Sports Psychology & Performance Training

Train the Mind. Enhance Performance.

Sports psychology and performance training for middle and high school athletes. Built around mental skills, BlazePod reaction work and real game-day readiness.

Middle & High School Athletes
Individual & Team Sessions
BlazePod Reaction Training
Remote Nationwide, In Person in Miami
Published Author & Educator
Middle & High School Athletes
Individual & Team Sessions
BlazePod Reaction Training
Remote Nationwide, In Person in Miami
Published Author & Educator
Portrait of Michael Austin Diaz, sports psychology and performance consultant

Michael Austin Diaz

Sports Psychology & Performance Consultant

The Mind & The Method

Mental skills are trainable, just like physical ones.

NextGen Performance provides sports psychology and performance enhancement services designed specifically for middle and high school athletes. Through individual and team sessions, young athletes build confidence, focus, concentration, emotional regulation, motivation, goal setting and the ability to handle competitive stress.

Every program also uses interactive performance activities, including BlazePod reaction training, to develop reaction time, agility, decision making, coordination, multitasking and cognitive performance. Athletes are not just talking about their mental game, they are training it.

The approach is personalized to each athlete. Based in Miami, Florida, sessions run remotely for athletes anywhere and in person when the location is close enough to make it work.

  • Mental Skills Training

    Confidence, focus, composure and motivation

  • Performance Enhancement

    BlazePod reaction and decision-making drills

  • Athletes, Teams & Coaches

    Middle school through high school programs

  • Author & Educator

    Everyday Mental Skills for Athletes

Services & Programs

Built around the athlete, the team and the sport.

Every athlete starts with a free 15 to 20 minute consultation. From there the work is shaped around the sport, the season and what is actually getting in the way of performing.

Performance consultant talking one to one with a teenage athlete on a gym bench
From $70 / session

Mental Performance

Personalized mental skills training covering confidence, focus, concentration, motivation, goal setting, emotional regulation, competitive stress, resilience, self-talk, visualization and pre-performance routines.

High school team seated in a circle during a mental performance workshop in a gym
From $350

Team Performance

Sessions for teams, coaches and athletic programs focused on communication, leadership, cohesion, confidence, handling pressure and building a positive team culture.

Teenage athlete tapping illuminated reaction training pods during a drill
$100 - $125

Performance Enhancement

BlazePod reaction training and customized interactive drills that develop reaction time, agility, decision making, multitasking, coordination, balance, focus and cognitive processing.

Mental skills workbooks, worksheets and a training journal laid out on a table
Books & Toolkits

Education & Resources

Books, workbooks, mental skills exercises, downloadable resources, videos and athlete toolkits, including The Athlete's Mind book series for young competitors.

Speaker presenting a mental performance talk to a room of young athletes
Quote on request

Speaking & Programs

Presentations, workshops and custom programs for schools, sports organizations, camps and youth groups on the mental game, confidence, pressure, focus and team culture.

Not sure where to start?

Tell Michael about the sport, the team or the challenge. He will recommend a starting point on a free intro call, with no obligation.

Start the conversation

Train the mind. Challenge the athlete. Enhance performance.

Sessions run remotely for athletes anywhere and in person around Miami. Team programs are delivered at your school, field or training facility.

Books & Publications

The Athlete’s Mind, a mental playbook for young competitors.

A three-book series written for athletes, parents and coaches who want the mental side of sport explained in plain language, with exercises that can be used the same week.

Cover of the book Everyday Mental Skills for Athletes by Michael A. Diaz
Available now

Everyday Mental Skills for Athletes

A practical starting point for young athletes learning to train their mental game. Short, usable chapters on confidence, focus, self-talk, nerves and routines, written so athletes can pick it up between practices and parents and coaches can follow along.

Navy cover of book two in The Athlete's Mind series
Coming soon

The Athlete's Mind

Book Two

The next volume in the series, building on confidence, focus and competitive pressure for young competitors.

Orange cover of book three in The Athlete's Mind series
Coming soon

The Athlete's Mind

Book Three

The final volume of the three-book playbook, bringing the mental game together across a full season.

Pricing

Clear starting rates, no long-term contracts.

Every athlete starts with a free consultation so you know what the work looks like before committing to anything.

Individual Athletes

Single session $90

  • Single session: $90
  • 4-session package: $320 ($80 per session)
  • 8-session package: $600 ($75 per session)
  • 12-session package: $840 ($70 per session)

Free 15 to 20 minute initial consultation

Get started

Performance / BlazePod

$100 - $125

  • Included in individual sessions at no extra cost
  • Specialized performance sessions: $100 to $125
  • Reaction time, agility and decision-making drills
  • Customized to the athlete's sport and position

Available in person around Miami

Get started

Team Services

From $350

  • Single team workshop: $350
  • 2-session team package: $650
  • 4-session team program: $1,200
  • Delivered at your school or training facility

Custom programs quoted on request

Get started

Train the mind. Challenge the athlete.

Education & Resources

Take the training with you to practice and game day.

A growing library of worksheets, workbooks and athlete toolkits built for real sessions and shared with athletes, parents and coaches.

Focus and attention reset worksheet on a table beside a water bottle and training gear
Worksheet

Focus & Attention Reset

A simple in-game routine for young athletes: notice the distraction, reset the body, refocus on the next play.

Request this resource
Season goal setting workbook open on a bench with a pen
Workbook

Season Goal Setting

Break a big season goal into weekly targets an athlete can actually control, then track progress honestly.

Request this resource
Competitive pressure toolkit pages laid out with a whistle and training equipment
Toolkit

Handling Competitive Pressure

Breathing, self-talk and pre-performance routines that keep nerves from taking over on game day.

Request this resource
Books

Mental skills books

Everyday Mental Skills for Athletes, plus The Athlete's Mind three-book series for young competitors.

Coming soon

Videos & online courses

Short training videos and athlete toolkits that extend the work between sessions.

Speaking

Talks & workshops

Presentations for schools, clubs, camps and youth organizations on the mental game of sport.

Athlete & Coach Feedback

Performance growth, in their own words.

Placeholder testimonial. Real feedback from athletes and families will be added here as the practice grows.

High School Soccer Player

Sample feedback

Placeholder testimonial. Space reserved for a parent describing the change they saw in their athlete's confidence.

Parent of a Middle School Athlete

Sample feedback

Placeholder testimonial. Space reserved for a coach describing what a team workshop added to their program.

Varsity Head Coach

Sample feedback

Placeholder testimonial. Space reserved for an athlete describing how reaction training changed their game day focus.

High School Basketball Player

Sample feedback

Placeholder testimonial. Space reserved for an athletic director describing a school program or workshop.

Athletic Director

Sample feedback

Placeholder testimonial. Space reserved for feedback on the mental skills books and resources.

Travel Team Parent

Sample feedback

Confidence
Focus Under Pressure
Reaction Time
Goal Setting
Team Cohesion
Motivation
Resilience
Pre-Performance Routines
Self-Talk
Decision Making
Confidence
Focus Under Pressure
Reaction Time
Goal Setting
Team Cohesion
Motivation
Resilience
Pre-Performance Routines
Self-Talk
Decision Making
Frequently Asked Questions

Everything athletes and parents ask before we begin.

What the training involves, how sessions run and what athletes, parents and coaches can expect before the first conversation.

Have a different question?

Send Michael a note. Every message is read personally and answered within one working day.

Ask Michael

NextGen Performance is built for middle and high school athletes, roughly ages eleven to eighteen, across any sport. I also work directly with teams, coaches and athletic programs, and I keep parents in the loop so the work continues outside of sessions. No athlete needs to be struggling to benefit. Most are already competing well and want more confidence, sharper focus and better composure when the game gets tight.

No. This is performance training for the mental side of sport, the same way a strength coach trains the physical side. Sessions focus on trainable skills such as confidence, focus, self-talk, goal setting, routines and handling competitive pressure. If something comes up that belongs with a licensed clinical provider, I will say so directly and help the family find the right support.

Both. I am based in Miami, Florida, and the practice is primarily remote, so athletes anywhere can work with me over video. In person sessions are available when the location is reasonably close, and team workshops are delivered at your school, field or training facility.

BlazePod is a set of light-based reaction pods used in interactive drills that train reaction time, agility, decision making, multitasking, coordination, balance and focus. It turns mental skills into something athletes physically do rather than only talk about. It can be built into individual sessions at no extra cost, or booked as a specialized performance session.

We start with a free fifteen to twenty minute consultation to understand the sport, the season and what is getting in the way. From there, sessions blend conversation with practical skills work and performance activities. Athletes leave every session with something specific to practice, and we review how it went next time.

There is no fixed requirement. Some athletes come for a single focused session before a big competition, while others work through a full season. Most notice a meaningful shift within four to six sessions, which is why the packages are built in blocks of four, eight and twelve.

Team work is designed with the coaching staff around what the group needs, such as communication, leadership, cohesion, confidence, handling pressure or building a stronger culture. Options run from a single workshop to a four-session program across a season, and everything is delivered on site with the whole squad.

Yes. Sessions are treated as confidential. General progress and themes can be shared with parents or coaches when that helps the athlete, and where a school or program funds the work we agree on those reporting boundaries with everyone up front before starting.

Train The Mind

The next level of your game starts in the mind.

Whether you are an athlete chasing consistency, a parent looking for support or a coach building a stronger team, the first step is a free consultation.

Free Consultation

Let us talk about where you want to go next.

Direct contact

Prefer to reach out directly? Email or call and you will hear back personally, usually within one working day.

Follow along

Send an inquiry

Athletes, parents, coaches and teams are all welcome. Tell Michael about the sport, the age group and what you would like to work on.