Working with Jon at Play Free Basketball has made a remarkable difference for my son, Mas, as an athlete and, more importantly, in the way he understands himself and approaches competition and life.Mas is a Division I college fencer, and although Jon’s work is rooted in basketball, the principles he teaches translate powerfully to any high-performance sport. Jon has helped Mas develop practical tools for managing pressure, recovering from setbacks, and staying present in competition. The change is especially noticeable during his fencing. A bad call, a lost touch, or a mistake that might once have caused him to spiral in the past no longer controls the rest of the bout. He is better able to reset, return to the moment, and keep fencing.Jon has helped Mas release some of the enormous pressure he places on himself. Mas is learning that taking his sport seriously does not mean carrying it like a burden. He is remembering how to have fun, enjoy fencing, and appreciate the experience, not just the result. As a parent, seeing that joy return has meant more than any improvement in his competitive performance.There is only so much I can give my child from my own knowledge and experience. I can love him, encourage him, and listen, but Jon understands aspects of athletic performance, mindset, and mental health that I simply do not. He gives Mas language, strategies, and perspective that I would not know how to provide. He has also created a trusted space where Mas can work through challenges with someone who truly understands the internal pressure experienced by serious athletes. And as a parent, Jon has notes for me too. He has helped me understand what I do that bests support my son, and areas where I can redirect or subtly change to help support mental resilience in Mas.Jon is thoughtful, knowledgeable, encouraging, and deeply invested in the whole person behind the athlete. I am incredibly grateful that Mas has had the opportunity to work with him, and I would enthusiastically recommend Play Free Basketball to athlete, and their parents, who understand that developing the mental side of performance is every bit as important as developing physical skill.

One session with Jon has already transformed my tennis game. I used to struggle with nerves during tight moments at the start of a match, and at deuce points. Jon taught me effective mental routines that keep me focused between points and help me play to win instead of playing not to lose. My mind is clear, and unforced errors are down. Highly recommend!

I’ve had quite a few meetings with coaches, psychologists and other professionals that I’ve sought out advice from over the past few years. When I jumped on the call with Jon I didn’t expect to be challenged. He challenged me and asked me questions about what I was going to do with the insights we put together. He pushed me to take action and really isolated the good intentions and reminded me that intentions aren’t action as good as they might feel. All the good will you have won’t take you anywhere if you don’t begin and he made it easy to begin. Highly recommend 🤙

Even though I’m not an athlete, I decided to book a mindset coaching session because I was looking for help feeling more present, grounded, and learning how to better regulate my chronic stress and fight or flight response.The experience was incredible. After talking through what I was experiencing, he guided me through some breathing techniques that helped me calm my nervous system in a way I hadn’t experienced before. It was amazing to feel myself go from activated to calm so quickly.He has a very genuine, grounded presence and creates a space where you feel comfortable and supported. I left the session feeling more centered than I have in a long time, and with practical tools I can continue to use. I’m so grateful for the experience and would highly recommend working with him and look forward to continuing !

I can’t say enough about Jon. He has been absolutely incredible. Not only has he helped me grow physically as a player, but he has also been an amazing source of mental support. He gave me confidence when I doubted myself and opened up new opportunities I never dreamed possible. I’m so grateful for his guidance and dedication and particularly developed my mindset to be killer. Jon is the type of person everyone needs in their life and was a crucial part of my basketball path.

Cali Yates:I have known Jon for 7 years and he has been my greatest mentor in basketball and in life. The mental performance skills Jon has taught me over the years have had a profound impact on my high school and university basketball career. He brings a calming presence to everything that he does and is one of the most intentional people I have met. His ability to incorporate mindfulness, meditation, visualization, breath work, journaling, and goal setting (to name a few) has allowed me to level up my game in many ways. As rewarding as it has been to have his support on my journey, it has been equally rewarding to witness his journey over the years. From all the work he has put into developing his company PlayFree to the work he has done with professional teams, it is clear that he leaves an impact on every person and organization he works with. I have also had the privilege of working for Jon’s company PlayFree, so I have first hand knowledge about the work he puts into helping athletes and the effect he has on them. Every athlete and organization would benefit from having Jon in their corner.

Jon is an amazing human being who is great at what he does. His program provides essential tools to deal with real world scenarios that can be applied on and off the court. So grateful for his work with my child and would recommend him to anyone.Thank you for everything Jon! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

Hello, my name is Alp Urfali and I’m a high school basketball player in the Philadelphia area.I’ve been working with Coach Jon for about 5-6 months now and he has completely changed my perspective on how I approach basketball, but more importantly, how I approach life. I’ve always been a person who is not the most confident in themselves and always worried about what other people were thinking about me. This season, I had 3 20 point games and was able to become a starter throughout the season. Coach Jon gave me a vision and helped me realize that my feelings were not what was holding me back. The problem was how I viewed those feelings. The butterflies in my stomach, the negative thoughts, self doubt, I always looked at these emotions as negative and things I needed to get rid of as soon as possible.Working with Coach Jon has allowed me to have more trust in myself and allow my body to truly indulge in these feelings. My family and friends can also clearly see the positive impact Coach Jon has left on me since I’ve been a much calmer and happier person. It is so refreshing to look at the world in an optimistic way and be able to love living my life.So to Coach Jon, thank you for teaching me so much about myself and I can’t wait for the impact you’ll have on others lives as well as you move forward in your career.

I reached out to Jon two months ago because my mindset was holding me back. I was crushing myself over mistakes and tying my self-worth to my performance, which killed my confidence and kept me from playing freely. My emotions were running the show, affecting me on and off the field.Since working with Jon, I've seen significant improvements. I now understand that mistakes are simply feedback, not failure. I’m able to reset and move forward after errors without feeling like the world is ending. I'm learning to focus on what I can control and how to reframe situations positively to make the most of every opportunity. I'm also learning to take up space and lead with confidence. My self-belief has sky rocketed ever since putting in consistent work with Jon. I have eradicated my imposter syndrome, which is something that I always used to struggle with. One of the most helpful things Jon has taught me is to "do it scared" – to acknowledge my reservations, label the emotions, and then push forward with positive self-talk. He's provided me with practical tools for managing stress like breath work, meditation, and somatic release. I actually get a bit excited now when challenges or bad days happen because it means it's an opportunity to practice these tools and continue conditioning my mental resilience.Jon's calming presence creates a safe space for open and honest conversation, which is incredibly important to me, especially given that he is a male coach and I am a female athlete. He never judges, I can feel his genuine care and desire to help. Instead of giving me answers, he encourages me to explore questions and brainstorm, which allows me to understand my own thought processes. After each session, I send him my key takeaways to reinforce what I've learned so it doesn’t just go in one ear and out the other.I highly recommend Jon to anyone seeking a mental edge in their sport. The best part is that these skills are transferable to all areas of life. Jon provides the techniques to build mental toughness and guides you towards self-sufficiency for continued success. I'm incredibly grateful to have found Jon when I needed help the most. The progress I've made in just two months has been remarkable, and I wholeheartedly recommend investing in yourself by working with him!

When I met Jon, I was in grade nine. He showed me how to know who I am as a player, and who I want to be as a player. I knew what I needed to work on. I learned how mental performance is just as important as physical performance in basketball and how to work on it. Jon has an arsenal when it comes to player development. I would learn something new every practice. I had a great time working with Jon, hope to work with him again!

Jon has Methods that had an immediate effect on me, chatting with him consistently gave me a blueprint to mindfulness. Above all he’s a good dude, down to earth, would recommend!

I’ve been working with Jon for a few months now and I find that he’s helped me a lot to improve different aspects of my game and my life.He’s a great listener and any time I have a question or am confused about something he finds a way not only to give me the answer I’m looking for but help me find the answer myself.Throughout the time I’ve been working with him I’ve learned a ton about the importance of our mental game in our success.I’m looking forward to continuing to improve as an athlete and person by using our conversations and the lessons and courses that he has put into place to help people around the world.

I am currently on the Play Free program. Jon’s professionalism, flexibility, and ability to read emotions makes this program very beneficial. The techniques that he can give you work and the guided meditations help greatly.Would absolutely recommend

Working with Jon has changed both my prpfession athletic career as a Basketball player as well as my personal life as an individual. He has guided me and given me tools to help better understand myself and what is required for me to maximize my Experience and performance as an athlete and a person. And for the first time in my career I feel as though I am fully in control of my performance, being able to mentally preprate myself and stay fully present to play freely, which the success and results habe consequently followed. Individually off the court for each person their challenges are unique and subjective, but for me I feel like a different person since working with Jon, as he has helped me with my stress management, my ability to be present, as well as my ability to be calm. This has had a positive and noticeable impact on my relationshjps, my non sport related ambitions, and arguably most importantly my daily functioning as a person.

Jon is great coach. He has been working with my son for the past 5 or 6 months and has helped him quite a bit in that short time. My son has an anxiety disorder that makes everything, especially playing basketball, difficult. Jon has been an incredible resource and support system for both me and my son. We still have a long journey ahead but are thankful to have Jon to help guide us through it.

Jon Giesbrecht was instrumental for me in high school by helping me to improve my confidence, focus, and mindset during games. He taught me how to stay calm under pressure and move on to the next play instead of being mentally stalled by my mistakes. He taught me breathing and coping techniques that has changed my outlook and the way I navigated errors made in the game. The skills he taught me not only made me a better basketball player but also helped me become a more confident and focused individual in all facets of my life.

Coach Jon has been a great help to me in overcoming my anxiety. He has helped me visualize difficult scenarios, tough me new strategies and helped me recover from mistakes faster than I have ever before.

Working with Jon has been a complete game changer for me as an athlete. In a very short amount of time, he’s already helped me reach a breakthrough in my mindset and approach to the game. As a collegiate golfer playing on the number one team in the nation, the mental side of performance is everything, and the impact he’s had on my confidence, focus, and perspective has been incredible.He has a unique ability to simplify the mental game and give practical tools that actually translate to performance under pressure. I’ve already seen improvements in how I handle competition, adversity, and staying committed to my process. I was able to have a top ten finish in the best field in the nation just this past week with Jon’s help.I’m extremely grateful for his guidance and would highly recommend him to any athlete who wants to take their performance and mindset to the next level.

Jon is truly one of the most impactful and influential person is my life. He has not only developed me into the player I am today, but he has sharpened my mental skills. Jon and I started working together many years ago. To see the impact he has made on so many people has been inspiring. In the early phases, Jon helped establish what it means to get out of my comfort zone. He continuously pushed me past my limits. Additionally he helped change my approach to adversity. There were many instances where Jon stepped into my life and helped me through the many challenges I have faced. He poured into both my sister and I and for that I am truly grateful. I have never had a coach so invested in both player and personal development. Each conversation we have, he provides new outlets and ways of life. To see the developments he had made with Playfree has been inspiring. Jon works tirelessly to ensure student athletes reach their full potential. He is my greatest mentor and i can confidently say without his impact, i would not be the player or person i am today. Jon is undoubtedly one of the greatest minds in the basketball community. If you ever have the chance to work with Jon, just know he will pour into your development from an athletic and mental standpoint. Playfree is one of the best outlets for all athletes. Jon has built this community through his hard work and dedication. I can honestly say he is one of the greatest and most genuine person i have ever met. I have never been so grateful to be coached by such a dedicated and hard working person.

I’ve worked with Jon at Play Free Basketball since I was a kid, and he was one of the first people who truly believed in me as a player. From the beginning, he invested time in my development and always pushed me to see my potential, even before I fully believed in it myself.As I got older, Jon began focusing more on the mental performance side of basketball, and that shift had a huge impact on me. He taught me strategies like visualization, staying present in the moment, and building confidence under pressure. Those mental tools completely changed how I approach the game and helped me perform with more focus and composure.Jon has been a huge part of my growth both on and off the court, and I’m incredibly grateful for the belief and guidance he’s given me throughout my basketball journey.