The Hard 90 Podcast With Zach Sorensen

Instead of focusing on whether things are good or bad, focus on progress. Stay committed to getting a little better every day.

Figure out who it is that you want to be and Be U More!

If you recognize your reason why and it is big enough, your commitment to the why will overpower the way you feel.

Lessons learned.... 1. It all starts with developing your process. 2. It takes small actions every day 3. It takes persistence, patience, and commitment.

If your commitment is greater than your feelings, you will get results. Schwarber tracked 1,300 pitches from a pitching machine, a process that helped him recognize breaking balls. He faced live pitching from a Cubs prospect. And then he played in two games. He walked twice, and his only hit was a double, but Epstein said in his second game, on Monday, “he smoked three balls.” And the next night, he played in a World Series game.

Athlete Tough.  If I were to ask you what is the key to being mentally tough, what would you say the answer is?

Somewhere Someone Is Practicing and when you meet them in a head to head competition....  They'll BEAT you.

What is your passion? Can you make your work your passion? Your passion will give you enjoyment in the process. Your passion will give you enjoyment in the struggle. 

When you can tap in to your ultimate why, you become more resilient and powerful.  In this episode we break down The Power Behind Finding Your Why.

Why do you do the things you do? What is the reason for doing it? If you can establish an even bigger reason why, that reason why will help you get through the difficult days. Also, it is during your failures that you can lean on your reason why to keep you in the fight and help you get back on track. 

Your goal is to bombard your opponents with wave after wave of missile strikes to disorient, disrupt, disable, and demoralize them. Over time, this combination of a purposeful, powerful, planned, precise, and persistent approach to competition is usually enough to eventually destroy most teams and force them to retreat or surrender. Jeff Janssen, Janssen Sports Leadership Center

Your athletes will need to know exactly when, where, and how to strike your opponents to best weaken and disable them. How precisely your athletes are able to execute and adapt their game plan will have a big bearing on the final outcome.

Instead of relying solely on power to take down an opponent, especially one who has just as much or more firepower, they must develop a calculated and coordinated plan of attack designed to take out your opponent's strengths and target their weaknesses.

Competitiveness is, in essence, the harnessing of the explosive power of passion, desire, rage, and fury into a single streamlined, powerful, and destructive force, like a missile.

Determining a compelling purpose for the war is what generates the passion necessary for fighting fiercely. The more compelling the purpose is, the stronger the passion for fighting.

What are the three steps to ownership? Step 1 - Know it. Step 2 - Do it. Step 3 - Own it. 

No Blaming. No Complaining. No Defending. Great rules to live by when working in a team environment.

What is your definition of mental toughness? Consider this definition... doing things that you don't want to do. 

There is nothing more important that for you to be present in each and every moment. Focus on being where your feet are.

What is your response when things get difficult? Do you see the negative in everything? Do you feel sorry for yourself? Try flipping the script. Hard times? Good. This may be the adversity that helps you turn the corner. Tough times makes for good opportunities.

It is the start that stops most people. Movement will always begin the building of momentum. Have a narrow focus with a goal of winning one play at a time. It is the stacking victories that will lead to the momentum that will help you to be unstoppable. 

Instead of focusing on the other team, what they have done in the past, or what they will do to you in the future, stay present. Focus on this play. Win this play.

How do yo gain momentum? How do you find yourself controlling the perceived momentum in the game. How can you stop the momentum of the other team?

When you start to struggle, you also start to look for answers.  It's Easy To Stay Disciplined When You Are Struggling. Are you able to stay disciplined even when you are not struggling?

Stay locked in on the current day. Stay focused on the present moment. Don't look to the finish line, but instead, work on making every day and every moment count.

What do you do to hold yourself accountable? What do you do to maintain your self-control and discipline? Listen to what Michael Cuddyer used to do to remind him to stay locked in each and every game.

Kobe Bryant used a strategy to make the switch mentally to get him focused on the task at hand. What are you doing to flip the switch?

One of the biggest mistakes we make as coaches is always asking players how they feel.  What that suggests is that the way we feel dictates the way we perform. This is not the case.

The three phases of mental performance training.... Prepare - Takes place before the competition Compete - Takes place during the competition Progress - Takes place after the competition

Discipline is a key component is all individuals that are winners.  Train disciple by using the Habit Cycle.

Instead of wondering why you aren't getting success, ask yourself, "Have I done what it takes to deserve success?"

Event + Response = Outcome.  You can't control what is happening to you or around you. You can only control the way you respond to it.

The Derek Jeter Affect: treat spring training games like regular season games. Treat regular season games like playoff games. Make them important, but not special.

Dn't ask if you are better than the person you are getting ready to compete against. Instead, ask, can I beat them on this play? What will it take to beat them on this play? And then, execute the plan.

Playoff baseball is here. The seats will be full of fans.  The energy will be electric. Every game matters. In this moment, remember what it took to get you here. Play the game one pitch at a time. Remember to play the game, not the occasion.

What is earthing or grounding? A combination of grounding and meditation can help you relax, focus, and get you locked in to the present moment. 

1. Breathing - Relaxation 2. Affirmations - Confidence Conditioning 3. Look Back - Mental Recall 4. Look Forward - Mental Rehearsal

4 Reasons Every Athlete Should Meditate 1. Stress Reduction 2. Improved Sleep Patterns and Speeding Recovery Time 3. Enhanced Endurance 4. Improved Sense of Identity, Self, and the Body

Add the 54321 body scan when you are looking for a total body relaxation.  This guided meditation will help you focus on different parts of your body and help you bring focused relaxation to these specific parts. Uses this mediation to help you wind down or get you into a meditative state any time during the day.

Inhale for 5 seconds... Hold for 5 seconds... Exhale for 5 seconds... Hold for 5 seconds. 5 x 5 Box breathing allows you to relax and focus with a mental visual to keep you in the present moment. 

Inhale for six.... Hold for two.... Exhale for eight.... This allows you to relax, to focus, and get yourself into the present moment.

Do you want to decrease anxiety and help yourself be in the present moment?  Focus on the breath. Three Breathing Techniques That Could Turn You Into A Sporting Hero: Diaphragmatic Breathing (AKA deep belly breathing) Long exhale breathing Bhramari (humming bee) breathing

When you are at your best, you are relaxed and focused. How do you get relaxed and focused? Use the breath. 

I often hear people say that they are not One hundred percent. What do you do when you aren't at one hundred percent? Give One Hundred Percent Of What You've Got.

What are you focusing on? Narrow your focus. Focus on this moment, stay present, and execute this moment.

How do you allow yourself to relax, regain your focus and get back to the present moment? Take a deep breath on a focal point. What is your focal point?

Create an imaginary circle of focus that you can step into prior to you movement that will help you lock in on being in the present moment.

If you want to get results, narrow your focus.  Pick the one thing you want to focus on and attack it.  What is your one word focus or the one thing you want to focus on?

Headlights do not show you the whole path. Instead, they shine for the next two hundred feet. They remind you to focus on the next two hundred feet, and the next two hundred feet. The same is true for reaching a bigger goal. Focus on the next two hundred feet and before you know it, you will be at the goal. 

In your life, are you focused on the 26 miles or are you focused on one mile, 26 times?  Narrow your focus. 

What Separates High School College And Professional Baseball Players? Consistency.  How do you get consistency? Focus. One. Play. At. A. Time.