The Concentration Room

Every player talks about the importance of focus. But few ever train it. Fewer still know how to protect it.

For me, it started with something simple: finding a quiet place to get away from the noise. Sometimes it was the clubhouse before the game. Other times, it was a walk to deep center field. Just me, my breath, and the sound of nothing.

That’s when I’d close my eyes and begin the process. I’d slow everything down — find my breath, feel my heartbeat — and picture a door in my mind. A simple, solid door to a dark room. No windows. No lights. No distractions. Just four walls and a floor.

This was the Concentration Room.

The goal was to step through that door, lock it behind me, and stay there — fully present, fully focused, completely undisturbed. It became my pregame ritual, but more than that, it became my mental home. A place I could return to again and again, no matter what was going on around me.

Once I was in the room, nothing else existed. Not the crowd, not the opponent, not the scoreboard. Just me and the game. Sure, people could try to knock. A bad call, a mistake, a big moment — all knocking at the door. But I never answered. That was the rule. You don’t leave the room. You don’t let anyone in.

The Concentration Room became the place where I performed at my best — not because I was hyped up, but because I was locked in. Centered. Clear. I wasn’t reacting to the game emotionally. I was responding with intent.

That’s where confidence came from.

If you want to perform at your highest level, you have to protect your focus like it’s sacred — because it is. You can train your body all you want, but if your mind is noisy, scattered, or easily shaken, you’ll never access your full potential.

Find your version of the Concentration Room.

Build it. Visualize it. Go there every day.

And once you walk in, don’t answer the door.