How to Train Mindset ft. Nicole Discenza

Summary

Nicole Discenza, a recent Boise State graduate and former college tennis player from Venezuela, discusses her work as a mental performance coach for junior tennis players aged 10-18 through her platform “Mindset by Nyx.” The conversation centers on the distinction between being told to “have a positive mindset” and actually having tools to train mental skills. Discenza emphasizes that mindset is not about eliminating negative thoughts but learning to channel emotions, that mental skills are transferable life skills practiced 24/7, and that helping athletes discover their identity beyond tennis is often the single most impactful intervention for improved performance.

Guest Background

Nicole Discenza is originally from Venezuela, where she played competitive tennis from age 4 and represented her country at the World Cup (age 14, alongside Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz’s cohort). She attended a tennis academy in Wellington, Florida before being recruited to Boise State, where she played 4 years of college tennis and earned a psychology degree with a sports coaching certificate. She now works as a behavior interventionist (M-F) and runs Mindset by Nyx as her career focus, working with 10-18 year old competitive tennis players targeting college or pro pathways.

Key Topics

• Mindset defined: Not just “be positive” — it’s your thoughts, beliefs, and identity. “Self-judgment becomes self-fulfilling prophecy.” The platform teaches the “how,” not just the “what.”
• Negative thoughts are normal: The goal is not zero negative thoughts; it’s more positive than negative. Acknowledging emotions rather than suppressing them. “Whether you’re lucky or not, you’re going to have them.”
• The 3-second rule: After each point, feel the emotion (positive or negative) for 3 seconds, then let it go. Inspired by Federer’s commencement speech: “The point you’re playing is the most important point of your life.”
• Physical reset tools: Sticker on racket with personalized phrase (“reset,” “find your why,” “just go for it, Rachel”); phrases written on shoes with marker; wristband messages; reading a book during changeovers. All personalized to the individual athlete.
• The “hot spot” technique: Find one square foot on the court where you are “allowed” to feel all emotions. Outside that spot, you plan and execute. Creates a physical boundary for emotional processing.
• Identity beyond tennis: The most impactful question: “Who are you?” Athletes consistently answer with tennis attributes first. When asked “Who are you without tennis?” — many struggle to answer. Once athletes recognize they are more than just a tennis player, performance improves almost immediately.
• Rituals and consistency: Rituals are about what you can control. From ball bounces to pre-match routines. Important distinction between helpful rituals and superstitious beliefs (“if I sit on the left side, I win”). Start teaching rituals early; they evolve with age.
• Coach’s role in mental training: Tennis coaches can teach mental skills if they invest in learning, but the key is caring about the athlete as a person first. “How do I connect with this athlete on a matter outside of the court?”
• Transfer of skills: Mental skills are not court-only; they can be practiced while cooking, studying, in any life situation. The more you practice, the more automatic they become — just like a forehand.

Actionable Advice for Families

• Ask your child “Who are you without tennis?” and help them articulate their identity beyond the sport. This single conversation can unlock performance gains.
• Help your child develop personalized reset tools (phrases, visual cues) and give them weeks to practice before judging effectiveness — mental tools need repetition like physical skills.
• Mental skills training should start as early as possible; like a forehand learned at age 4 vs. 12, earlier training produces deeper competence.
• Parents should catch themselves: focus on reinforcing what the child does well before addressing areas for improvement.
• Consider working with a mental performance coach separately from the on-court tennis coach, especially if the on-court coach doesn’t prioritize this dimension.
• Build multiple “pillars” of identity for your child so that if one crumbles (a bad tennis day), the others hold them up.

INTENNSE Relevance

• Youth athlete mental health: Discenza’s work addresses a growing demand signal in youth sports — the gap between knowing mental skills matter and having practical, accessible tools to train them. This is a market INTENNSE should track.
• Emerging coach-entrepreneur model: A recent college graduate building a direct-to-consumer mental performance coaching business via Instagram and Facebook represents a new type of tennis industry professional — low-overhead, social-media-native, niche-focused.
• Player development ecosystem: Mental performance coaching is increasingly seen as essential infrastructure in competitive junior tennis. The question of whether it should be integrated with on-court coaching or remain separate is an active debate.
• Identity and athlete branding: The emphasis on “who are you beyond tennis” directly connects to athlete branding conversations — athletes who know their identity beyond sport are better positioned for NIL, media, and post-playing careers.

Notable Quotes

“Self-judgment becomes self-fulfilling thoughts and prophecies. So pretty much what you believe is what you create and what you believe to be is who you actually are going to end up being.”

“I say, who are you? And they tell me I’m a tennis player… And I’m like, okay, now who are you without tennis? And then it’s crazy because it takes a moment for them to like, who am I?”

“When you have your foundations of you, who you are, very subtle, when one crumbles, the other ones are able to hold yourself. When you only have one and that one crumbles, then we have a problem.”