Short Bio
Dr. Robert Neff (Dr. Bob) has over 25 years of training professional athletes, Olympic gold medalists, world champions, national junior and collegiate champions, coaches, business executives, and performing artists from around the world. He earned his doctorate from the top ranked Sport Psychology program in the world - Michigan State University. Dr. Bob is the Founder of Mental Training, Inc. and leads a team of Mental Trainers® in 12+ countries. His past and current golf clients include juniors who reached AJGA and WAGR #1, NCAA champions, and PGA pros in all major tours.
1983 - 1987
Scholarship athlete at D-1 college for football and tennis : Age 18
1988 - 1989
Masters from Illinois State University in Coaching Education
1990 - 1997
Doctorate from Michigan State University
Played professional tennis events ('93-'97)
Played professional tennis events ('93-'97)
1997 - 2004
'01 - United States Tennis Association High Performance Coach Certificate
'03 - Created the Match Cluster Chart System® (visual representation of tennis match statistics for improved player understanding, retention and improvement)
-Created the Emotion Wheel® as an interactive tool to help athletes recognize their current emotional state and change it for the better during competition.
'04 - Created the Mental Mountain Grid Charting System® (visual representation of tennis match behaviors for feedback on Between Point Routines)
'03 - Created the Match Cluster Chart System® (visual representation of tennis match statistics for improved player understanding, retention and improvement)
-Created the Emotion Wheel® as an interactive tool to help athletes recognize their current emotional state and change it for the better during competition.
'04 - Created the Mental Mountain Grid Charting System® (visual representation of tennis match behaviors for feedback on Between Point Routines)
2004 - 2010
Authored 6 Sport Psychology Books beginning with Roadmap to the Zone
'07 - Worked with Elite gymnast Nastia Liukin prior to her multiple gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing
'10 - Created Certified Mental Coach® Online Certification Course (to prepare athletic coaches and business managers to apply mental skills to enhance the performance of their teams)
'07 - Worked with Elite gymnast Nastia Liukin prior to her multiple gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing
'10 - Created Certified Mental Coach® Online Certification Course (to prepare athletic coaches and business managers to apply mental skills to enhance the performance of their teams)
2010 - 2016
'11 - Created the Parent Mental Trainer® Online Course (to teach parents how to best support their athlete children)
'15 - Created the MentalApp® Mobile Mental Trainer (to enable Mental Trainers and coaches to stay more connected with their athletes as they mentally train and travel to competitions)
'15 - Created the MentalApp® Mobile Mental Trainer (to enable Mental Trainers and coaches to stay more connected with their athletes as they mentally train and travel to competitions)
2018
Trained the male and female world #1 junior golfers (Jacob Bergeron and Yujeong Son)
2024
Delivered over 30 publications and presentations for peer-reviewed academic organizations (beginning in 1997)
Lead Mental Trainer at the United States Tennis Association National Training Center in Carson, California
Trained US junior & professional tennis players at Wimbledon and the US Open
Trained the tennis players who won the last 4 Boys National Hardcourt tennis championships in Kalamazoo, MI (Zach Svajda and Learner Tien)
Lead Mental Trainer at the United States Tennis Association National Training Center in Carson, California
Trained US junior & professional tennis players at Wimbledon and the US Open
Trained the tennis players who won the last 4 Boys National Hardcourt tennis championships in Kalamazoo, MI (Zach Svajda and Learner Tien)