REPROGRAM your mind as a Baseball Player

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Athletter

Good morning to all new and old readers! Here’s today’s edition of my Athletter, exploring stories, ideas, and frameworks to be the best Baseball Player you can be.

For those of you who prefer the video version, you can watch the full detailed version here:

In 2021, I was plagued with a BAD case of the throwing yips.

For 2 years, I tried every mental performance technique that exists, without success.

Here's what actually worked to overcome the yips:

Most mental performance focuses on techniques.

Breathing, self-talk, visualization, routine.

But if you’ve ever tried those and still struggled with performance:

You’re not alone:

I learned this the hard way.

At 18, I signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.

At my first spring training, I developed one of the worst cases of The Yips.

I couldn’t throw a strike.

I couldn’t even play catch without throwing the ball away.

I tried everything.

Breathing drills, visualization, pre-pitch routines—but nothing worked...

Because I didn’t fix the root of the problem.

My foundations were weak.

I had no understanding of how my mind actually worked.

I see the mind in 3 layers:

1. The Foundation – Your self-identity, fears, and core beliefs.

2. Principles – The core mindsets and mental models that determine success or failure.

3. Mental Performance Techniques – The routines and tools for confidence and focus.

Layer 1: The Foundation

Your foundation is the most important part of mental performance.

There are 2 major parts to the foundation:

Foundation 1): Self-Identity & Beliefs

There’s a book called Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz:

A plastic surgeon who found that even after fixing people’s faces, some still saw themselves as ugly.

He realized something important:

Your mind and actions will always stay consistent with how you see yourself.

If you see yourself as an anxious player, you’ll play like one.

If you believe you’re not a strike thrower, you're gonna struggle to throw strikes.

It's called self-identity theory.

So how do you fix negative self identity?

Unfortunately, you can't just DECIDE to change how you see yourself.

Your brain needs evidence.

You need to stack evidence that supports a new belief.

For example, when I saw myself as an anxious, insecure person:

I did something called the Rejection Challenge—a series of tasks designed to get rejected on purpose

e.g. asking a stranger for $100.

Each time I did it, I built proof that I could overcome my anxieties.

For baseball, the same concept applies.

If you believe you’re bad at throwing strikes, start a daily command routine.

Every day you hit your spots, you build evidence that proves, I am a strike thrower.

Foundation 2): Fear

Fear controls more athletes than anything else.

The biggest fears I faced were:

• Fear of failure • Fear of judgment • Fear of rejection

Fear has the power to override every mental performance technique.

You can do all the breathing drills in the world...

But if you're not able to control your fear, you'll play below your potential.

The best way to beat fear is exposure therapy.

Facing what you fear in small doses until your brain realizes that it's not that bad...

For example:

When I was terrified of throwing the ball away, I forced myself to make bad throws on purpose.

I feared rejection, so I did rejection challenges in everyday life to desensitize myself.

Fear shrinks when you expose yourself to it repeatedly.

Layer 2: Principles:

Once your foundation is strong, the next step is developing the right principles:

Core beliefs that guide your actions.

Here are some principles that have impacted me:

1. Obsession

The best athletes aren’t just talented.

They're obsessed.

Shohei Ohtani had his entire life mapped out to be a first-round pick.

Travis Bazzana, the 2024 #1 overall pick, structured every minute of his life around becoming great.

As cliche as it is, I still love this quote:

If your goal isn’t the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing before you sleep, you don’t want it enough.

Obsession is common trait among the ultra successful.

A principle I'll hold for life.

2. The Dip:

Every player experiences "the dip":

A point where progress slows, things get tough, and frustration sets in.

Most Players Quit Here.

The dip is where 99% of players give up.

But those who push through separate themselves.

Baseball is a game of attrition—whoever can survive the dip longest has the best chance of making it.

3. Growth Mindset

Failure is inevitable in baseball.

If you see failure as part of the process, you will fear it less:

Leading to better performance.

4. The Spotlight Effect

You think everyone is judging you. They’re not.

Science proves that people are too focused on themselves to be thinking about you.

Stop letting the fear of what others think hold you back—they aren’t even thinking about you.

These are some principles that I hold that will guide me for life.

Develop good principles by reading, watching and talking to successful people.

Notice the patterns.

Implement it into your own mindset and life.

Layer 3: Mental Performance Techniques

This is the Cherry on Top.

Only after fixing your foundation and adopting the right principles do mental performance techniques actually work.

Techniques That Helped Me:

• Routine – Pre game, Pre pitch

• Breathing (Cyclic Sigh) – calm nerves.

• Self-Talk – Short, simple phrases that keep focus sharp.

Again.

These things are the cherry on top.

TLDR:

Fix the Foundation, and Performance Follows.

Most mental performance advice skips the most important part:

The foundation and principles.

If you don’t address self-identity and fear, no amount of mental training will help.

If you don’t build principles: you'll never reach your full potential.

Work on the deep layers - not surface area techniques.

This is what I wish I had been told when I was 18.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you: 

1. Free 9 Week Program: A free generic program for those looking to gain velocity.

2. My Best Thoughts: I upload Youtube videos multiple times a week sharing my best thoughts.

3. ThePitcherLab: Exclusive group of pitchers looking to work 1-1 with us. Our mission is to help you become good enough to get recruited or signed. Full Stack Program, Full Mechanical Breakdown, Daily Feedback. DM me ‘1-1’ for details.