Licensed sport psychologists, Zagreb
We work with young athletes, professionals, esports players, and coaches. Focus, emotional regulation, and pressure resilience are skills an athlete uses both on the field and in life outside of sports.
The informative call is15 minutes, free of charge, and carries no obligation. During it, we answer questions that are too long for an email.
Founder and sport psychologist
“Mental training requires the same precision as physical preparation.”
Founder of Mentalni Trening and a licensed sport psychologist with a special permit from the Croatian Psychological Chamber (HPK). He has spent over 15 years working with athletes, ranging from juniors to professionals and national team members. This work gave rise to the approach used by the entire team today: individual, structured, and based on continuous work throughout the season.
15+
years of experience
1000+
athletes worked with
40+
sports
5
continents
Select a program tailored to your profile and goals.
"I believe that every player who wants to build a great career should invest and work on their mental preparation, especially young players like myself. Of course, experience comes with age, but in today’s football, where everything moves so fast, any extra edge means a few percent boost to your overall performance—which is often the deciding factor."
"In life, as well as in sports, working on yourself plays an important role. That is why I find mental preparation valuable in certain key situations. I would recommend Mentalni Trening - not to everyone, but to those who truly want to work on themselves and become better."
"To step onto the field and face an opponent, our minds must be ready for battle first. Physical training is essential, but perhaps even more important is the less visible kind - mental training. I have seen firsthand that victory doesn’t just go to those who are stronger, faster, or have more endurance, but to those who are mentally prepared and keep moving forward regardless of the circumstances. Mentalni Trening guides us in the right way, reminding us to believe and to push through even when things aren't going the way we want."
"I believe that every professional athlete should apply mental training - the sooner, the better. Sports have become a business where only the best survive, so athletes often need help putting all the pieces together in their heads, helping them bring out the best in themselves during both the tough times and the normal moments of their careers. I am very satisfied with my work and experience here because it gives me the opportunity to gather my thoughts, separate the important from the irrelevant, and ultimately perform at my absolute maximum."
Programs are tailored to different profiles, from youth athletes to professionals and sports experts. A short quiz of a few questions shows which program suits you best.
Practical guides for concrete situations: talking to a child after a loss, regaining focus after a mistake, and mental preparation for an important performance
What it looks like to collaborate with us
In our first conversation, we work together to analyze your needs and set clear goals. This is the main starting point for designing a personalized plan that will suit you and your schedule.
Based on the initial consultation, we create a plan tailored to the athlete, the sport, and the phase of the season. We adjust the pace of our work to fit your schedule.
We track progress together, through meetings and in between them. You see the change at the competition, but also in how you react to stress, defeat, and returning to the zone.
Frequently asked questions during initial consultations. If your question is not listed here, feel free to contact us directly.
A sports psychologist is a psychologist holding a special license from the Croatian Psychological Chamber to practice sports psychology. They apply psychological knowledge and methods when working with athletes: conducting psychological assessments and testing while addressing the underlying factors that impact performance, alongside techniques the athlete applies during training and competition.
A sports psychologist is a regulated profession, and working in sports requires a degree in psychology along with a special license from the Croatian Psychological Chamber (HPK). “Mental coach” (mentalni trener) is not regulated by law – the title can be used by anyone who completes any of the available training courses, even without a background in psychology. Both can help the athlete, but the difference lies in the depth of work, diagnostic tools, and professional accountability.
No. That is the most common misconception. Most of our clients come to us because they want to take things to the next level. Just as elite athletes work with a strength and conditioning coach and a physiotherapist even when they are healthy, working with a sports psychologist is an investment in performance. Stage fright, drops in form, and choking under pressure are normal parts of sports. We work on them systematically, not reactively.
Mentalni Trening by Luka Škrinjarić (Mentalni Trening j.d.o.o.) is a Croatian sports psychology company based in Zagreb, founded in 2014. The team consists of sports psychologists holding a special license from the Croatian Psychological Chamber (HPK) and a specialist trainee in sports psychology. We work with professional and youth athletes, national team members, Olympic medalists, esports players, and teams, both individually and through club programs. To date, we have worked with over 1,000 athletes across various profiles.
No. We work with recreational athletes, youth athletes just entering organized sports, amateurs preparing for competitions, all the way up to professionals and Olympic medalists. Techniques for focus, pressure management, and motivation work equally well at all levels. The only thing that matters is that you have a specific goal and the willingness to work systematically.
As long as it takes to reach your goals. We have athletes who came for a single session and resolved a specific challenge. We also have those who have been working with us for years. The actual duration isn’t set by a program – it’s determined by your goals and the pace of your progress. The only thing we can say in advance: the initial consultation lasts 15 minutes, and afterwards, you know exactly which program suits you best for working on your mental preparation.
Anyone who is in sports and wants to work on their mental preparation. Athletes aged 10 and up, coaches, psychologists, club managers, and eSports players. We have worked with children just entering organized sports as well as elite athletes preparing for major competitions. We tailor every program to the person coming in, not the other way around.
Both. We hold in-person meetings at our office in Zagreb (Gorjanska 29, 4th floor). Online work is available throughout the region and beyond — we have experience with online work all over the world. We work in both Croatian and English. We arrange the method, pace, and timing of the work according to your availability.
