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Everything you need to implement the reset with your team.
The Science
How to Introduce
At Practice
Game Day
WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY TRAINING
The science in 60 seconds — written for coaches
Next Play is a mental reset system built on three proven sport psychology tools: self-talk cue words, distanced self-talk, and PETTLEP visualization. Together they train athletes to move on from mistakes faster — not by ignoring them, but by building an automatic response that fires before the spiral starts. Your job as a coach is to give athletes the reps to make that response automatic.
1
Cue words rewire the response to mistakes
Research across 32 studies confirms that short, trained cue words improve performance and speed up refocusing. The key word is trained — this only works through repetition. Every time you call "Next Play" in practice, you're building that neural pathway. (Hatzigeorgiadis et al., 2011)
2
Saying their name creates instant distance from the emotion
Using their own name — "[Name], Next Play" — rather than just "Next Play" creates immediate psychological distance from the mistake. Athletes stop spiralling inside the feeling and start coaching themselves through it. It requires zero extra mental effort and works even under maximum pressure. (Kross et al., 2014)
3
Visualization wires the brain the same way practice does
Vivid, specific imagery activates the same neural pathways as physical execution. Matching real sport conditions (PETTLEP) amplifies this significantly. (Holmes & Collins, 2001)
👟 LOOK DOWN · BREATHE · [NAME]. NEXT PLAY.
WHY THE TAG MATTERS
The tag is a conditioned stimulus. Through consistent pairing with the reset sequence, seeing it activates the trained response before the athlete has consciously decided to use it. Consistency of the cue is everything. The sequence never changes: look down, breathe, name, NEXT PLAY.
HOW TO INTRODUCE IT
First session with your team — what to say and do
"Athletes don't need to understand everything — they need one rep that works. Build from there."
START HERE — BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE
"What do you say to yourself when you make a mistake? What thoughts swirl? Do those thoughts help you move on — or keep you stuck?" Every athlete has an answer. Most have never been asked. That conversation is where Next Play begins.
THE FIRST TEAM SESSION — 15 MIN
1
Explain it in one sentence (2 min)
Say: "When something goes wrong in a game, your brain wants to stay there. Next Play is how we train it not to. Three steps — look down, breathe, say your name, say Next Play. That's it. We're going to make it automatic." Don't over-explain. Get to the rep fast.
2
Demonstrate the full sequence (2 min)
Do it yourself. Look down. Breathe visibly. Say your own name out loud. Say NEXT PLAY. Then have the whole team do it together. Awkward is fine — that's what first reps feel like. Do it three times as a group.
3
Attach it to a real mistake (5 min)
Run a drill. Someone makes an error. Just point at their shoe. That's the cue. They do the full sequence out loud. No words from you. Reset first, coaching second. Every time. That one gesture becomes the trigger.
4
Close with the why (3 min)
Say: "Every time you do that sequence in practice, your brain is getting better at doing it automatically in a game. You're not just practising the skill — you're practising recovering from mistakes. That's what separates players."
FOR PARENTS TOO
Parents can use the exact same gesture. From the stands, just point at their kid's shoe. No shouting. No advice. No pressure. One small gesture that says: I see you. I've got you. Now go. The athlete knows what it means.
REINFORCING IT AT PRACTICE
Drills, activities and habits that build automaticity
The goal is volume and consistency. Every reset rep in practice is a deposit in the bank. These activities create natural mistake moments and attach the reset to them — so it becomes reflex, not decision.
THE RESET REP
When: Any time an athlete makes an error in drill. How: Pause play for 3 seconds. Athlete does the full sequence out loud — look down, breathe, [Name], NEXT PLAY. Then play resumes immediately. Why it works: Pairs the reset directly with the mistake moment, exactly as it will happen in a game.
TEAM RESET
When: Start or end of any practice session. How: Whole team does the sequence together on your signal — every athlete looks down, breathes, says their own name silently, then says NEXT PLAY out loud together. Why it works: Normalises the behaviour. Makes it part of team culture.
MISTAKE ON PURPOSE
When: Once per week, 5 minutes. How: Ask athletes to attempt something at the edge of their ability — something they'll likely fail at. Every failure = immediate reset rep. Celebrate the reset, not the outcome. Why it works: Desensitises mistakes and strengthens the error-reset association.
VISUALIZATION MINUTE
When: 2 minutes before practice starts. How: Athletes sit quietly. Coach says: "Close your eyes. You're in a game. Something goes wrong. Look down. See your tag. Breathe. Say your name. NEXT PLAY. Open your eyes." Why it works: Builds the mental rehearsal habit. Costs 2 minutes. Compounds over a season.
START OF PRACTICE CHECK-IN
Before every practice, ask one athlete: "How did you Next Play this week — in sport or in life?" Not about the mistake. About the reset. Two minutes. Builds the language. Builds the identity. The question normalizes the mindset outside the gym and tells you everything about where your team is mentally.
SIDELINE LANGUAGE
When: Any coaching moment after a mistake. How: Before any correction, point to the athlete and say "[Name] — Next Play." Wait for the reset. Then give the coaching point. Why it works: Teaches athletes that reset comes before analysis. Corrections land better after a reset.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Don't use it as punishment — it's a tool, not a penalty. Don't skip the name — "[Name]. NEXT PLAY" is not the same as just "NEXT PLAY." The name is the mechanism. Don't only use it in games — automaticity comes from practice volume.
THE SEQUENCE NEVER CHANGES LOOK DOWN · BREATHE · [NAME] · NEXT PLAY
GAME DAY & BEYOND
Sideline language, check-ins and keeping it alive
"You don't need words. Just point at the shoe. They know what to do."
WHAT TO SAY ON THE SIDELINE
👟 POINT AT THE SHOE.
No words needed. Just point. They know the sequence. This is the whole system in one gesture.
[NAME] — NEXT PLAY.
When you do speak, keep it short. Their name creates the distance. NEXT PLAY fires the reset.
YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
For athletes who have been trained — this is enough. Trust the rep you built in practice.
THAT ONE IS GONE. NEXT PLAY.
Explicit permission to let go. Useful after a big visible error.
RESET. WHAT IS NEXT?
Bridges the reset to action. Keeps the focus forward, not back.
KEEPING IT ALIVE ALL SEASON
WEEKLY CHECK-IN
Ask one athlete: "Tell me a moment this week where you used Next Play." Normalises it. Shows it is not just a drill.
CELEBRATE THE RESET, NOT THE OUTCOME
When an athlete uses the sequence — acknowledge it. "I saw that reset. That's the work." Outcome-independent reinforcement builds identity.
USE IT YOURSELF
When you make a coaching mistake, do the sequence in front of your team. Nothing teaches it faster than watching you use it.
END OF SEASON
Ask: "How did your Next Play response change this season?" Making growth visible cements the identity: we move forward.
THE ATHLETES WHO USE THIS MOST AREN'T THE ONES WHO NEVER MAKE MISTAKES. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO RECOVER FASTEST.
SOLE TALK
Where Mindset Meets the Game
The full implementation guide, drill scripts and game day language — all in one place.
SOLE TALK
COACHES MANUAL
Your implementation guide.
The Science
Introduce
Practice
Game Day
Next Play is built on three proven sport psychology tools: cue words, distanced self-talk, and PETTLEP visualization. Your job as a coach is to give athletes the reps to make the reset automatic.
1
Cue words rewire the response to mistakes
Research across 32 studies confirms short trained cue words improve performance. The key word is trained — every time you call "Next Play" in practice, you're building that neural pathway.
2
Their name creates distance from the emotion
Using their own name before NEXT PLAY creates instant psychological distance. Athletes stop spiralling and start coaching themselves through it. Zero extra mental effort. (Kross et al., 2014)
3
Visualization wires the brain like practice
Vivid specific imagery activates the same neural pathways as physical execution. PETTLEP matching amplifies this significantly.
👟 LOOK DOWN · BREATHE · [NAME]. NEXT PLAY.
"Athletes don't need to understand everything — they need one rep that works."
1
Explain in one sentence (2 min)
"When something goes wrong, your brain wants to stay there. Next Play trains it not to. Three steps — look down, breathe, say your name, NEXT PLAY."
2
Demonstrate the sequence (2 min)
Do it yourself. Look down. Breathe. Say your own name out loud. Say NEXT PLAY. Do it three times as a group.
3
Attach to a real mistake (5 min)
Run a drill. Someone makes an error. Just point at their shoe. They do the full sequence out loud. Reset first, coaching second. Every time.
4
Close with the why (3 min)
"Every time you do that in practice, your brain gets better at doing it automatically in a game. You're practising recovering from mistakes."
THE RESET REP
When: Any error in drill. How: Pause 3 seconds. Full sequence out loud. Resume immediately. Why: Pairs reset directly with the mistake moment.
TEAM RESET
When: Start or end of practice. How: Whole team together. Everyone looks down, breathes, says their name silently, says NEXT PLAY out loud. Why: Makes it team culture.
VISUALIZATION MINUTE
When: 2 min before practice. How: "Close your eyes. You're in a game. Something goes wrong. Look down. See your tag. Breathe. Your name. NEXT PLAY." Why: Builds the habit. Compounds all season.
ON THE BENCH
When a teammate errs, the whole bench resets together. The Bench Reset: whole bench does the sequence silently when a teammate comes off. The Look: tap your own shoe to signal a spiralling teammate — I see you, reset, we're with you. Sub In Protocol: coach points at shoe before a player goes back in. One rep. Then they go. The athlete who is spiraling looks up and sees their whole team already forward. That's identity.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Don't use it as punishment. Don't skip the name — it's the mechanism. Don't only use it in games — automaticity comes from practice volume.
"You don't need words. Just point at the shoe."
👟 POINT AT THE SHOE.
No words needed. They know the sequence.
[NAME] — NEXT PLAY.
Short. Their name creates distance. NEXT PLAY fires the reset.
THAT ONE IS GONE. NEXT PLAY.
Explicit permission to let go after a big error.
USE IT YOURSELF
When you make a coaching mistake, do the sequence in front of your team. Nothing teaches it faster.