You’re here because you trust Coach Jackson—and he doesn’t point his coaches toward junk. I’m James Leath, a mental performance coach who’s spent over 20 years helping athletes and coaches lead at a higher level. I led leadership development at IMG Academy, working with some of the best young talent in the world, and I’ve had the privilege of supporting teams like the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Cowboys on the mental side of performance. Everything I write and teach is built for coaches like you: competitive, busy, and serious about doing things the right way.
Turn holiday chaos into connection.
The holidays can wreck your practice schedule, focus, and energy… or they can be the perfect excuse to build team chemistry in a way your athletes will actually remember.
Team Building Activities for Athletes: Holiday Edition gives you a set of fun, low-stress, plug-and-play games you can run at practice, in the locker room, or at a team party—without needing hours of prep or a Pinterest addiction.
You’ll get:
🎄 12 holiday-themed team building activities that work for middle school, high school, and beyond
🕒 Low-prep, high-fun games you can run in 10–20 minutes before or after practice
🤝 Activities that build trust, communication, and leadership while your athletes think they’re just playing
❄️ Inclusive naming options so you can easily run them as “holiday” or “winter” games for athletes who don’t celebrate Christmas
🔗 A perfect companion to Team Building Activities for Athletes and the Virtual Edition—same style, seasonal twist
Use this Holiday Edition to:
Keep things fun and intentional when schedules get messy
Turn “just a team party” into real connection and shared memories
Give your athletes a mental break while still sharpening their ability to listen, communicate, and work together
Whether you’re closing out the year, hosting a holiday get-together, or just trying to keep your team engaged when half of them are wearing pajamas to school, this Holiday Edition gives you everything you need to build culture one laugh, one game, and one shared moment at a time.
Talent Needs Character: The Mental Game Playbook for Youth and High School Athletes is a straight-talking guide to the stuff that actually decides who makes it and who melts: character, choices, and the mental game. It helps athletes see that talent gets you noticed, but who you are is what keeps you on the field, in the locker room, and in the conversation.
Inside, athletes get quick, read-on-the-bus chapters on things like:
Respecting yourself – how you act when nobody’s watching (including you)
Respecting the jersey – doing the little things when there’s no crowd
Respecting others – teammates, refs, teachers, trainers, and yes, women
Relationships – friends, social media, parents, and coaches
Readiness & habits – schedules, systems, and doing the work daily
The mental game – confidence, self-talk, handling mistakes, and pressure
Who you’re becoming – life after sports and the kind of person people remember
The book is built as a tool, not homework—short chapters, one big idea each, with practical concepts athletes can use at practice tonight or in class tomorrow. It works for any sport, any position, and can be used solo, with a teammate, or as a whole team.
This guide is the “sit-down-over-coffee” version of Raising Resilient Athletes.
For five bucks, you get a simple, no-guilt roadmap to actually use the book with your family—not just read it and forget it.
Inside, you’ll find:
A personal letter from me to reset the pressure and remind you: you’re not alone in this.
Session-by-session reflection questions that track with the book so you can take it one conversation at a time.
Real-world prompts to help you talk with your athlete about pressure, failure, confidence, and effort—without turning every car ride into a lecture.
“Try this this week” ideas so you know exactly what small changes to test at home.
Think of it like this:
The book gives you the big ideas.
This $5 guide gives you the questions, scripts, and nudges to live them out.
Cheaper than a coffee.
More useful than another sideline rant you regret later.
This bundle gives you both the playbook and the plan:
Talent Needs Character (ebook) – a straight-shooting mental game and character book for youth and high school athletes. Short, relatable chapters on respect, habits, confidence, social media, friendships, and who you’re becoming on and off the field.
Coach Facilitation Guide (PDF ebook) – plug-and-play huddles, discussion questions, and activities so you can actually use the book with your team instead of it just living in a backpack.
Use it to run:
10–15 minute team talks before or after practice
Weekly “character sessions” in the locker room or classroom
Parent nights or leadership meetings with captains
Quiet 1-on-1 conversations with athletes who need a reset
You don’t have to be a sport psych expert or a motivational speaker. Open the guide, pick a chapter, follow the prompts, and lead a real conversation your athletes will remember.
Instant access to the Talent Needs Character ebook
The full Coach Facilitation Guide to turn the ideas into team culture
Team Use License:
When you purchase this bundle, you’re welcome to print pages or share PDFs with the athletes on your team or in your program. Please don’t post the files publicly online or share them outside your school or organization.
Build culture all year long—on the field, online, and during the holidays—without spending hours searching for “just one more activity” on the internet.
This bundle gives you instant access to three plug-and-play resources:
Team Building Activities for Athletes – Your core playbook of simple, high-energy games that build trust, communication, and leadership in any sport. Use them to open practice, reset a flat team, or turn a random Tuesday into a culture day.
Team Building Activities for Athletes: Virtual Edition – Designed for classrooms, meeting rooms, and Zoom. Perfect for film sessions, rain days, leadership meetings, and times when you can’t be on the field but still want connection and growth.
Team Building Activities for Athletes: Holiday Edition – 12 winter-themed activities that keep athletes focused, laughing, and connected when schedules get weird and energy is all over the place.
All three PDFs are:
Ready to run – Clear setup, supplies, and step-by-step instructions.
Flexible – Adaptable for any sport, age group, or roster size.
Coach-tested – Created and used by mental performance coach James Leath with teams from youth to pros.
For $29, you get an entire year’s worth of culture tools you can use in the gym, classroom, online, or at team parties.
Less planning. More connection. Better teams.