Sports Psychology in Long Beach
Overcome Performance Anxiety and Compete with Confidence
You've trained for months. You know you're ready. But when it's game time, your heart races, your mind goes blank, and suddenly everything you've practiced feels impossible to execute. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Performance anxiety affects athletes at every level, from youth soccer players in El Dorado Park to college competitors at Long Beach State, and it's one of the most common reasons athletes seek sports psychology services.
At Empower Mental Fitness, we specialize in helping athletes across Long Beach and Southern California break through the mental barriers that hold them back from performing at their best. Whether you're choking at the free throw line, overthinking every swing, or feeling paralyzed before competitions, sports psychology can give you the mental training tools you need to match your physical preparation.
What Performance Anxiety Really Looks Like in Athletes
Performance anxiety isn't just nerves. It's that overwhelming feeling that shows up when the pressure's on and suddenly makes everything harder than it should be. Maybe your muscles tense up before a race. Your breathing gets shallow during crucial plays. You second-guess decisions that should be automatic. Some athletes describe it as "getting in their own head" or feeling like they're watching themselves fail from the outside.
The physical symptoms are real. Increased heart rate, sweaty palms, tight chest, upset stomach, even trembling hands. But what really impacts your game is what happens mentally. Racing thoughts, fear of making mistakes, worrying about what coaches or teammates think, replaying past failures, or catastrophizing about what could go wrong. When you're dealing with this during competition, you're essentially trying to perform while your brain is in fight-or-flight mode. That's an unfair fight.
Here's the thing though. Performance anxiety doesn't mean you're weak or not cut out for competition. Actually, it often affects the most dedicated athletes because you care so much about doing well. The problem isn't that you lack talent or preparation. The problem is that your mind hasn't been trained the same way your body has.
How Sports Psychology Addresses Performance Anxiety
Think about how much time you spend on physical training. Hours in the gym, on the field, in the pool, perfecting technique and building strength. Sports psychology works the same way, except we're training your mind to perform under pressure. It's not about positive thinking or just "believing in yourself." It's about learning specific, practical techniques that help you regulate your nervous system, refocus your attention, and access your skills when it matters most.
We use evidence-based approaches that actually work. Cognitive behavioral techniques help you identify the thought patterns that trigger anxiety and replace them with more helpful mental habits. Visualization and mental rehearsal train your brain to experience success before you even compete, building neural pathways that make performance feel more familiar and less threatening. Mindfulness practices teach you to stay present instead of getting lost in "what if" thinking or past mistakes.
Breathing and relaxation techniques might sound simple, but they're incredibly powerful for managing the physical symptoms of anxiety. When you can control your breath, you can literally shift your nervous system out of panic mode and back into performance mode. We'll work on pre-competition routines that give you a sense of control and consistency, no matter what's happening around you. These become your anchor when pressure builds.
Every athlete is different, and every sport has unique mental demands. A swimmer dealing with performance anxiety before a solo race faces different challenges than a point guard who freezes during crucial free throws. We tailor our approach to your specific sport, your competition level, and the exact situations where anxiety shows up for you. This isn't generic advice. It's personalized mental training designed for your goals.
Who We Work With in Long Beach and Southern California
Our sports psychology services support athletes across all levels and sports throughout the Long Beach area and greater Southern California. We work with high school athletes competing in CIF championships who need to manage pressure during playoffs and recruiting showcases. College athletes at Long Beach State and other local universities come to us when the jump to collegiate competition brings new mental challenges. Club sport athletes training at facilities throughout Belmont Shore, the Marine Stadium, and local sports complexes find that mental skills training gives them the competitive edge they've been missing.
We also support youth athletes whose parents notice they're talented but starting to struggle with competition stress. It's never too early to learn healthy mental skills. Weekend warriors and recreational athletes deserve to enjoy their sports without anxiety stealing the fun. Triathletes training along the beach paths, runners preparing for marathons, tennis players at local clubs, even surfers working on competition mindset. If you compete or perform athletically, we can help you do it with less anxiety and more confidence.
Coaches also reach out to us for team mental skills training. When an entire team learns sports psychology principles together, it changes the culture and everyone's performance improves. We've worked with teams from Signal Hill, Lakewood, and throughout the South Bay to build mental toughness and team cohesion.
Why Working with a Local Long Beach Sports Psychologist Matters
There's something valuable about working with someone who understands the local sports culture. We know what it's like competing in Southern California where the athletic talent is intense and the pressure to perform is real. We understand the unique challenges of training year-round in great weather, where there's no off-season to recover mentally. We're familiar with the venues, the competitions, the local sports scene from youth leagues to professional opportunities.
Plus, we offer both in-person sessions here in Long Beach and virtual sessions for athletes across Southern California. That flexibility means you can get support on your schedule, whether you're training locally or traveling for competitions. Mental training works best when it fits seamlessly into your athletic life, not when it's another overwhelming commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Psychology
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Sports psychology is the study and application of mental skills that help athletes perform better and enjoy sports more. For performance anxiety specifically, we teach you how to manage the physical and mental symptoms that interfere with your performance. You'll learn techniques to calm your nervous system, refocus your attention, build confidence, and access your training when pressure is highest. It's like having a coach for your mind.
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If you consistently perform better in practice than in competition, if you feel physical symptoms of nervousness that interfere with your performance, if you avoid certain competitive situations because of worry, or if you spend a lot of mental energy thinking about failing or making mistakes, you're likely dealing with performance anxiety. The good news is it's very treatable with the right mental training.
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We use a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, visualization and mental rehearsal, mindfulness and present-moment awareness, breathing and relaxation techniques, pre-performance routines, and confidence-building exercises. The specific mix depends on you, your sport, and where anxiety shows up. We'll create a personalized plan that gives you practical tools you can use immediately.
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Both. Every sport has unique mental demands. Team sport athletes might struggle with pressure during crucial plays or worry about letting teammates down. Individual sport athletes often face the intensity of solo competition without the buffer of a team. We adjust our approach based on your sport's specific mental challenges and what you need to succeed.
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Many athletes notice some improvement within the first few sessions, especially with breathing and relaxation techniques you can use right away. Building deeper mental skills and consistently performing without anxiety typically takes several weeks to months, similar to how long it takes to see significant physical training results. The athletes who practice mental skills regularly see the fastest and most lasting improvements.
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Absolutely. While we love meeting athletes in person here in Long Beach, we know training schedules are demanding. We offer secure virtual sessions that work for athletes throughout Southern California, from Orange County up through the South Bay. Virtual sessions are just as effective for mental skills training, and they give you more flexibility to fit sessions around practice and competition schedules.
Ready to Compete Without Fear?
You've put in the work physically. You've got the talent. You've earned your spot. Now it's time to train your mind to match your body so you can finally perform the way you're capable of performing.
Performance anxiety doesn't have to control your athletic career. With the right mental training, you can learn to thrive under pressure instead of crumbling beneath it. You can walk into competition feeling confident instead of terrified. You can access your skills when it matters most instead of watching them disappear when you need them.
At Empower Mental Fitness, Rena Trujillo, LCSW, has helped countless athletes across Long Beach and Southern California transform their relationship with competition. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a passion for working with Division I collegiate athletes and competitors at every level, Rena understands the unique mental demands athletes face. She takes a process-based approach, tailoring each session to your specific sport, competition level, and the exact situations where anxiety shows up for you.
The athletes who feel the most anxious are often the ones who improve the most dramatically once they learn these skills. That could be you.
Don't let another season go by watching anxiety steal performances you've worked so hard for. Don't keep hoping it will magically get better on its own. Take action now and invest in mental training that will serve you for the rest of your athletic career and beyond.
Contact Empower Mental Fitness today
To schedule your first sports psychology session:
Call or Text: (818) 583-7269
Email: rena@empowermentalfitness.com
Office Location: 1 World Trade Center, Suite 850, Long Beach, CA 90831
Can't make it in person? We offer secure telehealth sessions throughout Southern California
We're proud to serve athletes throughout Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood, the South Bay, and all of Southern California. Whether you prefer in-person sessions at our downtown Long Beach office or virtual appointments that fit your training schedule, we make it easy to get the mental performance support you need.
Your breakthrough performance is waiting. Let's unlock it together.