Book Club Kit

Discussion Questions

These questions are designed to spark honest conversation — not test comprehension. There are no right answers. The best discussions come from sharing real experiences.

Pressure & Performance

Think about a moment when you performed differently in a game than you did in practice. What changed between those two settings — and was it physical or mental?

Where does the pressure you feel in sport come from — coaches, parents, teammates, or yourself? Which source is hardest to manage, and why?

Have you ever felt like your self-worth depended on how you performed? What did that feel like, and how did it affect the way you played?

Mistakes & Recovery

Describe a time when one mistake led to another — and then another. What was happening in your mind during that spiral?

How quickly do you usually recover from a mistake during a game? What does it look like when you recover well vs. when you don't?

After a tough loss or bad performance, what does the car ride home feel like? What do you wish the people around you understood about that moment?

Confidence & Self-Doubt

The book talks about the voice in your head that shows up before big moments. What does yours say — and when is it loudest?

Is confidence something you either have or you don't? Or is it something that can be built? What has shaped your answer?

Focus & Distractions

What pulls your focus during competition — crowd noise, a bad call, a trash-talking opponent, or your own thoughts? Which is hardest to tune out?

Have you ever been “in the zone” where everything felt automatic? What was different about that moment compared to when you feel scattered?

Growth & Burnout

Do you value looking good in front of others more than actually getting better? Be honest — when has that shown up in how you train or compete?

Have you ever dreaded going to practice or hoped a game would get cancelled? What was going on in your life when that happened?

What would change if you measured success by how much you grew — not by whether you won?

The Bigger Picture

Who are you becoming as an athlete when nobody is watching — during the off-season, in the gym alone, on the days you don't feel like showing up?

If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before the most pressured moment of your athletic career so far, what would it be?

How to use this kit

For teams

Pick 3–5 questions per session. Let athletes lead the conversation. Coaches listen first, contribute second. The goal is honesty, not performance.

For parent groups

Focus on questions 2, 3, 6, and 12. These open up the conversations parents need to have — about pressure, expectations, and what support actually looks like.

For coaches

Use these during team meetings, bus rides, or pre-season camps. Start with question 1 — it sets the tone for everything else.

For classrooms