MISSION
To provide mental skills training to athletes, coaches, teams, and performers from other disciplines (e.g., arts) through team trainings, workshops, and individual consultations to achieve peak performance in sport, as well as in life.
Take a moment to consider this question:
How much of your game is mental?
Usually when I ask this question to athletes, parents, and coaches, I hear answers that range on average from 50% to 90%. Mostly everyone will agree that, whatever their sport, their game has a mental component and is not all physical skill. My immediate follow up question to them, is how much time do you spend practicing mental skills compared to your physical skills? Those percentages are usually much lower, if not ZERO. Athletes, parents, and coaches know that the mental game is a huge factor in our athletic performance, yet are spending almost 100% of the time on physical practice and little to no practice developing the skills to be mentally strong.
NeuroNinja was designed to enhance an athlete’s game by teaching them the mental skills they need to develop the highly sought after attribute of being mentally tough. Learning to control what they can control, letting an error or past mistake go, and how to stay relaxed when the game is on the line are just a few skills that can be taught to help athletes achieve peak performance in their all-around game. Your brain is a muscle, so mental skills can be developed just like any physical skill. You just have to know WHAT to do and HOW to do it in order to get your “mental reps” in! Be a Ninja-In-Training and FLEX YOUR MENTAL MUSCLES!
VALUES OF A NINJA
MEET THE HEAD NINJA
Giannina Cipolloni, MS, LPC, CMPC
Licensed Professional Counselor | Certified Mental Performance Consultant
Giannina has been involved in athletics, as a player and a coach, for over 20 years. She believes athletes and performers can improve their physical skills by incorporating mental training that will enhance their performance. Giannina delivered mental skills training as a summer mental conditioning coach at the world-renowned IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Here she worked with an eclectic group of athletes in sports such as baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and track & field. Some of the mental skills training Giannina offers includes, but is not limited to: focus/concentration, relaxation techniques, building confidence, handling pressure, controlling the controllables, imagery/visualization, goal setting, recovering from injury, consistency. Aside from mental skills training, Giannina holds her masters degree and is licensed in counseling psychology, which allows her to also work with individuals in a clinical setting. Giannina has worked with athletes or performers that have struggled with managing things like anxiety, depression, relationship and family issues, stress management, substance abuse, issues relating to the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, etc.
Athletic Background
Giannina competed at an elite level in both basketball and softball. As a teen, she played AAU and two years of Varsity high school basketball before devoting her athletic career to softball. In high school, Giannina played for Nazareth Academy and finished her career with two championship wins, two MVPs, and her jersey number retired. Giannina continued her athletic and academic success at the University of Virginia, where she was a 4-year starter in centerfield and leadoff batter. At UVA, she broke the single season stolen base record (32), the career stolen base record (89), and is in the top 10 for a few other career categories. After her collegiate career, Giannina played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league for the NY/NJ Comets and played with and against the best of the best in the sport of softball.
Giannina’s coaching career began immediately after college, coaching the 12U California Worth Firecrackers to a national PGF championship. She then coached as a graduate assistant for the Temple University softball team, where they led the nation in homeruns. Giannina has also coached at the 14U, 16U, & 18u age group, finishing 13th in the nation at PGF in 2015, 5th at PGF in 2016, and winning the WFC nationals in 2014.
Most currently, Giannina is working as a Mental Performance Coach within the Philadelphia Phillies’ minor league system.
Unique Perspective
Giannina’s playing and coaching experience combined has given her the strong foundation of learning and teaching life skills through sports, which she believes leads to a lifestyle of excellence. Her passion for athletics and also helping athletes achieve their goals, on the field and in life, is her driving force for doing counseling and performance coaching. Giannina enjoys working with individuals, but also thrives working in a group or team setting. She continues to embody the role of a coach in sessions and strives to empower those she works with to eventually “coach” themselves.
