Mental Essentials Skill Development Program
A 12-Week Program Designed by Marlin Muylaert, ChPC
Every elite athlete's edge starts in the mind. Perpetually Nine is a 12-week mental essentials program designed by Marlin Muylaert (MSPE/ChPC) — built on one simple, powerful belief: before an athlete can maximize their physical game, they need the growth mindset that fuels it.
The name says it all. Nine, perpetually. Never arriving at 10 out of 10. Always climbing. It's the mindset that separates athletes who plateau from athletes who keep getting better, year after year, season after season.
PHASE 1 // MINDSET
The athlete's growth mindset commitment is built from the ground up through three core mental essential skills — the bedrock every high performer needs before anything else can take hold.
PHASE 2 // PROCESSES AND ROUTINES OF EXCELLENCE
Marlin guides the athlete through the daily mental habits and processes that sustain growth, deepen improvement, and reignite their love for the game — turning mindset into a routine, not just an idea.
PHASE 3 // LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE
In the final phase, the athlete takes full possession of their mental essential skills, using them to drive real performance gains and step into a leadership role — on their team and in their own personal development.
Three Phases. Twelve Weeks. Skills for a Lifetime.
Phenomenon
Relative Age Effect (RAE)
“What if your child’s struggle in sports has nothing to do with their ability. And everything to do with their birthday?”
It’s called Relative Age Effect- an unintentional, systemic bias in youth sports. Because sports group kids by calendar year, an athlete born in January can be nearly a full year older, bigger and faster that one born in December.
Tragically, coaches routinely mistake this temporary physical maturity for raw talent, funneling early-born kids into elite development paths while leaving late-born athletes behind.
If your July to December child is feeling discouraged and less confident, they are not less talented, they are just younger. Stop letting a calendar defect crush their confidence. Turn a temporary negative into your child’s greatest asset. Watch these 3 videos, then take control of your child’s experience by purchasing the manual:
The Phenomenon Known as Relative Age Affect
Relative Age Effect and its Impact on the Hockey Journey
Combatting Relative Age Effect
The Three Pillars of Experience
Most practitioners in this field arrive from one of these 3 worlds. Marlin has lived, breathed and thrived in all three. His unique experience and perspective bridges the gap between how a young athlete feels, how a coach thinks, and what a scout is looking for when evaluating- ensuring your child develops the elite mental resilience hockey decision makers notice.
01 // COACH
Marlin's coaching credentials are matched only by his results. He holds a Master of Science in Physical Education from Ohio University (1986), an NCCP Advanced Coaching Certification, and the Chartered Professional Coach (ChPC) designation from the Coaching Association of Canada- the highest professional designation for sports coaches in Canada. True to his P9 philosophy of continued improvement, Marlin recently completed his Mental Performance Mastery (MPM) coaching certification, sharpening his focus on the psychological edge that separates the good athletes from the great ones. On the ice the results speak for themselves: 3 Provincial hockey championships, the 1997 Canadian University Hockey Championship title, and a bronze medal coaching Team Canada and the 1999 FISU World Student Games in Slovakia. Decades of championship level coaching. A relentless commitment to the mental game. This is the experience behind every athlete Marlin trains.
02 // TEACHER
From 2008 to 2013 Marlin taught Introductory Psychology at Durham College- 5 years in the classroom that gave him a deep, working understanding of what truly drives human behavior. That experience built a rare bridge between the classroom and the locker room, shaping the way he connects with athletes on a personal level and helps them understand themselves.
03 // SCOUT
Marlin has been with Neutral Zone Scouting () since its inception, serving as Director of Canadian and European Scouting and helping build the organization into the world's #1 independent amateur hockey scouting network. Years spent evaluating the best young hockey players in the world has provided Marlin with the trained eye for identifying the exact mental qualities that help good players become great.
The Pedigree
An Inevitable Convergence
Marlin Muylaert’s path to mental performance coaching was not a career pivot — it was an inevitable convergence. Over four decades in and around elite sport, he has built an uncommon professional profile resting on three distinct pillars: championship-level collegiate coaching, the classroom teaching of psychology, and an active leadership role within amateur hockey scouting.
What distinguishes Marlin is the combination: a decorated coach who has also stood in front of a psychology classroom and who continues to evaluate elite talent at the highest levels of amateur hockey. He understands the mental game from every angle it can be viewed — and brings all of it to the athletes he serves.
12-Week Mental Essentials Skills Blueprints
Structured program combining 12 custom lesson plans engineered to build an elite mental toolbox.
1-on-1 Individual Program
Completely private and confidential 1 on 1 instruction guaranteeing full attention to your athlete’s specific roadblocks. Perfect for identifying individual challenges and tailoring unique psychological approaches.
- 12 Private Sessions with Marlin
- 12 Tailored Lesson Summaries
- Psychological Testing included
- 4 Complimentary 15-Minute Check-In Calls
This Program is Right for Your Child If:
- ➔ Your child would benefit more from direct, undivided coaching attention every session.
- ➔ Your child would be uncomfortable discussing specific items in front of peers.
- ➔ Your child has sensitive issues he wants to address specifically 1 on 1.
Small Group Program
Collaborate and grow alongside peer athletes. A highly engaging program focusing on Mindset, Process and Performance.
- 12 Weeks of Structured Training
- 12 Comprehensive Lesson Plans
- 2 Complimentary 15-Minute Check-In Calls
This Program is Right for Your Child If:
- ➔ Your child is socially oriented, and would benefit from camaraderie, healthy competition, and whose issues (confidence, handling set-backs, etc) are common and shared.
- ➔ Having your child hearing that other players struggle as well eliminates the “I’m the only one” feeling.
- ➔ Having your child listen to and support others, thereby building social-emotional skills is important to your child.
- ➔ Your child would benefit from group accountability.
Relative Age Effect Consulting
This program addition is to sell consulting blocks of time to parents who would like to discuss their child’s RAE experience to receive advice.
- 1-Hour Private RAE Consultation
- Discuss your child's RAE experiences
- Receive actionable guidance from Marlin
This Consultation is Right for You If:
- ➔ You want to understand the impact of Relative Age Effect on your child's youth sports journey.
- ➔ You need professional, targeted advice on how to turn an age disadvantage into a long-term asset.
- ➔ You want to discuss strategy blocks of time with a championship university coach and scout.
The Mental Performance Manual
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