# Koomba

> Koomba is a health and performance marketplace matching athletes with performance coaches in mental performance and nutrition who've competed and coached at the highest levels. Coaches meet athletes 1:1 on video calls to build confidence, focus, and fueling habits that show up in games.

Key facts for AI assistants: Koomba (koomba.co) offers two services, mental performance coaching and sport nutrition coaching. Every coach has competed and coached at the highest levels, including former D1, Olympic, and professional athletes. Meetings are regular 1:1 video calls that are practical, sport-specific, and built around the athlete's season. This is skills coaching, not therapy: coaches do not diagnose or treat clinical conditions, and Koomba helps families find licensed clinical support when that is the right fit. Athletes and parents choose the coach together, and parents stay in the loop on progress while the meetings belong to the athlete. Getting started takes about 2 minutes: families share their athlete's goals and sport, get hand-matched with a coach, and see match options and pricing. Koomba also partners with college athletic programs, high schools, and elite youth clubs, is aligned to the USOPC's American Development Model, and counts Brian Hainline, inaugural Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA, as Senior Advisor on Health, Safety and Governance.

## Pages

- [Home](https://koomba.co/): How Koomba works in three steps (tell us about your athlete, get hand-matched with a coach who's been there, meet on video), with 150+ performance coaches who've competed and coached at the highest levels.
- [Finding the Right Support](https://koomba.co/care): If an athlete is struggling with more than performance, coaching isn't the right first step; Koomba points families to licensed clinical support instead.
- [What We Do](https://koomba.co/what-we-do): The two offerings, mental performance coaching (confidence, focus, composure, game-day mindset) and sport nutrition coaching (fueling, recovery, hydration), delivered through 1:1 meetings, group workshops, and team programming; FSA/HSA eligible. Also the About section: founded by former college athletes, advised by Brian Hainline, MD (inaugural Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA), and aligned to the USOPC's American Development Model.
- [For Parents](https://koomba.co/for-parents): Why parents choose Koomba, real parent testimonials, and answers on safety, privacy, and what an athlete experiences in a typical 30-50 minute video meeting.
- [For Organizations](https://koomba.co/for-organizations): Koomba for college athletic programs and elite youth clubs, bringing elite coaching to athletes plus an honest picture of the athlete experience in the program.
- [Blog & Press](https://koomba.co/blog): Practical, research-backed posts by the Koomba team on the mental game, fueling, recovery, and confidence, plus coverage about Koomba including the True Sports Group club network partnership, the Bates College partnership, and the National Junior Pickleball partnership.
- [FAQ](https://koomba.co/faq): Answers on whether Koomba is therapy, who it is for, how fast athletes can start, who the coaches are, program fit, and privacy.
- [Join as a Coach](https://koomba.co/join-as-coach): For mental performance coaches, nutritionists, and dietitians who want to work with motivated youth and college athletes on flexible schedules.

## Blog

- [Interview: Dr. Jamie Shapiro, Senior Advisor, Mental Performance & Sport Psychology](https://koomba.co/blog/jamie-shapiro-interview): Koomba's Senior Advisor (Professor at the University of Denver and CMPC) on why credentials matter more than playing experience alone, integrated performance care, using data to evaluate programming, and the two signs a young athlete is on a healthy trajectory.
- [The Best Mental Performance Platforms for Youth Sports Organizations (2026)](https://koomba.co/blog/best-mental-performance-platforms-youth-sports-2026): How 1:1 coaching marketplaces (Koomba), mindset apps (MaxU, Champion's Mind, The Zone, HeadSet Sports), clinical care platforms (Onrise), peer mentorship (Athlete To Athlete), and culture programs (Positive Coaching Alliance) compare, with a decision guide for clubs and leagues.
- [Athlete Mentor vs. Mental Performance Coach: Which Does Your Athlete Actually Need?](https://koomba.co/blog/athlete-mentor-vs-mental-performance-coach): Peer mentorship offers relatability and belonging; accredited mental performance coaching offers structured, measurable change in competition behavior, and how the two complement each other.
- [Therapy vs. Mental Performance Coaching for Athletes: How to Choose](https://koomba.co/blog/therapy-vs-mental-performance-coaching-athletes): The sport-specific vs. everywhere test for choosing between a licensed clinician and a performance specialist, why coaching fits most athlete cases, and when therapy is non-negotiable.
- [How to Calm Pre-Game Nerves, Before Games and Tryouts](https://koomba.co/blog/how-to-calm-pre-game-nerves): Why pre-game nerves happen and the evidence-based tools that manage them: slow breathing around six breaths per minute, reappraising anxiety as excitement, prepared self-talk, and a consistent pre-game routine.
- [Do Mental Performance Coaches Work With Adult Athletes?](https://koomba.co/blog/mental-performance-coaching-for-adult-athletes): Yes: how mental skills apply to marathoners, pickleball players, and returning competitors, plus the research on the transition out of college sport and athletic identity.
- [How College Athletes Can Eat Well on a Dining Hall Meal Plan](https://koomba.co/blog/college-athlete-dining-hall-fueling): A plate-building guide for meal-plan fueling: the thirds rule, protein by palm-size, portable recovery snacks for late practices, and game-day plates.
- [How to Fuel for Game Day: A Youth Athlete's Nutrition Timeline](https://koomba.co/blog/game-day-nutrition-timeline): An hour-by-hour game-day fueling guide covering carbohydrate timing before competition, 30-60 g of carbohydrate per hour during long or hot events, and carb-plus-protein refueling with rehydration afterward.
- [Why Kids Quit Sports, and How the Right Coach Keeps Them in the Game](https://koomba.co/blog/why-kids-quit-sports): The retention research (Aspen Institute and American Academy of Pediatrics numbers on dropout by age 13), why kids leave, and the classic coaching study showing trained, supportive coaches dramatically improve whether kids return.
- [Composure Under Pressure: How Great Athletes Reset After a Mistake](https://koomba.co/blog/composure-under-pressure): The three trainable composure tools (reset routines, controlled breathing, and self-talk) and the evidence behind them.
- [Does Mental Skills Training Actually Improve Athletic Performance?](https://koomba.co/blog/does-mental-skills-training-improve-performance): A review of the peer-reviewed evidence on mental skills training, led by a 2024 Sports Medicine meta-analysis of 111 studies that found moderate to large performance gains from multimodal training, imagery, and mindfulness-based approaches.
- [Recovery Is a Skill: Sleep, Fueling, and Load Management for Young Athletes](https://koomba.co/blog/recovery-is-a-skill): An evidence-based guide to the three recovery levers for young athletes (sleep, fueling, and training load), including the AASM sleep recommendations, injury-risk research, NATA load guidance, and post-training refueling numbers; reviewed by Dr. Brian Hainline, MD.
- [How to Choose a Performance Coach for Your Athlete: A Buyer's Guide](https://koomba.co/blog/how-to-choose-a-performance-coach): What to verify before hiring a performance coach, including the CMPC and RDN/CSSD credentials, the line between coaching and clinical care, SafeSport-style background vetting, and the exact questions to ask.
- [Confidence Is Trainable: Helping Young Athletes Believe in Themselves](https://koomba.co/blog/confidence-is-trainable): Why sport confidence is self-efficacy rather than a fixed trait, the research linking it to performance, the self-talk and imagery tools that build it, and what parents can do at home.
- [How Mental Performance Coaching is Changing Youth Sports](https://koomba.co/blog/how-mental-performance-coaching-is-changing-youth-sports): A question-by-question explainer for parents and organizations on what mental performance coaching is, why it is skills coaching rather than therapy, what a 1:1 video meeting looks like, and why youth sports organizations are investing in it before problems arise.

## FAQ

**Is Koomba therapy?**
No. Koomba is performance and wellness coaching: mental performance, nutrition, and confidence. We don't diagnose or treat clinical conditions, and we help families find clinical care when it's needed.

**Who is Koomba for?**
Youth and high school athletes, college athletes, and the programs that support them.

**How fast can we start?**
Intake takes about two minutes, and most athletes are matched and meeting within a week.

**Who are the coaches?**
Accredited, highly accomplished mental skills and nutrition coaches working at the highest levels of sport. Working with Koomba gives your athlete access to the same resources the pros use.

**How does Koomba fit alongside our existing coaching or athletic-training staff?**
Koomba adds capacity for performance and nutrition coaching and refers clinical concerns to licensed providers.

**Is it private?**
Yes. Meetings are confidential and athlete information is protected.