Michael Huber Mental Performance Coaching

Michael Huber Mental Performance Coaching My mission is to help young athletes become confident problem solvers through individualized mental performance coaching. Master's in Sport Psychology.

I offer in-person (Central NJ) and virtual coaching.

09/08/2026

Sports and gambling are very similar in many ways.

The biggest difference might be this:

It's hard for a student-athlete to hide when they don't get the results they want. A bad game is on display for the whole team, the whole crowd, sometimes the whole town to see.

Gambling doesn't work that way.

The outcomes are often invisible to parents.

And even when the struggle starts showing — mood changes, money going missing, secrecy about where they were — compulsive gamblers are great at hiding the truth to avoid the shame of being found out.

That's what makes it so dangerous for young athletes specifically: they're used to performing under pressure, and used to putting on a good face.

Gambling gives them one more thing to perform through — quietly, and alone.

It's okay to ask for help. And it starts with parents knowing how to bring them closer rather than push them away.

🎧 Hear my full conversation with former New York Yankees 3rd-round draft pick Jake Sanford on The Freshman Foundation® Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

My daughter won't listen to me either.It can be really challenge for sports parents to establish boundaries with their y...
09/07/2026

My daughter won't listen to me either.

It can be really challenge for sports parents to establish boundaries with their young athlete, even when we know they need our help.

I explore this challenge in tomorrow's Tuesday Triple email.

One thought.
One resource.
One question.

Get it in your inbox tomorrow, September 8, 2026 👇

https//michaelvhuber.com/newsletter

A first-year college baseball player. A TikTok post from his ex. A 40-minute phone call.Tomorrow, Sunday, September 6, 2...
09/05/2026

A first-year college baseball player.
A TikTok post from his ex.
A 40-minute phone call.

Tomorrow, Sunday, September 6, 2026, I'm sharing what actually helped him through it — and it wasn't my advice.

📩 Subscribe to get it on Sunday (and every Sunday) 👇

https://michaelvhuber.com/newsletter

09/04/2026

"I was living a double life."

It's not uncommon for gamblers to live a double life — and that includes student-athletes.

They don't want anyone to judge their behavior — the money they've lost, the time they've pi**ed away. So they withhold information and outright lie to keep their secret.

From coaches.
From teammates.
From parents.

The pull of gambling can be so great that even a professional athlete with a promising career could stay at a casino all night and go straight to work at the baseball field the next morning, consequences be damned.

It sounds crazy to most parents. But it's just Friday for a compulsive gambler — and your kid could live that double life without you ever knowing it.

All the credit to Jake Sanford for sharing his story, so parents and coaches know what to watch for.

🎧 Hear Jake's full story on The Freshman Foundation® Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

A first-year college baseball player. A TikTok post from his ex. A 40-minute phone call.This Sunday, September 6, 2026, ...
09/03/2026

A first-year college baseball player.
A TikTok post from his ex.
A 40-minute phone call.

This Sunday, September 6, 2026, I'm sharing what actually helped him through it — and it wasn't my advice.

📩 Subscribe to get it on Sunday (and every Sunday) 👇

https://michaelvhuber.com/newsletter

09/02/2026

Your athlete doesn't have to gamble for this to matter.

Compulsive gambling and elite athletics run on the same wiring — the belief that if you just follow the process closely enough for long enough, the outcome has to follow.

Most young athletes are taught to think exactly that way. It's what makes them coachable, disciplined, competitive.

It's also what makes them vulnerable.

In this clip, I talk about the moment I realized that "trusting the process" wasn't actually protecting me from my own emotions — in blackjack or in baseball.

The same anxiety that makes an athlete overswing at a bad pitch is the same anxiety that keeps a gambler at the table past the point they should've walked away.

If your kid is wired to compete hard and never back off, this is worth 30 seconds of your time.

Listen to my full conversation with former New York Yankees 3rd-round draft pick Jake Sanford on The Freshman Foundation® Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

Or comment "PODCAST" below, and I'll send you the link.

09/01/2026

Asking for help is hard.

But it can make the difference between suffering and growth.

The difference between hitting rock bottom and pulling up the nose faster.

Admitting that I had a problem with gambling to another human being was the MOST DIFFICULT thing I’ve EVER done in my life.

However, doing so has led me to a life that I never would have dreamed of.

What’s the point?

Asking for help can open doors that have remained closed for so long.

Asking for help also allows you to show your true SELF, flaws and all.

Asking for help is not instinctive for human beings, especially athletes.

Learning how to ask for help is a skill.

Is it HARD for you to ask for help?

Shoot me a message. I’d love to share how I did it.

09/01/2026

Your kid doesn't have to set foot in a casino to be at risk.

Jake Sanford was a third-round Yankees draft pick — a kid who did everything right. Trained his whole life, earned a scholarship, got drafted by perhaps the most iconic brand in professional sports.

He also became a compulsive gambler by the time he was in the minor leagues.

Here's what parents need to understand:

The same drive that makes a kid great at sports — chasing that next win, that next rush — is exactly what makes gambling so dangerous for young athletes.

Jake describes it in this clip: a casino can manufacture the identical feeling as hitting a home run. His brain couldn't tell the difference.

This isn't a "bad kid" problem. It's a brain chemistry problem that is growing with increasing normalization of gambling in our society.

🎧 Hear Jake's full story — including how it nearly cost him his career — on The Freshman Foundation® Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

09/01/2026

Sports and gambling are very similar in many ways.

The biggest difference might be this:

It’s hard for athletes to hide when they don’t get the results they want. It’s on display for the world to see.

For gamblers, the outcomes are often invisible to others. And even if the struggles are visible to others, compulsive gamblers are great at hiding the truth to avoid the shame of judgment.

Compulsive gamblers often suffer in isolation for fear of being outed.

It’s okay to ask for help.

Share this with someone you think might benefit from knowing they are not alone.

08/31/2026

Blackjack has rules. So does baseball.

Neither one fully protects you from your own emotions.

I used to think if I just followed the process long enough, the outcomes would take care of themselves — turns out that’s true right up until you let anxiety and ego call the shots.

You can listen to the full episode of The Freshman Foundation® Podcast with Jake Sanford wherever you get your podcasts.

Address

Holmdel, NJ

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 9pm
Tuesday 10am - 9pm
Wednesday 10am - 9pm
Thursday 10am - 9pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 1pm

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