Pine Tar Academy, in partnership with Living The Dream Sports (Derick Snell), is excited to announce our Sports Psychology/Mental Sports Training program.
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​At Pine Tar Academy, we believe that elite baseball isn’t built on physical skills alone — the mental game is just as critical. Our Mental Strength Coaching helps athletes learn the necessary skill sets to develop and nurture the athlete mindset to consistently perform under pressure with resiliency and determination to achieve their best competitive performance.
We put athletes, coaches, parents, and organizations in the best possible position to succeed — mentally and physically.
Why Mental Skill Training Matters
Elite athletes don’t just excel because they’re physically talented — they’ve developed their psychological game. Just like technical skill training, mental skills need to be learned, nurtured, and practiced. By combining top-notch physical training with powerful mental practices, athletes become complete competitors. Whether you are involved in youth, high school, collegiate, or professional baseball programming, Pine Tar’s Sports Psychology training can help you achieve your maximum potential at any level.
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What You’ll Learn
Through a partnership between Pine Tar Academy and Living The Dream Sports, athletes, coaches, and parents gain practical tools and strategies, including:
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Mental imagery and visualization
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Breathing and calming techniques
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Focus and concentration strategies
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Time management skills
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Stress and pressure management
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Communication, leadership, and personal growth
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Identify barriers to peak performance and develop strategies to overcome them
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Learn about sports psychology and theories related to maximizing performance
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Self-growth through training sessions
Cognitive coaching and sports psychology should be a core part of athletic development. We aim to make mental training accessible and essential for every athlete, team, and support system.
Athlete Courses
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Intro to Sports Psychology - 8 sessions
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Theories and Barriers - 6 sessions
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Sports Injuries and Injury Management - 4 sessions
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The 4 "Cs", But in Reality It's 5 - 6 sessions
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Confidence, Trust and Discipline - 6 sessions
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The Social Media Affect/Effect - 4 sessions
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Motivation and Pressure - 6 sessions
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Team Dynamics, Team Roles and Leadership - 8 sessions
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Mindfulness – Being in the "Moment" - 6 sessions
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Self-Limiting Barriers - 4 sessions
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Practice vs Game Player - 4 sessions
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Nonverbals - The Silent Barrier - 4 sessions
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How Communication Effects Competition - 4 sessions
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The Nintendo Mentality - 4 sessions
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How Analytics Affect Competition - 6 sessions
Meet Derick Snell
Founder Derick Snell brings over 25 years of experience working with athletes throughout Minnesota at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels. He helps athletes tackle issues like:
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Fear of failure
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Perfectionism
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Motivation
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Goal-setting
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Confidence
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Focus & concentration
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Pressure awareness
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Resiliency & leadership
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Sport-specific mental strategies
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Derick’s unique background includes:
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A Psychology degree (Community Psychology) from St. Cloud State University
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A Sports Psychology Certificate from the Spencer Institute
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Certification from the National Exercise and Sports Science Association
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A Sports Management certification from Columbia University
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Expertise in physical training (certified in Rapsodo, Driveline, and more)
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Coaching experience in baseball, wrestling, softball, basketball, and golf