to bring clarity to goal setting while raising awareness of mood, wellbeing, and daily focus. This collaboration blends science-backed structure with creative freedom, helping you stay intentional and grounded in both productivity and self-care.

The journal features erasable dry-marker pages, allowing you to prioritize tasks, tick off goals once completed, and create flexible daily or weekly schedules that can be updated as your plans evolve. It also includes dotted pages for notes, reflections, and sketches – perfect for tracking progress or creative thinking.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this project possible, especially Michael Reiney, CEO of @thescribesco, and my incredibly talented friend @littletigernyc for the beautiful logo design.

The Optimalist Journal is now available in the Shop section.
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L’Officiel: La Desatanudos

L’Officiel: ¿Qué es el Optimal Performance Training (entrenamiento de rendimiento óptimo) que vos proponés?

María C. Bruce: Es un enfoque que busca maximizar el potencial de una persona en contextos de alto rendimiento. En general, se lo relaciona con el deporte, pero también se aplica a la dirección empresarial y a la gestión de equipos, donde la necesidad de alcanzar el mejor desempeño es constante e hiperexigente. Además, estos profesionales enfrentan mucha presión para sobresalir en sus respectivas áreas. Esta presión puede venir de expectativas personales, demandas externas o por la competencia inherente a esos ámbitos. Por eso, el OPT pone el énfasis en el manejo del estrés y la ansiedad utilizando, por ejemplo, técnicas centradas en la respiración como principal regulador fisiológico. Además, se entrena el “reencuadre” (reframing), que implica un cambio consciente y constante de perspectivas y pensamientos negativos a positivos, permitiendo que los individuos puedan gestionar mejor la presión que sienten. Por otra parte, se trabaja en la resiliencia para sobreponerse a los fracasos o a situaciones difíciles, incorporando estas experiencias negativas como partes fundamentales (building blocks) para fortalecer el carácter y la determinación. La resiliencia se traduce en una capacidad de aprendizaje, de recuperarse rápidamente, y de seguir adelante con el objetivo final en mente.

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