Emotion control
My child is sitting on the bench – how should I react?
If you have ever been in a situation where your child is sitting on the bench or getting little playing time, you know how frustrating
February 24, 2025
Luka Škrinjarić, MSc Sports Psychologist
Get to know me
Hi, everyone! I’m Luka, the owner of the company Mentalni Trening.
I’ve been in this business for many years (I’m older than I look), and throughout my career, I’ve met hundreds of athletes.
I’ve gained the most experience working with football players, although I trained in volleyball when I was younger.
Beginnings
During college, I wanted to help people, so I volunteered at a nursing home for a while. I quickly realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I gradually started working on the mental preparation of athletes, and that was it!
Since not many people were exclusively involved in sports psychology at that time, I embraced the challenge and opened my own company to focus solely on working with athletes and prove that it is possible in Croatia.
First years of business
The first years were challenging due to the general attitude of athletes towards psychologists: “I’m not crazy to go to a psychologist!” If I had received a coin every time I heard this sentence, I would have quite a few coins in my account.
Many lectures (often free), workshops (also free), education (some paid), and days spent learning (worth it) led to a change.
Also, I realized that athletes prefer to say they are going to a mental trainer rather than a psychologist, so I named the company Mentalni Trening (Mental Training).
Athletes, but also Role-models
I don’t like to single out one over another, but I have to boast about some athletes because they are true role models, the way athletes should be.
- Ivana Habazin achieved the title of world boxing champion, but she possessed the qualities of a great athlete long before that. .
- Jelena Nikolić crowned her career with a silver medal at the Rio Olympics and bid farewell to the national team with style.
- Ante Budimir, a footballer whom many wrote off in his early days, now earns his living in the best leagues in the world, and his time is yet to come, much like Borna Barišić, both Croatian national team players.
- Roko Leni Ukić taught me a lot about being a captain, and I tried to explain a few things to a true Dalmatian. …
and many others beside them.
Future and mission
Today, I continue to work on myself.
I attend various education and conferences.
The field I entered a few years ago (esports) is something where I’ve already had quite a bit of success, and I look forward to everything it brings me in the future.
Additional Education
- Currently in the 2nd stage of education in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), HUBIKOT, Zagreb (2014-present)
- Completed the 1st stage of education in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), HUBIKOT, Zagreb (2014)
- Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Partus, international certification NLP trainer and business coach (2014-2015)
- Education in the application of Biofeedback method, Croatian Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Mens Sana d.o.o.
- Education and workshop on biofeedback, Croatian Association of Sports Psychologists, Matej Tušak
- Optimization of performance levels in Olympians, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Prof. Dr. Juri Hanin (2013)
- Psychodrama – group psychotherapy: encounters, telos, transfer, mirroring, Clinic for Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zagreb, and University Hospital Center Zagreb, Dr. Dušan Potkonjak
- Stress, coping, and physical health, Postgraduate Specialist Study in Counseling, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka
Lectures and presentations
- Round table at the Days of Ramiro and Zoran Bujas – "The Importance of Intrinsic Motivation in Elite Athletes in the Era When Sports Became Show Business" (2015.)
- Professional conference Psychology in Practice – Invited lecture on the topic of sports psychology (2015.)
- Mini Perspective – Invited lecture (2015.)
- Days of Psychology in Zadar – Round table: "Mental Preparation of Athletes in Different Age Categories and Transition from Semi-professional to Professional Sports" (2014.)
- Presentation at the International Alpe-Adria Conference in Ljubljana, "Work-related Stress in Pyrotechnicians" (2009.)
Featured posts
Emotion control
5 Ways to Prevent Overtraining
Have you ever found yourself as an athlete in a situation where your training process isn’t going as planned and progress stalls? Have you ever
March 2, 2023
For coaches
Expectations in sports and what to do with them
If you followed the Olympic Games, you could see numerous athletes achieving top results and standing on the podium, yet they were very dissatisfied, as well as athletes who finished their performances extremely happy regardless of their placement.
August 23, 2021
Emotion control
10 reasons why quality sleep is important for athletes?
Have you noticed that you get through the day more easily when you sleep well? You feel better, learn more easily, handle the intensity of training better, and everything somehow seems easier.
January 15, 2021
For coaches
The Importance of Goals Setting
We have often heard or said the phrase: “The hardest part is to start!” We would definitely agree with that, but another frequently mentioned phrase is: “Even the longest journey begins with a single step.”
January 4, 2020
Mental training
What is mental strength and how to develop it?
Athletes constantly hear about the importance of mental strength. Successful athletes and teams often emphasize the significance of mental toughness that leads to victory.
November 27, 2016
Our partners
We are proud of our collaboration with partners who support our work.
Do you want to find out which Mental Training program is ideal for you?
Take a moment to complete our short questionnaire.
