Oklahoma City · Private instruction
The mental game
Baseball asks kids to fail more than any other sport, then get up tomorrow and want it again. That's a skill. It can be taught.
I wrote the book on this
The Mental Game of Baseball: Master Your Mind
The mental side is the hardest part of the game to train, because unlike velocity or batting average you can't see the progress on a chart — which is exactly why most players skip it. Edited by Gatlin Johnson, with artwork by Eleni Aman. Find it on Amazon →
Why it matters
The part of the game nobody practices
A player will spend a hundred hours on their swing and zero minutes on what to do after they strike out. Then we're surprised when the strikeout is the thing that beats them.
Think about what this game actually asks. A good hitter fails seven times out of ten. A pitcher stands alone on a hill with everyone watching and nothing happens until they throw. A catcher wears the mistake of every passed ball. In most youth sports, a bad moment gets absorbed by the flow of play. In baseball, everything stops and everyone looks at the kid who just missed.
Most of the players I see who are "underperforming" aren't short on ability. They're carrying the last at-bat into this one, or trying not to fail instead of trying to succeed. No amount of tee work fixes that.
So I coach it directly, in the same sessions as the physical work — because on the field, they were never separate things.
★★★★★… covering not just the fundamentals but the mindset and approach to the game. As a parent I have seen the growth and results on and off the field. Tanyon is always excited for the next game, the confidence is there, really fun to watch.
What we work on
Concrete skills, not pep talks
None of this is about "being positive." These are specific, practicable habits, and they look the same whether a player is nine or eighteen.
Routines
A repeatable pre-pitch sequence that gives the player something to do with their attention. The most reliable tool there is, and the easiest to start with.
Resetting
A deliberate way to let go of the last pitch before the next one arrives. Baseball gives you about fifteen seconds. That's enough, if you know how to use it.
Self-talk
Noticing what a player says to themselves after a mistake, and changing it. Most young players talk to themselves in a way they'd never talk to a teammate.
Process over results
Learning to judge a good at-bat by the decisions and the swing, not the box score. Hard for kids, harder for parents, and it changes everything.
Competing under pressure
Bases loaded, full count, everyone watching. Pressure isn't something you eliminate — it's something you prepare for and eventually learn to want.
Confidence that survives a slump
Confidence built on preparation rather than recent results, so an 0-for-4 doesn't take it all away.
For parents
The car ride home matters more than the lesson
I'll say this plainly, because it's the highest-leverage thing in this whole conversation: what happens on the drive home shapes a young player more than anything I do in an hour.
The instinct to review the game, offer a correction, or ask why they didn't run that ball out is completely understandable. It also teaches a kid that your approval tracks their performance. That's the root of most of the fear I see in the box.
The research-backed advice from sports psychologists is almost comically simple, and it works: "I love watching you play." That's it. Let them bring up the game if they want to.
- Skip the post-game breakdown. If they want to talk, they'll start.
- Praise effort and decisions, not hits. They can't control hits.
- One coach at a time. Sideline instruction during a game splits their attention.
- Let them own it. Their bag, their gear, their conversation with the coach.
- Watch for the joy. If it disappears for weeks, that's the signal that matters.
Where my lane ends
I'm a baseball coach, not a licensed mental health professional. I teach the mental skills of competing — routines, focus, handling failure. If a player is dealing with anxiety, depression, or anything beyond the game, that calls for a qualified professional, and I'll tell you so rather than pretend otherwise.
Questions
Mental game questions parents ask
Is this sports psychology?
No, and I want to be precise about that. I'm a baseball coach, not a licensed mental health professional. I teach the mental skills of competing: routines, focus, handling failure, and self-talk on the field. Anything beyond the game calls for a licensed professional.
Can we do mental game work on its own?
Not on its own. Mental game work is woven into hitting, pitching and catching sessions rather than sold separately — and I think it works better that way. These skills are easier to learn attached to something a player is physically doing than talked about in the abstract.
My player gets nervous before games and sometimes doesn't want to go. What do we do?
Start by finding out whether it's performance nerves or something bigger. Ordinary nerves respond well to routines and preparation, and that's squarely coachable. If a player genuinely dreads going, that's worth taking seriously and worth a conversation with someone qualified.
Is my kid too young for this?
If they're old enough to be upset after a strikeout, they're old enough to learn what to do about it. The work looks different for a nine-year-old than a sixteen-year-old, but the foundation is the same — and starting early helps.
What can parents do to help?
More than anything I do in a lesson. Two things carry most of the weight: skip the post-game breakdown in the car, and praise the effort and the decisions rather than the hits. A player who believes your approval depends on results learns to fear failing.
Let's talk about your player
Tell me a little about them — age, position, and what you're hoping to work on. I'll get back to you personally, usually within a day.
Lessons start at $75 an hour.