It’s just not baseball; life moves fast also. So, if you don’t learn how to control yourself, both baseball and life will control you. That’s why we teach players to:

 

Simplify

If your mind is cluttered with too many options, distractions, and unnecessary noise, you’ll struggle to focus on what really matters. For instance, a player stepping up to the plate can’t think about several different things at once—his stance, his grip, his elbow placement, his launch angle. That’s chaos. He has to strip it down to the essentials. At the plate, maybe a batter just narrows their focus on picking the ball up early, trusting their swing will make solid contact. Simplifying clears the path.

 

Focus

Once you simplify, you can “Focus.” Your attention narrows, locking in on what’s important in that moment—without distractions pulling you in different directions. This allows you to give everything to the task at hand. In the batter’s box, maybe that means focusing only on the pitcher’s release point so you can pick up the ball early, therefore preparing the swing with intent.

 

Respond

And now, with clarity and focus, you can “Respond.” Not react—respond. Simply put, responding and reacting come from two totally different mindsets. Reactions are done on impulse, without putting much thought into it or considering what the end result may be. A response is a controlled, deliberate action done with reasoning based on the present situation in front of you.

 

Imagine a pitcher gives up a home run. Reacting means slamming the rosin bag, muttering under their breath, and letting frustration take over. Responding means taking a deep breath, refocusing, and executing the next pitch with confidence. One is emotional. The other is controlled. Responding wins games. Reacting loses them…

 

 Simplify. Focus. Respond.

That’s how YOU take control of YOUR own success.