Book Review of The Mental Edge for Young Athletes
The Children’s Book Review
What to Expect: Mental toughness training, anxiety management, performance psychology, parent guidance, and competitive sports mindset.
In this comprehensive and refreshingly honest guide, Jeff Greenwald—former professional tennis player and licensed therapist—delivers the mental training manual he wishes he’d had as a struggling young competitor.
Drawing from 25+ years of working with thousands of young athletes, Greenwald tackles the epidemic of performance anxiety and outcome obsession plaguing youth sports. His central concept, the “mastery mindset,” offers a powerful alternative to the win-at-all-costs mentality that burns out 70% of young athletes by age sixteen. Through 27 practical chapters organized into six sections—from building confidence to managing emotions—athletes learn to install an “inner remote control” for their minds under pressure.
Greenwald’s dual expertise shines through as both elite competitor and mental health professional—his personal stories, including getting banned from tournaments at fifteen for losing his temper, add authenticity to lessons on emotional regulation and resilience. Neuroscience, real-world examples from champions like Kobe Bryant and Simone Biles, and immediately applicable techniques like diaphragmatic breathing and visualization are skillfully woven together to complete this insightful resource.
Beyond the athletic applications, The Mental Edge addresses the broader mental health crisis facing today’s teens. Greenwald’s tools for handling mistakes, managing pre-competition nerves, and building unconditional confidence easily translate for working on academic stress, social anxiety, and life challenges. The included parent guide is particularly valuable, offering concrete strategies for supporting young athletes without adding pressure. Practical exercises and reflection questions help turn newly learned concepts into competition-ready skills. The writing is conversational and age-appropriate, with short chapters that allow readers to jump to relevant topics.
Timely, practical, and deeply empathetic, The Mental Edge for Young Athletes is an essential resource for competitive families seeking to preserve both performance and mental health. It’s perfect for individual athletes, team libraries, or parent book clubs—this guide transforms the youth sports experience from survival to mastery.
Buy the Book
About the Authors
Jeff Greenwald, MFT, is a world champion athlete, licensed psychotherapist, best-selling author, and one of the world’s leading mental coaches for athletes. With over 25 years of experience helping youth, college, and professional competitors thrive under pressure, Jeff brings a rare blend of elite performance insight and clinical expertise to his work.
He is the author of the international bestseller The Best Tennis of Your Life, which has sold over 75,000 copies worldwide, and the new book The Mental Edge for Young Athletes—a groundbreaking guide for building confidence, emotional resilience, and a stronger mindset in sports and life.
Jeff has worked with athletes across every major sport and consulted for national teams, Fortune 500 leaders, top junior academies, and competitive athletes at all levels of sport. He is a two-time ITF World Champion and was inducted into the Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame in 2019 for his contribution in the field of sports psychology and success as a world-ranked tennis player.
Through his writing, coaching, and speaking, Jeff empowers athletes and their families to navigate the mental game with clarity, courage, and lasting confidence.
To learn more, visit mentaledgeforsports.com.
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