Connecting Potential to Performance
Helping young athletes perform at their best starts with how their parents show up. Coach Traub — 16-year college coach, sport psychology author, and mental skills educator — shares his life's work with you. Free.
"My gift to you is sharing large parts of my life's work. Your gift to me is allowing me to do so. Everything below is free — because if it helps one kid thrive, it was worth sharing."
— Aaron Weintraub / Coach Traub
Four free tracks from each collection, available right now. Want the full library? Just send an email — no strings attached.
"Sports is not war, it's a game. When athletes get caught up in the metaphor of battle rather than the exhilaration of competition, performance goes down — as does enjoyment, persistence, and teamwork."
— Coach Traub, Track 1: During the Game
Coach Traub's audio series for sports parents covers the moments that matter most — during the game, after the game, and everything in between. Real coaching. Real talk.
Want all 5 tracks? Email Coach Traub and he'll send you the full series — free.
Includes: After the Game · Ideas to Impress Your Spouse · Strategies for Teaching Life Lessons
Email Me for the Full Series →
Short, powerful mental skills lessons sharing the thinking patterns of the world's greatest athletes. Listen before practice, before a game, or any time.
Lesson #1: Mental Toughness (video)
The full library has 18 lessons. Email Coach Traub for the complete set — free.
Lessons 5–18: Focus · Courage · Leadership · Perspective · Gratitude · Awareness · Consistency · Ideal State · Routines · Gathering · Poise · "Bad" Words · "Act as if..." · Overcoming Obstacles
Email Me for All 18 Lessons →Think to Play to Win!
We are all creatures of habit. If your patterns of thought or speech include these 'curse' words or phrases — particularly during competition — you may not be winning the mental side of the game as much as you could. With awareness and the courage to change, we can imitate the self-talk of the greatest athletes in the world.
| 'Curse' Word to Avoid | Example | Change To | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN'T | I can't do that. Man can't run a mile in under 4:00. We can't come back from that far behind. | Can | I can do that. Man has/will run that fast. We can come back. |
| I'M NOT | I'm not big enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm not as good as I should be. | I Am | I am big enough. I am smart enough. I am good, and I can get even better. |
| NEED / HAVE TO / GOTTA | I need to score right now. We need to win this game. We have to make this play. | Want To | I want to score. Winning is much better than losing. We don't have to, but we sure want to execute. |
| SHOULD / SUPPOSED TO | I should easily execute that routine play. I'm supposed to be better than this. We should beat this team. | Could / Want To | I could execute that play if I play like myself. I want to do better, and I will. We will definitely beat this team if we play our best. |
| APOLOGIZING | My bad. (Or signaling with a chest tap.) I'm sorry. | No Outward Response | Don't say anything or look differently than normal. Think: "How can I keep from making that mistake next time?" |
| FAIL | That mistake makes me a failure. We failed by losing that game. | "fail" / Growth | That "failure" can teach and test me. We will grow because of that loss. |
| ALWAYS / NEVER | I always play lousy at that place. We never do this play right. | Usually / Might | I used to play lousy there. We might finally do this play right. |
| I STINK / I SUCK | I can't believe I missed that. I suck. I stink when it's cold. | I Don't Stink / I'm Pretty Good | I can believe it because I'm not perfect, but I don't stink overall. I'm pretty good, even when it's cold. |
| SLUMP | I'm in a slump. | Performance Slide / Overdue | Occasional slides in performance are inevitable. I'm overdue for something good to happen. |
| HATE | I hate running. I hate that umpire. | Dislike | I dislike running, but I love winning. That umpire has his own problems. |
| UNBELIEVABLE / NOT FAIR | That's unbelievably bad luck. That's B.S. That's not fair. | Life's Not Fair | I can believe it because life's not fair. This umpire isn't very good. |
| WORRY | I'm worried that it's not enough. | Courage | B.E. = A.G.E. My best effort is always good enough. |
Coach Traub has spoken to athletes, coaches, and parents at every level — from youth leagues to Division I programs. Watch the highlight reel and hear from the people he's worked with.
"Coach Traub has a great understanding of how to communicate with young athletes in terms that work for them. He helped our players overcome mental bad habits that were hindering their ability to play at their best."— Coach Hedrick, University of Texas – Arlington
"Every sports parent would benefit from listening to your Parenting in Athletics audios. That is as good as it gets."— Dave Collins, MLB Player 1975–1990, Coach for 26+ years
Coach Traub with two of his children — a coach and a dad.
Aaron Weintraub — known as Coach Traub — spent 16 years coaching college baseball and softball, including at the University of Virginia, before dedicating himself full-time to mental skills training and consulting. He holds a Master of Education from UVA, majoring in Sport Psychology and Motor Learning.
He has written books and articles used by athletes and coaches nationwide, and has consulted for numerous Division I athletic departments and teams including Ole Miss, Baylor, Maryland, UCF, Georgia Tech, and Houston. He has spoken at ABCA, NFCA, and numerous state coaching conventions. Coach Traub is also a certified trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance and has delivered over 800 live PCA workshops.
He's also a violinist, solar consultant, and — most importantly — a husband and father of five. He brings that full perspective to everything he teaches.
Positive Coaching Alliance — 800+ live workshops delivered📖 Books by Aaron Weintraub
Using mental skills to discover your potential — for baseball and softball players, coaches, and parents at every level.
"If I had your stuff when I was playing, I would have been twice the player."
"I am a lot more under mental control and not so worried about the outcomes. I can't wait to see what the rest of this season has in store."
"Working with Coach Traub over the years has been transformative for me and my student-athletes. He helps us find strategies to stay positive and confident, communicate mind to muscle effectively, and simply be better humans. Softball goes better with him on our side."
"In-depth and sophisticated while remaining easy to read and use."
"The girls actually went out, fell into a 5-0 hole, and battled back undefeated in the tournament. They must have listened to your stuff."
"Coach Traub's mental skills training gives athletes an edge over their competition."
A couple of years ago I added solar to my repertoire — not because I wanted to be a salesperson, but because I thought it was a genuinely good way to help people. I got trained, landed with a company I trust, and now I help California homeowners get honest quotes at real prices. No door-to-door pressure. No inflated numbers. Just straight talk — the same way I coach.
Here's something I don't hear many solar salespeople admit: when I went solar as a SoCal homeowner myself, I didn't know the right questions to ask. I comparison shopped, and in hindsight I'm amazed that every salesperson told me half-truths. My solar is still better than staying on our local utility, but that experience is exactly why I got trained — so I could help homeowners get the right system at the right price, with no games.
If you're a California homeowner curious about solar, I'd love to show you the numbers. Compare me with anyone.
Decades of coaching, writing, and teaching — organized by sport and audience.
Want the full audio libraries? Have a question about mental skills training? Curious about solar? Coach Traub reads every email personally.
✉️ aaron@coachtraub.comMention which audio series you'd like and he'll send you the full library. No list, no spam, no follow-up you didn't ask for.