Daniele Stizza
Sports & Esports Performance Psychologist
Mental Coach • Cognitive Neuroscience • Biofeedback Specialist
I support esports athletes and teams in managing pressure, stabilizing performance and building healthier, more resilient competitive environments. My work combines sports psychology, cognitive neuroscience and practical mental tools tailored to high-level play.
About
Profile
I am a Sports & Esports Performance Psychologist specializing in mental preparation, emotional awareness and performance optimization in competitive environments.
I help players and teams develop stronger focus, emotional stability and communication skills through tailored, evidence-based interventions. My work integrates mental skills training, cognitive-behavioral strategies and bio/neurofeedback protocols to enhance consistency and resilience under pressure.
Specializations
Core Areas
- Mental Preparation
- Emotional Awareness
- Focus & Concentration
- Pressure & Stress Management
- Team Building & Communication
- Resilience & Consistency Protocols
- Biofeedback & Neurofeedback
Esports Experience
Teams & Projects
- Mental performance coaching focused on focus stability, pressure management, and decision-making during high-tempo competitive matches.
- Development of pre-match routines and reset protocols (tilt/error recovery) to improve consistency across scrims and tournaments.
- 1:1 mental coaching for competitive preparation, confidence building, and performance consistency across long tournament days.
- Training on emotional regulation and cognitive routines to support strategic clarity, adaptation, and recovery after losses/misplays.
- Mental preparation for Tekken 8 & Street Fighter athletes.
- Focus and pressure-management routines for tournaments.
- Emotional regulation and performance stability under pressure.
- Development of performance routines and consistency frameworks.
- Support for communication and team identity building.
- Mental skills training and scrim performance support.
- Support for ranked, competitive and tournament preparation.
- Mental training programs for multi-title rosters.
- Workshops and performance mindset programs.
- Individual mental coaching for competitive players.
- Short-term mental preparation during a roster transition.
Methods & Approach
Framework
- Cognitive-behavioral techniques adapted to esports contexts.
- Stress-management and breathing methods.
- Visualization and mental rehearsal.
- Biofeedback & neurofeedback (BFE certified).
- Focus-enhancement training.
- Performance consistency protocols.
- Team communication optimization.
- Pre-match and pre-scrim routines.
- Emotional regulation for tilt & burnout prevention.
Education & Certifications
Academic Background
-
Master’s Degree – Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychological Rehabilitation
La Sapienza University of Rome · EQF Level 7 (2012–2016) -
Master’s Degree – Sports Psychology
Human Factor Consulting, Rome · EQF Level 7 (2014–2015) -
Erasmus Programme
Universiteit Gent, Belgium (2012–2013)
Specialized Training
- Level II Certification in Bio- & Neurofeedback – BFE (2019 – Present)
- First Degree Mental Coach for Tennis – Roberto Lombardi Institute (2018 – Present)
- Psychology & Mental Preparation in Esports – Fly Psychology (2020)
- Business English Certificate – Forma Temp (2024)
- HR Specialist Certificate – Forma Temp (2024)
Technical Esports Skills
Esports Ecosystem
I follow the international competitive scene across all major titles and adapt my psychological methods to different esports ecosystems, including:
- Fighting Games (Tekken, Street Fighter, FGC circuits).
- FPS: Valorant, CS2, Overwatch.
- MOBA: League of Legends.
- Sports titles & other competitive genres.
Proficient in performance-monitoring tools, mental-training software and team dynamics analysis systems used in the esports environment.
Contact
Let's Connect
If you are a coach, manager or player interested in mental performance systems, feel free to reach out.