Cheer and tumbling mental performance
Mental Coaching for Cheerleaders
Private sessions by Zoom for flyers, bases, backspots and tumblers of all ages, to help with fear, mental blocks and competition nerves. Parents are welcome to start the conversation.
Book my free consultation20 minutes · No cost · No obligation
Work directly with Robert BarnettCertified Hypnotherapist · C.Ht., PMP, MBA
Free 20-minute consultation
No cost · No obligation · By phone
Cheer leaves no room to hesitate. A routine runs on timing, trust and teammates who are counting on you, so when a tumbling pass stalls, a flyer tenses up or a base or backspot cannot shake the memory of a drop, the whole team feels it. Cheerleaders call it a mental block, and it can show up suddenly, even in skills you have landed hundreds of times. Mental coaching and hypnosis work on the fear, tension and hesitation behind it, so you can rebuild trust in your skills alongside your coach. Robert Barnett, C.Ht., PMP, MBA, is a certified hypnotherapist and mental performance coach with 35+ years of hypnosis experience. He works with cheerleaders and tumblers of all ages, including top competitors, along with athletes in nearly every sport, and with parents who want to help. Sessions are by Zoom from anywhere.
When the mental side matters
Sound familiar?
Cheerleaders and tumblers who:
A tumbling pass that stalls
A back handspring, tuck or full that used to be automatic starts to feel unsafe, and you stop, slow down or bail at the last moment.
Flyers who tense up
Feel your body tighten when it is time to go up, or lose trust in the stunt even though you have hit it many times.
Bases and backspots haunted by a drop
Replay a drop or a near miss and hesitate on the next stunt because you do not want to be the one it happens to.
Strong in practice, tight at competition
Hit the routine every time in the gym, then tense up when the mat, the judges and the full team are on the line.
Tryout and placement pressure
The weight of tryouts, team placement, moving up a level and the expectations of coaches, teammates and family.
Responsible for the whole team
Feel that one mistake can cost teammates the routine, and carry that pressure into every count of eight.
The pattern behind it
Why a skill you know can stop feeling safe
Fear is a protective response. Once the brain tags a pass or a stunt as a threat, tension and hesitation arrive at the exact moment you need to commit. In cheer, half-commitment makes a skill harder and a stunt less stable, which seems to confirm the fear. More repetitions and technique work help your skills, but they do not change that loop, because it runs below conscious thought. That loop is what mental coaching works on.
In Robert’s experience, many athletes try to fix a block by forcing themselves to go. Progress tends to come from changing the automatic response to the fear first, then rebuilding trust in small steps alongside the coach.
The mental game plan
The solution: a mental plan built around your role
The work usually follows three steps, shaped around your role, your skills and your competition schedule:
Map the block
We pin down which passes, stunts and moments set it off, and what happens in your thoughts and body just before you hold back.
Rehearse a different response
Hypnosis and guided visualization work at the subconscious level, where automatic reactions live, so you can rehearse calm, committed execution before you are in the moment.
Take a routine to the mat
You leave with a pre-skill routine, a cue to commit and a short reset you can use after a fall, a drop or a rough run-through.
Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, and it is one tool among several. Fear reactions such as freezing, bailing or overthinking are automatic habits that run below conscious thought, which is why willpower and being told to just go rarely fix them. We combine hypnosis with complementary methods: cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT) to identify and restructure the thoughts that feed fear, NLP methods to change how you picture and respond to the skill, and subconscious pattern work to replace old reactions with new ones. In Robert’s experience, combining them gets results more quickly than any one alone. It is not mind control, and you stay in charge throughout.
Visualization is a core skill we teach, and we use it inside hypnosis. Research supports pairing skills: a 2025 meta-analysis of 86 studies found that imagery works better when combined with other psychological skills, which is why we pair it with hypnosis and cognitive tools.
Sessions are mental training done at rest, one-on-one by Zoom, so you do not practice skills during them and they fit around practice and school. Your coach and spotters stay in charge of physical progressions. Robert offers three program lengths and recommends one after your free phone consultation.
You start with a free 20-minute phone consultation. We talk through what happens when you practice and compete and whether this is a fit. Your sessions are then held one-on-one by Zoom.
Mental coaching complements your coach’s training. It is not technical instruction in cheer, tumbling or stunting, and it does not replace medical or mental health care. If a sudden change follows a fall, a head impact or pain, have it checked by a doctor first. Progress is individual; results vary.
Free consultation
Book your free 20-minute consultation
We start with a short phone call about what happens when you play, what you want to change, and whether this is a fit. No cost, no obligation. Sessions are then held one-on-one by Zoom.
Consultations by phone. Sessions by Zoom, worldwide. Based in Trumbull, CT.
Your role. Your routine.
Hit with
a clear head.
Every cheerleader’s pressure points are different. The work is built around your role, your skills and the moments that trip you up.
- A pre-skill routine you can repeat
- A quick reset after a fall or a drop
- A plan for tryouts, competitions and championships
For parents and guardians
How it works for cheerleaders under 18
For cheerleaders under 18, a parent or guardian contacts Robert first. The free 20-minute phone consultation is a chance to talk about your cheerleader’s goals, whether the timing is right, and how sessions would work. The details of parent involvement are discussed there.
Robert has worked with athletes as young as 6 in several sports, and finds that engagement with the work becomes more consistent around ages 8 to 10. Sessions are private, one-on-one by Zoom, and fit around school and practice. You will get a clear plan for what to expect, and no obligation to continue.
In their words
What athletes and parents say
High Performance Hypnotherapy has 65+ five-star reviews on Google. The reviews below are quoted as posted by athletes and parents across several sports. Individual experiences vary and results are not guaranteed.
“Robert is dedicated and professional. He provides a weekly email, where he recaps his session with my daughter in a very detailed manner. His invaluable insights helped my daughter overcome her sports/performance related fears. We hope our daughter uses the tools she has learned throughout her sports career and in all aspects of her life.”
Parent of a young athlete, Google review, 5 stars
“He worked wonders with my nine-year-old, showing genuine care, delivering results, and communicating like a pro. Robert’s dedication and skill are unmatched.”
Parent of a young athlete, Google review, 5 stars
“Dr. Barnett’s services are truly life-changing and I would recommend them to everyone. Over the course of 5 sessions, Dr. Barnett helped me rebuild how I mentally approach every part of my life. I am happier, more focused and performing better in sports, school and beyond as a result of his work.”
Student-athlete, Google review, 5 stars
More client stories are on our client reviews page.
Meet your mental coach
About Robert Barnett
Robert Barnett is a certified hypnotherapist (C.Ht.) with a PMP and an MBA. He has practiced hypnosis for more than 35 years and runs High Performance Hypnotherapy from Trumbull, CT, working with executives, business owners and competitive athletes worldwide, including college and high school athletes. Learn more about Robert. Robert competed at a high level himself and knows sports anxiety from the inside: it built through years of competition in high school and college, with teammates counting on him and his name known across campus. He has worked with athletes in nearly every sport, from youth and high school to college and professional levels, and the conversation begins with your experience and the change you want to make.
HMI · Diploma in Hypnotherapy
Sports Performance TrainingWatch
Overthinking and the flow state
A short introduction to how we help athletes get out of their own way.
Individual experiences vary and results are not guaranteed. Coaching with hypnosis is not medical or mental health treatment.
Questions athletes and parents ask
Cheer and tumbling mental coaching FAQ
What is mental coaching and hypnosis for cheerleaders?
It is mental performance training that uses hypnosis, a state of focused attention, together with complementary tools such as CBT, NLP techniques, visualization and subconscious pattern work. The aim is to help you stay calm, focused and committed in practice and at competition.
Can it help with a tumbling mental block?
Mental blocks are one of the most common reasons cheerleaders and tumblers work on the mental game. Coaching works on the fear and hesitation behind the block, and you rebuild trust in the skill step by step alongside your coach. No one can promise a specific result or timeline.
Can it help with a back handspring or other skill I am afraid to throw?
Many athletes stall on skills they cannot see, such as a back handspring, tuck or full. The same mental skills apply, such as a pre-skill routine, a cue to commit and rehearsing calm execution, shaped around your skills and level.
Can it help flyers who are afraid of stunting?
Yes, flyers who tense up or lose trust in a stunt are among the athletes who work on the mental game. Coaching works on the tension and fear behind it, so you can stay loose and committed. Your coach and spotters stay in charge of every physical progression.
Can it help bases and backspots after a drop?
Many bases and backspots replay a drop or a near miss and hesitate on the next stunt. Mental coaching works on that replay and the tension behind it, helping you stay focused and trust your role. It is not a substitute for proper spotting and coaching.
Why can I hit in practice but not at competition?
In practice the stakes are low, so you perform on trained habit. At competition, with judges, the mat and the whole team counting on you, an automatic stress response can take over. Drills and repetitions do not change that response, but mental coaching trains a different one.
Can it help with tryouts and team placement?
Yes. Tryouts, placement and moving up a level carry a lot of pressure, and the work focuses on staying composed and showing what you can do. No one can promise a result.
Do I practice skills during the sessions?
No. Sessions are mental training done at rest, one-on-one by Zoom, from a quiet place where you can sit comfortably. Your coach and spotters stay in charge of all physical progressions.
Does this work for all-star and school cheer?
Yes. Robert works with cheerleaders and tumblers of all ages, including top competitors, whether you cheer for a school team or an all-star program. If cheer matters to you and your mindset is getting in the way, mental coaching can help.
Will this replace my coach or a sports psychologist?
No. Mental coaching complements your coach’s technical training. It is not instruction in cheer, tumbling or stunting and does not replace medical or mental health care.
How does it work for a young cheerleader?
For cheerleaders under 18, a parent or guardian contacts Robert first for the free 20-minute phone consultation to talk about goals, readiness and how sessions would work. Sessions are private, one-on-one by Zoom, and fit around school and practice.
How young can an athlete be?
Robert has worked with athletes as young as 6 and finds that engagement with the work becomes more consistent around ages 8 to 10. A parent or guardian can contact him to discuss the child’s readiness, goals and session arrangements.
Is hypnosis safe for children?
Hypnosis is a state of focused attention. A child stays aware and in control throughout, and nothing is done to them. Parents are welcome to ask how sessions work during the free consultation.
What happens in the free consultation?
It is a 20-minute phone call about what happens when you practice and compete, what you want to change, and whether this approach fits. There is no obligation. If you decide to work together, sessions are held one-on-one by Zoom.
How many sessions will I need, and how quickly will I see a change?
It depends on your goals, your role and how much you practice between sessions. Robert offers three program lengths and recommends one after the free consultation. Results and timelines vary, and no one can promise a specific result.
Who is Robert Barnett?
Robert Barnett, C.Ht., PMP, MBA, is a certified hypnotherapist and mental performance coach who has practiced hypnosis for more than 35 years. He founded High Performance Hypnotherapy in Trumbull, CT, in 2019 and works one-on-one by Zoom with athletes, executives and business owners worldwide.
Free consultation
Ready to hit with a clear head?
Call (203) 816-0015 or request your free 20-minute phone consultation. You can also contact us here or see our athlete coaching overview.
Book my free consultation