The One Mental Shift Every Athlete Needs to Flip the Script

One over some, few, or many.

It doesn’t have to be all. It doesn’t have to be many. It doesn’t even have to be a few.

It only has to be one.

It is our focus. It is the creation of our confidence.

Instead of stressing about everything piled on our plate, we look at one single piece. One moment. One task. One focus.

That’s the point heading into these fall seasons: not trying to take on everything, but locking in on the one thing that matters right now.

A Lesson From the Field

At a recent parent–team meeting, the one topic that came up more than anything else wasn’t mechanics. It wasn’t swing speed, form, or strength.

It was the mental side of the season.

How are you going to move on from the last play? The missed spot? The bad rep? The wrong move?

That’s where the one shows up. Not in fixing everything, but in shifting your focus to the one thing in front of you.

Identifying The One

Here are a few ways athletes can practice this:

1. One Play: You don’t need the entire playbook. You just need the one play that moves the game forward.
2. One Spot: You don’t have to see everything. Lock in on one small spot on the ball. Focus sharpens performance.
3. One Position: Sure, you can learn them all. But if you never master one position, knowing many won’t matter.

The Hidden Secret

The one shows up in our performance more than we realize.

Most of the time, we don’t even notice it.

But when we do… that’s when things change. Confidence shifts. Performance flips. And all it takes is one simple adjustment.

What’s Your One?

One of our athletes shifted his internal coaching style with one mental exercise on the football field. Another got one step closer to dominating this fall by making one change in how he blocked his time.

There are endless “one things” you can do. But the truth is…

The one thing makes a one-hundred percent difference.

So, what’s the one thing you’re strengthening this week?

• Gabe, TAH