ABSTRACT
Mental skills training is commonly considered the foundation of sport psychology for young athletes. However, for mental skills training to be effective it needs to be purposefully and appropriately tailored to the individual needs of young athletes. In this chapter, we first present a conceptual model of mental skills training for young athletes. Next we provide a detailed review of the neurological changes young athletes are experiencing, particularly during adolescence. Drawing on an understanding of these neurological changes, we describe key considerations for conducting a needs analysis with young athletes. Finally, we conclude by describing and critiquing various methods for identifying the needs of young athletes, including questionnaires, dialogue, performance profiling, and indirect methods.
