Shows / Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
A sports psychology and mental performance podcast for athletes, sports parents and coaches. Mental performance coach Ron Schmittling (Coach Ron MPM, St. Louis) gives you short, practical episodes on pressure, confidence, focus, the reset after a mistake, and what to say on the car ride home, across softball, baseball, volleyball, basketball, soccer and golf. New episodes Monday, Wednesday and Friday. More at coachronmpm.com/podcast
Episodes
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Stop Performing for Approval
Strikeout, eyes go to the dugout. Missed serve, eyes go to the bench. Bad pass, eyes go up into the bleachers looking for one face. Am I okay? Are you mad? Do…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Confidence Isn't Your Identity
Saturday: three for three, two doubles, a diving catch in the gap. Sunday: oh for four, two strikeouts looking. Headphones in. Hood up. By Monday she's telling…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Book Breakdown: Mindset
Finish this sentence out loud: "I'm just not a good..." Hitter? Free throw shooter? Math person? Now listen to how final that sounded. Like the judge already…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Comfort Is Quietly Winning
Think of the drill you're great at. The one where you can almost turn your brain off. When was the last time it felt hard? Comfort doesn't kick the door in. It…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Emotional Regulation (Workshop)
The ref makes the call, and it's wrong. Your face gets hot. Your hands are shaking a little. Somebody yells from the bench, "Let it go." Great idea. But how?…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Don't Solve Tomorrow Today
The bag is packed. The uniform is folded on the chair. And she's lying in bed, already playing tomorrow. By midnight, she's lost a game that hasn't started. In…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
What You Repeat, You Become
“Here we go again.” “Don’t mess this up.” You’ve said it so many times, it shows up on its own. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Compete With Curiousity
You shank the pass. “What is wrong with me?” That’s not coaching. That’s a verdict. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Practice Doesn't Make Perfect
She hit that pitch all week. With nothing on the line. Then Saturday came. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Fear Loves Assumptions
The college coach is watching. You're going to mess up. Everybody will see. None of that has happened yet. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Reset Routine (Workshop)
You're going to make a mistake this week. The question is what happens in the next thirty seconds. In this Mental Skills Workshop on Into The Storm | Where…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Why Athletes Rush
Bases loaded. Your heart is pounding. And suddenly everything speeds up. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Tiny Choices Become Big Results
Head down or head up. Jog back or walk back. Look at your teammate or look at the ground. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Boring Wins
Same drill. Third day in a row. You're bored out of your mind. Good. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains why…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Book Breakdown: Atomic Habits
A bike seat. A pillow. A bar of soap. In this Book Breakdown on Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron reviews James Clear's Atomic Habits…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Your Record Doesn't Get a Vote
Eleven missed cuts in nineteen starts. Then a sixty-two. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron takes apart the permission…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Tuesday Rule
Everybody works on their head in the parking lot. New research says that's the worst time to do it. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Pressing Is Not Trying Harder
Trying harder is effort. Pressing is effort with a second job attached. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron breaks down…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Trust the Preparation
The moment doesn't want more from you. It wants you to stop adding. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains why…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Identity Before Outcome
Your record is data. It is not a description of you. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains why athletes quietly…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
One Bad Play Doesn't Need Company
One mistake is one mistake. Until you invite the rest of them. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains why the…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Your Brain Is an Attorney
Your brain doesn't look for the truth. It builds a case. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains why your mind…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Trying Harder Isn't Better
Something stops working. And everybody's first instruction is the same. Try harder. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Visualization That Actually Works (Workshop)
Most visualization advice doesn't work. Not because imagery is soft. Because people picture the trophy instead of the rep. In this episode of Into The Storm |…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Your Brain Doesn't Know What “Don't” Looks Like
“Don't strike out.” “Don't double fault.” “Don't miss short.” “Don't screw this up.” Athletes say these things because they're trying to avoid mistakes. The…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The First Five Minutes After a Bad Performance
What happens immediately after a bad performance matters. Not because you need to instantly become positive. But because those first few minutes often…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
You Don't Rise to the Moment. You Return to Your Training.
We love the idea of athletes suddenly becoming extraordinary when the pressure is highest. But pressure usually doesn't create a new performer. It reveals what…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Playing Not to Lose
You've seen it happen. An athlete or team gets the lead... And suddenly everything changes. They stop attacking. They start protecting. They become careful…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Stop Renting Your Self-Worth
What happens when your opinion of yourself depends on today's scoreboard? You play well—you feel valuable. You struggle—you question everything. That's not…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Book Breakdown: The Confident Mind
What if confidence isn't something you either have or don't have? In The Confident Mind, Dr. Nate Zinsser argues that confidence is something we can…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Comeback Starts Before the Score Changes
We notice a comeback when the scoreboard changes. But that's usually not where it begins. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within,Coach…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Five Match Points: Pressure Is a Series of Moments
Pressure becomes overwhelming when athletes start carrying several moments at once. The mistake that just happened. The consequence of the next one. The…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Game Isn't Over When It Feels Over
There is a dangerous moment in competition when the scoreboard says you're still playing—but your mind has already decided how the story ends. In this episode…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Your Future Self Is Watching
Imagine your future self watching every decision you make today. Would they thank you... Or wish you had chosen differently? The athlete you'll become next…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Win the Warm-Up
Most athletes think competition starts when the whistle blows. They're wrong. The game begins the moment you wake up. How you prepare mentally before the first…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Story You Tell Yourself
Two athletes can experience the exact same moment... And walk away with completely different futures. Why? Because performance isn't shaped only by what…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Every Decision Casts a Vote
Championships aren't won by one decision. They're won by thousands of them. Every workout. Every recovery session. Every conversation. Every choice. Whether…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Tactical Self-Talk (Workshop)
You talk to yourself more than anyone else. The question isn't if you're talking. It's what you're saying. Most athletes use self-talk to judge themselves…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Stop Negotiating With Yourself
Every athlete negotiates. "Just this once." "I'll start tomorrow." "One missed workout won't matter." The problem isn't the decision. It's the habit of…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
You Don't Have a Confidence Problem. You Have an Evidence Problem.
Most athletes spend years trying to feel more confident. But confidence isn't something you manufacture. It's something your brain awards after it has enough…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Invisible Scoreboard
Every game has two scoreboards. One everyone can see. One only you can. The problem is most athletes lose the invisible game long before they lose the real…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Borrowed Confidence Never Lasts
Where does your confidence come from? Your last game? Your coach? Your parents? Social media? The problem is that confidence borrowed from someone orsomething…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Standards Beat Motivation Every Time
Motivation feels great—but it doesn't last. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains why the highest performers…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Story You Tell Yourself After the Mistake
Mistakes don't destroy performance. The story you tell yourself afterward often does. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Pressure Doesn't Build Confidence. Preparation Does.
Every athlete wants confidence. The problem is, most people are looking for it in the wrong place. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Momentum Is Earned, Not Found
Everyone wants momentum. Few people know how to create it. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron breaks down one of the…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Confidence Trap: Why Success Can Make You Comfortable
Success can build confidence—but it can also quietly create complacency. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explores…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Pressure Doesn't Create You. It Reveals You.
Pressure has a way of exposing what's already inside us. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explores why pressure…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Back
Losing focus is part of performing. Staying lost is a choice. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explores one of the…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Where Your Attention Goes
Your attention is your greatest competitive advantage—and it's under attack every single day. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Lighthouse Never Went Out
Sometimes growth happens quietly. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron returns after several months away from the…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Storm Calm — 3-Minute Focus Reset
When focus slips, thinking harder doesn’t help. Regulation does. In this Storm Calm episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron guides…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
One Controllable That Changes Everything
Most people lose focus because they’re chasing too many controllables at once. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Compete With Clarity
Intensity without clarity creates chaos. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explains why trying harder doesn’t always…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
When Distractions Win
Distractions don’t overpower you — they wear you down. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explores how focus is quietly…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Control What's Next
In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron breaks down why most performance breakdowns don’t come from lack of skill — they…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Be the Lighthouse When It’s Loud
When pressure rises, people don’t follow words. They follow presence. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron explores what…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
The Storm Checklist
Pressure doesn’t overwhelm you because it’s intense. It overwhelms you because it’s scattered. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Earn Your Confidence
Confidence isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you earn. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within, Coach Ron breaks down why…
- Into The Storm | Where Winning Starts Within
Leave No Doubt About Your Response
People don’t remember every play, decision, or outcome. They remember how you respond when things get tight. In this episode of Into The Storm | Where Winning…