What a D1 Athlete Wishes Every High School Coach Knew

A D1 athlete just shared what she wishes her high school coaches had prioritized. Get the free training here → coachfreetraining.com

🎙️ Sydney Dreves is a Division I volleyball player at Boise State University and an 8-time state champion who trained her mental game inside The Elite Mental Game program throughout her high school career. She came back to tell coaches exactly what surprised her most about competing at the next level.

It wasn't the physical demand. It was the mental game.

In this episode, Sydney and I break down:
👉 What actually separates athletes at the D1 level (coaches need to hear this directly from a player)
👉 How comparison nearly derailed her freshman year - and the skill that pulled her out of it
👉 Why "just showing up" is a mental skill coaches can start building right now
👉 What college coaches are watching for beyond physical talent
👉 The one thing she wishes she had more reps on before she left high school

👋🏼 I'm Coach Bre, a 4-time state champion volleyball coach and Certified Mental Performance Coach. I've spent 14+ years coaching girl athletes and built The Elite Competitor to give coaches proven, plug-and-play mental training systems that actually work.

Sydney played for me for four years. She won four state championships in volleyball and went on to start in six rotations as a freshman at a D1 program. 🏆

I asked her to come back and tell coaches what she wished she'd had more of before she got there. This conversation is the one coaches need to share with their staff.

What You'll Learn:
✅ Why mental consistency - not talent - separates players at the college level
✅ How to help athletes handle comparison without letting it wreck their confidence
✅ What "showing up" looks like on days when athletes have nothing left in the tank
✅ How to help athletes separate their self-worth from their performance
✅ Why 30 minutes of mental training per week is enough to change the game

🕓 Key Moments:
00:00 Introduction 
02:08 Meet Sydney Dreves 
02:41 Bre's Story: The Mental Game 
06:47 Why Mental Training Matters 
10:09 Sydney's First Year at Boise State 
12:04 What Separates Athletes at the Next Level 
13:42 Overcoming Adversity & Mental Blocks 
16:58 Navigating Team Dynamics 
20:09 Lessons from High School & Dealing with Failure 
22:18 Advice for Athletes & Resources

👍 Found this helpful? Like, subscribe, and share with a coach who needs it.

👇 Drop a comment below - what's your biggest challenge when it comes to fitting mental training into practice?

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📌 Other Tools & Resources
Free training for coaches →coachfreetraining.com
👉 Plug & Play Elite Mental Game System for High School Coaches → https://elitecompetitor.com/plugplayemg
📲 Instagram: @coachhergame
🎙 Podcast: Coach Her Game Podcast
🔹 Follow us on TikTok→ @coachhergame
🔹 Championship Program Membership: champions.elitecompetitor.com
🔹 Player Impact Plan: https://elitecompetitor.kit.com/6639eaaf9f|

P.S. Here's what the research shows: 
⚡️ Athletes who use structured reset routines recover from errors up to 40% faster during competition. (Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Mesagno & Mullane-Grant, 2010)
⚡️ Visualization activates the same neural pathways as physical practice, meaning mental reps have measurable impact on skill execution. (Journal of Neurophysiology, Jeannerod, 2001)
⚡️ 95% of elite athletes report using mental training, yet fewer than 10% of high school coaches have a formal system for teaching it. (Association for Applied Sport Psychology, 2021)  

The Coach Her Game YouTube channel is hosted by The Elite Competitor and is dedicated to helping coaches of girl athletes strengthen their mental game and team culture in order to develop a competitive edge.

#mentalperformance #coachinggirls #highschoolcoach #mentaltoughness #girlsports

Head to coachfreetraining.com to grab our free training for coaches to quickly level-up your team's mental game!

Transcript

0:00

They say sports are 90% mental, 10% physical, but how do we make sure that athletes are actually getting the mental tools they need to approach their sport and navigate it? And that's exactly why, in today's episode, I'm actually bringing in Sydney Dreves. She is a Division I volleyball player at Boise State University, and she's talking about that transition from her senior year in high school to her freshman year in college, and how the biggest surprise wasn't around the physical training, although that was part of it, it was the mental side and how to navigate her sport mentally when everything increased, the training volume, the teammate dynamics, the expectations, the pressure, all of it. And having the mental skills that she needed to navigate that was key for her. Now, athletes, if you're listening, this is gonna be a really great episode for you just to hear firsthand an athlete who has used mental training to help her make that jump to the next level. Whether you have goals to play in college or not, the mental game is really what separates you as an athlete. It's like your secret sauce. If you're a parent listening, you're gonna get a little insight into what your athlete is facing in her sport right now. And coaches that are listening, it's really important that you hear from this athlete to know what you should be prioritizing in your program to ensure that your athletes are mentally ready for their sport as they're playing for you, and those that are going on to play at the next level. What's really special about this is that Sydney actually played for me in high school. So for four years, she was a four-time state champion in volleyball and a four-time state champion in tennis. So you get to hear a little bit about that. Sydney learned the mental training skills that athletes across the nation are using inside our program, The Elite Mental Game coaches are using as well inside Plug and Play Elite Mental Game for teams. So you get to hear kinda firsthand how that impacted her and how she's using it at the next level. So, so excited for you to hear this. This is actually a recording of a call that I did with athletes. These are athletes who have joined our mental training program, so they're getting a taste of what mental training is. So you'll hear about that, kind of what, what is mental training, what does it mean to train your mind, and then you will hear from Sydney. I asked her some questions, some of the girls asked some of the questions as well, and her insights are just invaluable to just the experience that athletes are going through. So athletes, coaches, and parents, enjoy this episode I'm Bre. I work with athletes across the nation from elementary all the way through college on what's called the mental side of the game. So they say sports are, like, 90% mental, right? And 10% physical, but no one really teaches you the mental side of the game. So that's what I do. I'm joined actually today by someone very special. Her name is Sydney Dreves, and you're gonna hear from her in a little bit. She's a Division I volleyball player at Boise State. She actually played for me, in high school, and you get to hear from her in a little bit just on, like, what it takes to play at the next level mentally, physically, and you'll get an opportunity to ask her questions I won't go too deep into my story because we have Syd here, and she has a better story than me. But, um, this is my mom and I on my senior night in college, so And we look really happy here. This was a long road to get to this point because in high school I actually did struggle with something called the mental side of sports. And I played a lot of sports growing up. I also was super tall, so those of you that are, you know that when you Like, when you enter into high school, I was, like, almost six feet tall. Every single coach wants you on their team. They're like, "Come play basketball" and so I, like, tried basketball, and I absolutely hated it. I'm sorry, those of you that play basketball. I cannot stand the armpits in your face. It didn't work. So I tried volleyball 'cause the volleyball coach was, like, all on my case to do this, and there's a net, you know? And I'm like, "All right. I can get down with this. Like, you're not in my space. You stay over there. I stay over here." Um, but I ended up getting pretty good. Like, by the time I was a senior I was, you know, doing the whole club thing, all that. I was getting recruited. And, um, you'd think that'd be, like, the goal, but I ended up actually after my senior season just telling everybody that I was done. I was done playing volleyball. Like, I turned down all the offers. I was like, "I'm just gonna go to school to be a student. I don't wanna play sports. I'm done." And everyone was super confused because, you know, like, that You just wouldn't expect that from, from th- this type of athlete that I was. And that's because I wasn't telling anybody that I didn't really like being a perfectionist when it came to volleyball. Like, I would have a really great game, but I was beating myself up because I of the two things that I did wrong. Um, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I felt like I had to do everything well, and if I didn't, I was letting everybody down. And I just, like, didn't like that feeling, so I ended up quitting. Now, long story short, I actually ended up going to a college that was really good at volleyball. Um, they made it to the national championship that, my freshman year, and I went to every single one of their games. Like, I thought, I think they probably thought I was, like, a super fan, like, crazy person. But they, as soon as they got back from the national championship, I was like I really regret my decision to walk away from a sport that I love. And it wasn't because I didn't love the sport anymore, I just didn't love all of the things that went with it. You know, the pressure, the perfectionism, like, all that stuff that nobody was talking about at the time. So I thought I was, like, different than everybody. And so I actually reached out to this coach and asked her, like, I told her my story, and she was like, "Hey, why don't you come practice with us?" So I was like, "What?" I didn't even expect her to respond to my email, let alone, like, invite me to a practice when they got back from the national championship. Uh, so I practiced with the team, and she called me into her office the next day and was like, "Hey, we actually wanna offer you a walk-on spot on the team." And I was like, "Ah, yes. I don't care." Like, walk-on means, if those of you who aren't familiar, like, you don't get paid. Um, you don't even get, like, playing time. You're just, like, part of the team. But I was like, "I don't care. I'll pay you to be a part of this team, I miss it so much." And it was the best decision I ever could have had. This coach is phenomenal. Um, she didn't just coach the physical side of the game. She brought in mental performance coaches. Many of you may or may not be familiar with the fact that at, you know, some college programs and beyond, they bring sports psychologists in. They have mental performance coaches. And that's when I started realizing, number one, I'm not alone. Like, this is very normal. And two, there's actual skills that we have that can help us play better when we get our mind on board. And by the time I was a senior and I was learning mental training, I was playing under this really great program, under this phenomenal coach. By the time I was a senior, she actually called me into her office again, and I thought I was getting cut from the team. And I was like, "Well, you know what? I worked my tail off for, what, uh, three years. Sounds good. See you later." She was like, "Uh, no, actually, we wanna offer you for your senior season. You have a full ride." I was in the starting lineup. I, you know, it just had this, like, really great ending to this career that, you know, was all, could've gone a lot of different ways. So that's also when I realized, like, the mental game is the game, all right? Uh, about, I became a teacher and a coach right out of college, and started coaching my own team and realized, like, "Hey, my girls need these skills, too." So about five years into my coaching career after realizing, like, they, this is the missing piece, I went back to become certified to teach these skills to my team. We won four consecutive state championships. We've done really well. Uh, obviously you need talent, you need hard work. There's a lot of things that go into championships, but you also are playing at the biggest stages under, like, the biggest lights and with a lot of pressure. And having skills to be able to meet that moment are also what make the difference. Um, this is the same program that you are all in, the girl, the same tools that these girls learn as well. But here's the other part, is that you won't reach your potential until you train your mind. Simone Biles talking about mental health, putting it first. If you're, if you don't, you're not gonna enjoy your s- your sport Mia Hamm, okay? The most important attribute an athlete can have is mental toughness. You have to be mentally tough as an athlete. There's no way around it. And some of you have maybe been told by coaches or something like that, that you're talented but you just need to be more confident, or you have all the physical skills but you need to work on your mental game. And if you've been told that, it is not your fault, okay? And it's also not your coach's fault because most coaches aren't really trained in how to teach this, okay? But you really get to decide what athlete you wanna be, because average athletes just do the physical, right? And they let the crowd, the refs, like all these other things, control how they're gonna play. They blame other people. They play not to lose. They play safe. They don't take risks. But elite confident athletes, they put in the mental reps as well. And you don't have to put in as much time on the mental side as you do the physical side, okay? Anyone wanna take a stab in the chat, like how many minutes or hours a week do you think you need to train on the mental side of the game to give you like a difference, like to show, to make it make a difference in your sport? How many minutes or hours do you think you should be doing? Some people are like, "As much as physical," which I don't know how you would do that because I don't know if there's enough hours in the week. Okay, the answer is 30 minutes a week is enough time for you to see a difference in your game. And what, how I describe it is you go to the mind gym. You go to like the gym-gym to practice like your physical skills. You go to the weight room to get faster and stronger. You go to the mind gym 30 minutes a week. That's all you have to do, and you will see a difference in your sport. And so inside the program that you're in that you can access via our app, via the web browser, that's all you have to do. Log in, 30 minutes, watching videos from me. We chat back and forth in there. Boom, apply it to your practice, and you're on your way, okay? Now, speaking of the, one, some of the best athletes, okay, we've got Simone Biles, we've got Mia Hamm, and we've got Sydney Dreves. They're all in the same category. They're in the same echelon in my eyes, okay? So Sydney, did I get this right, seven times state champion, four in volleyball, three in tennis? Four in tennis. Four. Did I need to update this to eight? I thought you got, got a Okay, yeah, you got more than your sister, right? Yes. Yes, okay. Eight-time state champion, Division I volleyball player at Boise State University. So I'm gonna let you hear from Sid right now because she, believe it or not, as impressive as her background is, has been where you are and so we're just gonna get into it so that you can kind of see what she's talking about when she- It describes what it's like to play at the next level and what is required mentally and physically. And, um, I also, girls, wanna give you an opportunity as she's talking to ask questions. So pop things in the chat because this is your opportunity to get some air time with somebody who has done what many of your goals are. Okay, so Syd, first I want you just to introduce yourself beyond what... 'Cause I screwed it up. I took a championship away from you. Um, so sports, did you play any other sports? And what this kinda first year of college has looked like for you. I play at Boise State, volleyball. In high school I played tennis and volleyball and club volleyball. But my whole life I've played basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball. I've been it all. My first year of college athletics has honestly been a mix of excitement, pressure, growth, and learning how to handle a completely different lifestyle. Coming into college, I knew volleyball would be challenging, but I didn't fully realize how much time and energy goes into balancing an everyday life. Between early workouts, practicing, lift, traveling, school, and trying to still have a good social life, it can get very overwhelming, and it did There were many, there were definitely moments where I doubted myself and felt mentally exhausted, especially adjusting to being around athletes who were the best players from their high school and their clubs. But at the same time, this year has taught me a lot about being disciplined, trusting myself, and learning how to compete when I'm tired, stressed, or uncomfortable and wanting to give up. It pushed me a lot as both a player and as a person yeah. It is different, right? It's a whole, it's a whole nother level. And Sydney, you didn't just come in, in just, "I'm a freshman on the team." Like, you played, you played a lot. Yes. Starting. Yeah. Sixth rotation outside hitter, right? Yes. Yeah. Okay. So that's big. That's big for coming in, new school, new friends, new, away from home and family. So like, there's a lot there. Um, Stephanie or Stephanie's daughter has a question in the chat that you can think about for a second, but I do want to kind of dive a little bit into like college athletics is a whole different level. What, what surprised you most about it? What surprised me most about being D1 was definitely the mental part of the game. Because when you go to college, everyone is talented, they made it for a reason, but what you quickly start to notice is what separates people is their mental game and their mental consistency and their confidence, and how players respond under pressure. Um, I realized pretty quickly how my bad practices and all my mistakes would snowball, and it affected me on and off the court. But I, I knew how to handle it. I handled it by focusing on what I can control and how I could be as a teammate, but I can control my effort, my attitude, my mindset, instead of overthinking. And a very important thing that Bre taught me was do not compare yourself to other players, and I think that's really important in college 'cause you guys all made it to the big stage, so comparing yourself is just gonna ruin your game. That's huge. That's something that comes up like almost every call. And girls, as you go through the program, you're gonna learn little tips on how to help you with comparison, but we also do live calls two times a month where we talk about stuff like this, and one of the calls has a Q&A, and every single Q&A, somebody's asking like how to stop comparing. So that's huge, 'cause you, when you like are always looking to somebody else to determine how you're doing, then you're gonna be on a rollercoaster. So like, staying focused on your own, your own thing. Okay, I kind of wanna know s- we, sometimes we only see the good things, right? We see, like, you're on TV, and you're crushing it, and your team's winning, and like, whoo! It must be, like, all great, right? But do you remember any moments where this year, like, maybe things weren't going your way? Like, what was going on, and what was happening in your head? How did you get through it? So when I got to college, I actually had n- really no idea what I was gonna play for my team, so I didn't know what position I was gonna be. So I remember when I first got to college, there were multiple practices where I just, nothing was clicking. I was not clicking with my teammates, my coach, like I just could not play volleyball basically, which was so mentally frustrating 'cause I've worked my whole life to be at that stage, and then I get there and mentally I, like, forgot how to hit a volleyball. But I knew I was capable of it, but I just wasn't freely playing, which, like, mentally, I had a mental block. But what helped me get through it was definitely, like, my coaches and my teammates, and being consistent, like with my work ethic, showing up, showing up early, and then just reminding myself of the confidence, the confident player that I used to be, and that I could get back to that. But I learned that every day is not going to be perfect. They rarely are in sports. But showing up is what's gonna make you grow as an athlete yeah, I love that. Like, sh- showing up, there's a lot to be said for that. Like, we talk to athletes about when you show up, and we talked about this too, Syd, like, you're not always gonna have 100% to give every single day. And so and that's fine, but you do need to give what you have. And so half the battle is just showing up and giving what you have. Some days you're gonna have 80%, and you've gotta be honest with yourself. You're like, "Okay, I got, I got 80%, I'm gonna give 80%." And then you'll come to find that, oh, I actually do have a little more in the tank. But if you just commit to, like, okay, today's a day where maybe things aren't going great and I'm fatigued or whatever, I've got 60%, I'm gonna give 60%, and always know that you do have a little more in the tank. So, but showing up, I love that you said that because it's, it's half the battle there. We have some good questions in the chat. How did you overcome your social anxiety i'm not sure that you have that. Yes, I do. But were there, were there any, like, I don't know, moments where, I mean, you're in a new team. Like, new team, new players, how did you adjust to that? I love talking. Bre knows that. I'm a very social person. Yeah. But when you go to college, when I first got to college, I was 17, and some of my teammates were sixth years, which meant they were, like, 24. Right. Um, so I definitely felt very out of place, just m- maturity level. And I think your social anxiety just comes with being who you are. If you hold yourself back from who you are, then you're not gonna get as close as you can with your team or with the other team. So just being true to who you are. And I feel like it also makes you play better if you're true to who you are off the court. But I would just say social anxiety, just stay who you are and you'll find your people. Yeah, that's really well said. I saw something recently that was like, I was who... I thought that being who I am, like, just being myself, would weird people out, but it weirded people in. So- Yeah I feel like you have a little of that, Syd. Um- Yes. You know, you're like, "Oh, this is maybe weird. Like, I'm weird." No, you're, you're actually just being yourself. Everybody's a little weird, and you're gonna find, you're gonna find your people. You said that really well. Okay, this is another hot topic that I hear a lot about, and maybe he'll throw me under the bus. I'm not sure how, what you're gonna say here. Okay. But how do you de- how do you, uh, what, how do you deal mentally with tough teammates and coaches, like teammates and coaches who are disrespectful and don't appreciate your competitiveness? Okay, that is good. That is something Yeah. You could probably speak to this. I know you weren't, like, prepared maybe for this answer, but how do you deal with that? For me, when, Bre knows, but me and my family, we're all very competitive. We all play college sports. And I deal with it, I try and be as respectful of, as I can on the court. I would like to say I'm a coachable kid. I think that gets you far in athletics. But I would just say, like, if coaches or teammates would disrespect you, wait till you're off the court to deal with it. Um, in high school, we talked a lot about bring it to the person first. Um, so if a coach or a, if a teammate is disrespecting you, wait till off the court to bring it to them. Don't bring it up while you're playing a game. But if a teammate said something to you that you didn't like, bring it up to them, and hopefully it will resolve it, but if it doesn't and it's severe enough, then bring it to a coach or your parent. But if a teammate disrespects you, I think just try and figure out what they're saying without the tone they were using. I think disregarding tone is really important, because a coach's job is to win, so sometimes when it's not going their way, they use a tone that as a player you don't like as much. So I would think take what they're saying without the tone, and normally it makes you a better player, and normally if you disregard the tone, it's something positive or something that you can work on. Yeah. I think that is huge. It's har- it's way easier said than done, but, like, not taking things personally in that moment and being like, "Okay, I..." We teach athletes in the program, like, you almost kind of have to have a, a shield around you. Like, let things bounce off. There is a time and place to address things, to have a conversation, and that's hard, too. We teach athletes in the program, like, a framework on how to talk to a coach, how to talk to a teammate, um, and have hard conversations. But you know, uh, it's, it is, it is tough. And not every- you're not gonna get along with every teammate that you have. You're not gonna, like, jive with every single coach that you have, and I shouldn't, I don't think that that should be the, the expectation, that every single coach is gonna meet every single one of my needs that I ever have, and they're gonna always use, use the right tone, and they're always gonna, like, make decisions that align with what I think, and every teammate I'm gonna get along. Like, that's just how, that's kind of the beauty of a- of athletics. So you know, finding a way for you to compete and stay committed to your goals and not get distracted by that stuff, too. Because teammates and, like, drama can really distract you, and a sign of a, a elite, confident athlete is that they don't, they don't really get involved with that. So they, yeah, they can rise above. Okay, these are really good questions so far. So girls, other questions, um, that you have, put those in the chat. Okay, looking back, gonna take you back to high school again. So is there anything that you wish you would have focused on more or done differently in hindsight to, like, kinda make the jump to college easier? And it's okay if your answer is no. You don't know what you don't know. I think it's kinda hard because I did have such a successful high school career, but I think focusing on when I did fail and the failures that did come with being a high school athlete, kinda just focusing on the adversity and how to get over, because in college, not... Like, in high school, I thought failure just meant losing. Mm-hmm. But then you get to college, and there's a lot more to failure than losing. So I wish I would have focused more on that, but that's kinda hard for me to say. Yeah. Um, but, like, there were a lot of times when just going to practice and showing up was a struggle for me, and I did fail a lot at practice. You learn a lot of new things at a very different pace in college, and I rarely got it right away, and I think having to learn that in college was really frustrating. Um, so I think just I wish I would have learned how to deal with failure earlier on. Just, like, the mental part of failing really sucks. Yeah. Yeah, I know it kind of sucks when you lose like one game your entire high school career, you know? Yeah. I, I... Maybe it was a little more than that, but yeah, we should have lost more so that you could have learned that lesson. Mm-hmm. That- No. That's my fault. Yeah. That's a good, that's a good answer though. And just recognizing failure for what it is, and it doesn't... A lot of athletes take failure on as their, I don't want to say your identity, but you like wrap your self-worth into winning and losing, and y- how good your practice was that day, or how, you know, so it's like, "If I have a bad practice, I'm gonna walk around the rest of the day or the rest of the week and like be all mopey." And realizing that like you can separate that. You don't have to. It's okay for you to be disappointed and look at what you need to improve on, but not tying your success and your failure to how you feel about yourself as a person, because your sport is what you do, it's not who you are. It's part of you, it's not your whole you. Okay, I have one more question for you, unless girls have any other questions. But what would you say to the athletes that are listening to this who are working on their mental game or like just getting started? Maybe they don't even really understand like what does it mean to work on their mental game. Like, why does it actually matter? You hit on this at the beginning, but why does it matter for them to be doing this right now? I would say to the athletes that are listening, working on your mental game, starting right now, um, I'd say it matters way more than you realize. At the next level, there are gonna be tough days, pressure, com- competition, and moments where things don't go your way. Your mindset is what determines whether you keep growing or let moments hold you back confidence, resilience, and being able to reset after mistakes is gonna set you aside from other players. Coaches notice athletes who can stay composed, work through adversity, and continue showing up day after day with a good attitude. The mental side is what helps you compete consistently while also being able to enjoy your process as an athlete. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Very well said. I will say, when you said like coaches notice, for sure, like coaches can teach physical skills, they can teach you all the things, but it's really hard when you have an athlete who, you know, doesn't get over a mistake fast, or isn't confident, or doesn't believe in themselves, or can't handle pressure. Like those are the things that you're working on right now, and that will separate you as an athlete from your teammates and also from your opponents. Those of you that are in the recruiting process, like especially college coaches, they know what they're looking for when it comes to skill, but they're like, "Okay, well, how does she deal with negative teammates? How does she deal with pressure? How does she deal when like things aren't going her way?" Like those are the skills that you're developing right now, so. All right, Syd. You did awesome. Thank you so much for coming in. Thank you. All right, I just absolutely love Sydney, and I hope that athletes that are listening, coaches, parents, got a lot out of what she is sharing. Now, to go from here, if you are an athlete that's listening and you're interested in our mental training program that these athletes on the call are in and that Sydney was in, that's called The Elite Mental Game, and I will link some resources below about that, including our athlete quiz. That's a really great place to start. It tells you what your competitor style is, and just gives you some insight into what kind of player you are and how to leverage some of your strengths. Parents that are listening, I will make sure that the program is linked below. We actually have a 50% discount on the program right now, so I'll make sure that that link is in the description. We have a free training as well, if you want to start there to learn more about our approach. And then coaches, for you, if you want to bring this to your team, that's what I did with Sydney and the teams that she was on, we do have a program for coaches to facilitate in a team setting. It's called Plug and Play Elite Mental Game for Teams, and I will link that below as well. All right, coaches, athletes, parents, I will see you in the next episode