4th and 1 Mindset with Coach Mikki:
Start Strong - Finish Strong! Dominate Everything In Between! (TM)
http://www.4thand1mindset.com
The mindset needed when everything is on the line. On the field, in business, in life and, whatever goal you are going after!
4th and 1 Mindset with Coach Mikki is your playbook for mastering life’s toughest moments.
Coach Mikki, a seasoned football coach with 17 years of experience coaching from Pop Warner to College Athletes.
She is an international speaker sharing the 4th and 1 Mindset to fortune 500 companies, Mastermind groups, college campus, Women's Groups and on the field located all over the globe.
Coach Mikki dives into the mindset needed to succeed when everything is on the line. Just like in football’s pivotal 4th and 1, the difference between winning and losing comes down to focus, grit, and execution.
She shares strategies to help you convert life’s critical moments in your personal journey into opportunities for victory.
From the stage to virtual streaming learn how to develop a mindset that pushes past obstacles and drives you to achieve greatness on and off the field.
4th and 1 Mindset with Coach Mikki:
Mentorship: A Baseball Coach's Philosophy _ Coach Steve Mierzwik - S2E10
What transforms a talented young athlete into a successful adult? According to Coach Mez, a baseball coach with over 50 years of experience, the answer lies far beyond physical skills and game strategy.
In this captivating locker room conversation, Coach Mez reveals his proven framework for developing both athletic and character excellence.
The discussion dives deep into practical mental performance techniques, including the powerful "Five R's"
Perhaps most revealing is the inside look at college recruitment, where we learn that scouts' first questions are rarely about athletic ability but instead focus on character, academic performance, and even family dynamics. "If you have good grades, it means you're a hard worker," Coach Mez explains, highlighting how academic discipline translates directly to athletic potential.
Whether you're a coach seeking new mentorship strategies, a parent supporting a young athlete, or a player looking to elevate your mental game, this episode delivers transformative insights about using sports as a vehicle for developing not just better players, but better people. The conversation bridges football and baseball perspectives, proving that the principles of character development transcend specific sports.
Ready to transform your approach to athletic development? Listen now and discover how to build jawbreakers instead of marshmallows!
Start Strong - Finish Strong! - Let's Go!
@4thand1Mindset
4th and 1 Mindset with Coach Mikki
Hey, come on in. Come on and make yourself comfortable. Take a knee, get comfortable. I'm excited to have you guys here in my locker room and today we are going to have so much fun because, as you guys know, everything is about not only sports but also how we can transition and make these people much better in their lives, whether you're a player, a parent or just a coach trying to excel and grow your team. Hopefully, 4thin1 Mind mindset brings you that information. So I'm just going to bring it right in, because today I have got Coach Mez. He's in our locker room. He is a baseball coach of over 50 years. He started with T-ball with the kids and Little League. He's coaching now at a high school. He's been coaching high school baseball for 15 years.
Speaker 1:So, coach Mez, you have been around a lot of kids for a very long time and while I work with a lot of kids through football, I do know that a lot of them crossed over. Matter of fact, one of our star quarterbacks also played baseball and I've had a couple of them that were playing football and then transitioned over to baseball. So I know how important it is to have that crossover in sports, but I also know it's more important, as a coach, to take the information that we have and then help these people to be better individuals, right, of course. So do you find I mean with you, with your coaching? I mean you've been coaching for a very long time and you said your values kind of match that. So how do you? How do you present this? I know how we do in football. You know, using that as a tool, but using baseball as a tool to help these kids, how do you incorporate that?
Speaker 2:I probably pretty much the same, except for the modalities different. But ball, baseball, I know baseball, football is more, you know, rough and tough and tumble and and maybe psych you know you're really psyched up for that. Baseball is probably more laid back in in that regard. But I think the values that we try to teach are pretty much the same. Um, back in the day, when I was younger, I was more trans, um, um.
Speaker 2:So where am I? I'm trans, morbid now now, and I believe that we can teach these kids to grow up to be good young men through sport, emphasizing character, good values, integrity and all those ideals that we promote in our program. And what's beautiful about where I'm at the varsity, all the way down to the ideals that we promote in our program, what's beautiful about where I'm at the varsity, all the way down to the Christian level. We're all on the same page. All of us are Christians, even though we can't be that forthrighted in a public school. But we do promote those values as well. I teach my boys, you know, I tell them what's the meaning of integrity, and then obviously they know how to do the right thing when no one's looking, and that's probably that's a good place to start with these kids.
Speaker 1:That's true, it really is. I mean, these, these kids, I think, sometimes need guidance. Um, I know a lot of times through the years and even recently you know I'm I'm working with kids that their environment isn't exactly acceptable or or good. Uh, so they look to you as a coach to be that person, to to mentor them and teach them life skills.
Speaker 2:Yes, we have kids obviously from every background and it's a public school and you know some of them are don't have good home situations and we pretty much can figure that out pretty fast. Some of them are maybe foster care type kids. They come to school, don't have a lot of support or they're in a group home, whatever. But I always tell my kids that if they need to talk, if they want to talk, I'm available and I encourage them to do that and they seem very grateful for that. So I've had a few kids. You know, a few kids come out, come up and talk to me this year about things. The parents are going through a divorce, or one kid on our team's big brother is in a gang and we're trying to, you know, not get him sucked into that. So there's lots of things going on. Plus, some of the times the parents are really hard on the kids. You know they're trying, you know that situation where they're trying to live through the kid and they're very critical of everything that goes wrong on the baseball field. When they belong, you know when is their kid. So there's a lot of different situations and so I make myself available to talk to them and so I make myself available to talk to them and we go, we have a new four-letter word next, so we just move on.
Speaker 2:And what that situation is? Of course, life, sports, life. You know, you got your ups and downs, your failures, your successes, and that's all. That's why I love sports, because it's just, it is just like life. And we talk to them a lot about their attitudes and and how they. We tell me what would you do if this was your boss? You know, instead of your coach, you wouldn't have a job, so things like that. And I love it. When a kid comes up and apologizes, because we know we've gotten through him, he did on his own He'll come up and say, hey, I had a bad attitude yesterday, or, and I'm sorry, or whatever, and and that I think that's important too. And I always tell him I love him. I tell him you guys always love all my team to love all you guys, Cause I wanted to make, I want the connection with you know, you know I give, give them. I'm a big hugger, I give them lots of little hugs and and um, because you know, as a coach, it's all about correction, so all the time you seem like you're on their butt a lot. But, um, I tell them, you know it's not personal, we're just trying to make you a better player and uh, so that's, um, where that goes. That goes that that way. We, you know, I do, I do, I like, like every coach, I borrow steal bag. All this information that I get that I pass on to the kids. You know it comes from, you know mostly other places.
Speaker 2:We talk a lot about the process. When you're, you know when you're playing, especially when you're hitting, you know the process is really important. You've got to have a good mental attitude with it. You've got to have a plan. When you go up to the plate, you breathe, you step out, maybe you pick up a piece of dirt or grass, breathe properly and you have this mindset that you are going to be successful. We do a lot of visualization, whether they see their successes in their minds, either like their parents are watching them, or internally, and we talk about visualizing their we call them the four P's personal, past, peak performances, whether they've been successful, and to visualize all that as well. And then we talk about forgiveness and, um, they're forgiving themselves for when they make a mistake and that's basically it could let go because you know in 10 more seconds you get another hot ground ball and that's going to happen and you got to be focused because you've been around sports a long time, you've seen it. Kids are carrying that on their shoulders or still thinking about that mistake and then they make another mistake because they're not ready. So we talk a lot about that.
Speaker 2:We talk about, we have a little thing we do with circle of focus. You know, step in, step out, regroup. We actually I teach them about the five R's and that is recognize the first R's, recognize, recognize that you're losing it mentally, especially when you're on the mound. And then the next part of that is release it, let go Again. Circle of focus Pick up a piece of grass, deep breathing, relax. We talk about a vocal point, maybe the flagpole or something you can look at to remind you of the work you put in and that you are prepared. And then the next r is regroup. You know, kind of get yourself back together. The fourth r is relax, just breathe again and get set. And the next tail is just respond, just do it.
Speaker 2:I tell the kids there's no good or bad thoughts, don't write wrong thoughts, it just thoughts. Let them them go. It doesn't matter, just respond, just react, and that seems to help some of them. I have a couple of little books that I pass out to the kids and they pass them around and read them, things such about the mental game. I'm really big about the mental game. And then, as well as we talk about ear E-A-R well, as we talk about ear e-a-r is, um, uh, your attitude and your response to that attitude and your effort, and, uh, that that's all you can control. You can't control the parents, you can't control the umpire, you can't control the field conditions, um, any of that, that's all you can, your effort, your attitude and your response to it. And then basically, that's what we try to instill in them and you know as well, and control the control. You know we talk about all that stuff a lot because part of the growth on the field, those things, those skills they can take into life when they get out of here.
Speaker 1:You're right and I'm going to borrow a couple of those because you and I are pretty much on the same page and it's the same thing in football. We say have a short memory, because you got 25 seconds to be able to go back there and get in and do it again.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I say just have a short memory. I said you can't fix it, you can't change it, it's done. I'm not upset, you know, just go out there and do your job and do what. You know what to do, and a lot of times you're right getting that. I remember one year I had a center and I could see it when he was losing it and he would look over at me and I go like this I go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and as soon as he looked at me he'd take a deep breath and then I'd tell him to do the same thing and then he could get back into it, because if he started losing it, it was one bad snap after another. Or you have somebody who's just like misses a kick or misses a block, and they're coming in and they're angry. I'm like it's over, it's done, you're good, let's just get back to what you need to do. And I think learning that skill when you're younger definitely helps for when you're older, as an adult, because I know adults that can't even do that, where they lose it and they just, they just keep focusing on that instead of coming back and regrouping. And you're absolutely right.
Speaker 1:So many times people react instead of respond, and when you react, it's not always the best choice. So having that ability to do that I like, I like what? What you said about the R's, the five R's. I'm going to borrow that one. Like you said, you borrow from other coaches and you share everything else, because that's what makes us better. What makes us better, because if it's working for you, then I can take that knowledge and pass it on to my guys.
Speaker 2:And that's going to be beneficial to them as individuals, right Right? Well, I talk about this a lot too with the boys. I said there's three kinds of ball players. There's the marshmallow, the M&M and the drawbreaker. And the marshmallow is when we get them out of eighth grade. They come into ninth grade, because I'm doing freshman ball right now.
Speaker 2:I obviously have coached varsity baseball, high school baseball, college baseball, but I'm doing the young kids right now, which I really enjoy because it's a lot more teaching and it's rewarding to see the team go from, you know, a negative 10 to maybe a plus five, and that's kind of what we were experiencing this year and both coaches all my coaches were just, you know, really happy that we've made this progress. But the marshmallow is a kid that comes into us. He's pretty soft on the, you know, outside and pretty soft on the inside. Doesn't really have it all together. It's the first year they've all played high school baseball. High school baseball is different than travel ball, it, you know it's, it's selective. It's a lot more people. Kids try out, kids make it, kids don't make it. They may have been the short stop and now they're going to be just in a building or whatever. It all depends on the personality you have on your team.
Speaker 2:So the next step is, I tell them you start becoming an m&m, you start to show some progress, you're at least on the outside, you're projecting it, you're hard, you know that you don't you have your emotions under control, which we know they don't but but inside you're still a little soft, right. So I tell them that when you're a drawbreaker, you got it all together. You're focused right on inside and the outside. So that's kind of where we get to. And I tell them when you're a drawbreaker, then you have your physical game under control. You basically can play the game at a high level Mentally. You understand the game, you know where to be, you back up your cuts, all of the stuff you're supposed to know. Sometimes they may forget. And then the other part is the emotional side of the game and that is huge when they can control that. And, uh, you can see that some of them are learning that. They step off the mound, they'll take a deep breath or they'll um, you can see them moving around in their little circles of focus uh, it's a imaginary line, you know circle on the field.
Speaker 2:And the last part of it is, I call it the spiritual part. Of course, obviously, being in a public school can't bring a lot up, but I say the spiritual part. Of course, obviously being in a public school can bring a lot up, but I say the spiritual part is where you forgive yourself. You know, you've learned to let go and move on. Next, that's her, like I said, that's her new four-letter word. Sounds a lot better, especially when the little brothers and sisters are hanging around the ball field. I remind them of that, say, yeah, your mom and dad's out there and then go from there.
Speaker 2:So obviously I'm trying to take these boys and make them into good young men.
Speaker 2:You know young young men, good boyfriends, good, you know their husbands, good fathers down the road, good citizens.
Speaker 2:And that's really the goal of of the situation, and it's always cool, um, when somebody, somebody you've maybe coached in the past, comes back and and he says, oh, I remember this, I remember that I thank you for, you know, holding me accountable or or whatever, and that's rare, but it happens and uh, and so, uh, like I said, try to establish these relationships with kids as well. And then we talk a lot about moving on to the next level, getting into a college or whatever. And then we have a lot of summer programs that are connected to our school where the kids can play travel ball or some form where they're going to do these showcases and stuff where colleges guys will show up or whatever to help them try to get if they want to play on. We try to get them placed, possibly in some school at the level that they are able to play. I always tell them that too, go where you can play, don't go to a big school and sit on the bench because you've got no jacks there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the same same. Football, too, is kind of. I see these kids that have got great talent, um, however it could be their grades or it could be their, like you said, they're, they're not going to get played. Why go to a college that you're going to sit there and not play? And I've had some extraordinary players not go to d1 but go to other schools or go to maybe d2, d3, know, or something else, but they got to play. They may only play until their sophomore year, but they still get an incredible, you know education Right, and I think that's the other thing too that I find even with the kids coming out of high school, they have these dreams of places that they really want to go.
Speaker 1:And then it's always having that hard conversation of saying you know, I know this is what's on your radar, yes, apply for it. However, let's look at some other options too, because if you get to play, you get to play. You know it's a gift, you know to be able to play any sport anywhere, you know if you've got that drive and that passion for it, because I know how I see it in my guys with football. But what do you see is the biggest difference in the mental aspect from your kids and we know how they are, the younger ones into high school. But high school to college, where do you see maybe a small disconnect when all of a sudden it changes? Because I know it gets definitely a lot tougher.
Speaker 1:And then when you go from college into NFL, that's another whole ballgame.
Speaker 2:Oh, right yeah, so what do you?
Speaker 1:see the most.
Speaker 2:I think because it's college and the coaches are paid to win. That changes the whole mindset. So they're probably just going to go with their best 9 to 12 guys on the field and if you're not in that top group, you're not going to play hardly at best nine to 12 guys on the field in the end, and if you're not in that top group you're not going to play hardly at all. Probably not. That's one one issue, uh. Secondly, the mental part of the game. Um, they're not going to coddle you, coddle you, you know, love you up. Um, you know you, you need to get out there and just compete. And I think a lot of the kids, um, um, that's why we do a lot of mental stuff. They just, they just fall apart when, um, they're getting to get hollered at hard. Uh, you know we, we as coaches, you know we yell and scream and do all that good stuff too. But you know we try to. I try to keep under control. I don't know if that really happens. I've been, I coached college level before and either you perform or you don't, and if you don't you might not get another chance. That's the thing. You better be ready to go when your number's called, because if you it may not be. You know you might get a chance here and there because somebody's hurt or whatever, but if you don't get it together right away and those kids put pressure on themselves and then they're not going to be, they're not playing, relaxed, so then that obviously is an issue. You can see that when you watch TV, when you watch anything, especially in big, you can see guys pressing or whatever. He doesn't get it done. So I think one of the big things is, I don't know, there's no second chances, really. Maybe you get one, but maybe not. You either perform right away or you don't.
Speaker 2:One thing I was going to add is that when we have um because I've coached college baseball before, and um, even high school varsity like somebody will show up a scout, uh, from a professional squad or somebody from a large college or whatever, and the kids are, you know, they're aware of that because they recognize somebody, or they just know what's happening and they go out. Go out and play and hopefully perform. I say they already know you can play or they wouldn't be here. So the part you know, they want to see the rest of your game as well. So what will happen, though.
Speaker 2:Usually, when the guy shows up that we really don't know that well, the first thing he asks is what kind of kid is you know, and what kind of grades does he have? So we're very honest about it, because guess what, we want that scout coming back next year and the year after. Yeah, so we're not gonna. We're not gonna, you know, fudge it. If you're, if you're a good kid, we're gonna tell him that. If you're a bad teammate, we're gonna tell him that too. And so he asks about the grades, and because if you have good grades, it means you're a hard worker, and then hard workers are a positive. And then so he wants to know what kind of kid he is. And they even ask about the parents. Who wants to get a kid when you can have nothing to be a parent from?
Speaker 2:And I tell my kids that and I don't talk directly to the parents, but I say you let your mom and dad know that they're being recruited too, because, as I said, there's right down the freeway, you know, 10 miles from here, there's 20 more of you just like you, and they don't need this.
Speaker 2:So you got to be on your best behavior. So one day a scout comes and he watches the guys and obviously sometimes somebody else gets noticed, which is really good. But the scout will come back in a couple of weeks and he'll be sitting out in the outfield with a big old hat on and a newspaper and he'll let nobody know he's there and what he's really looking for is he want, he wants to see you strike out four times and then see how you're going to respond, because he's checking that part of you. You're getting out as well, so that it's. It's a whole gamut, um, uh of things. Um, you know attitude, how you, how do you respond to failure? You know what kind of a student are you, what kind of a teammate are you? You know. And then again it goes, it extends out to the parents.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're right, and it's kind of the same way in football too. It's the same thing and, and I think some of the, like you said, some of the most difficult pressures that come in are the ones from going into college, taking the classes, and then they've got this undue pressure on them and plus they're trying to perform and they're getting out there and they've got to learn to be able to time manage. I guess is the word time manage Because you've got all this pressure that you need to do this to keep your grades up and you're going to play, and in some schools I do know that they they do help with that, especially when they're athletes, but it still falls on that kid and that player that they've got to step up for that responsibility and but really it comes down to just the way it should be. In high school, you know you are responsible for your grades. It may not be the pressure of like being on your own and living on your own, because you're still living, you know, with your parents or you're living at home or whatever your situation is, but you still got to step up and, like you said, if you got good grades, they know you're a hard worker.
Speaker 1:You know how do you deal with failure and how do you respond to that, and that, I think, as coaches, is something that we can present and help these kids with. And I wish more coaches would understand that, because standing and yelling and screaming, you know and I've seen them time and time again they're not listening anyway, they just shut down. I mean, they hear a part of it and then the rest of it they're like oh, here we go again. You know, it's just like a parent yelling at them, it's like they're not, nothing's getting through. So having that opportunity to say you know, hey, what's going on, what's happening, and having that opportunity to say you know, hey, what's going on, what's happening and I'm not saying coddle everybody, but understand each individual person- and that's what you bring, because that's why you know you're doing as well as you're doing and I'm sure all these kids love that and they respond to you and they probably cherish the fact that you're out there.
Speaker 1:Like you said, you're getting information and kids contacting you later on in the years. That tells me and everybody else that you know you're you're a good coach, a great coach, you know, because it takes. You have to step up a little bit more. It's not just about you know the playbook or what you're doing on the field or whatever it's about. What else are you bringing to the you know out there that can help these kids?
Speaker 2:Well, you want to make the best, you want to get the best out of the kid, and that's one way of doing it. And going back to the college thing, we actually bring back our kids that have left the program, that are playing college baseball at different levels D1 all the way down to do a JC and we talk to them. We have those guys talk to our current players about exactly what you just said. What is the biggest difference? Time management. You know they get up in the morning, they got weight room and they get cleaned up and they go to class, and some of them have online classes, some of them have in-person classes or a combination of both. And then he says then they talk about we can try to get all that done. We go eat and then we're on the baseball field in the afternoon until dark or whatever, and then we try to get back to our dorm or back home and we're doing some homework or we're getting tutored, and then we get to sleep, we try to eat right and then we start all over tomorrow. So it's a long day and you have to management manage it that way.
Speaker 2:In high school, of course, parents still drop them off, so there is a little bit of graduation there too. They're living at home, they get drove to and from practice and the games. Then the kids start to drive, and that changes everything too, because now they have to be responsible to get all their stuff to the field that they need, you know, the complete uniform, the right belt, the right hat, the right colors, and it's unbelievable that they still cannot figure out what. Oh, I forgot my belt, I forgot my hat, I can't find my socks, I this is. It's crazy, but that's really the way it is when you're dealing with kids, um, even the seniors, you know so.
Speaker 2:But when they start driving and then, um, they're responsible, then the girlfriends all come around, and that's another issue. We got guys coming in with the big old lip hanging down. You know, I would tell you don't need a girlfriend now, you don't need a girlfriend yet. And so I mean, when they start driving since, like, the girls start you know what I'm saying they're getting older and um and uh, all growing up in life and all the hormones are raging or whatever. So that's another issue they have to navigate as well, and so that's just part of growing up, you know, and being responsible, and so that's a step in the high school level. And then, of course, scouts start coming around and they're getting maybe some of the older kids are getting letters or phone, and then that that all takes form for them.
Speaker 1:No, I and I, I deal with that too, even on on my field. I always tell them I go put your stuff together the night before by the door. That way you've got it all. You know and I. So I, I deal with that too, and I've. I've seen it in college too, and I'm like you don't have the luxury of doing that. No coach is going to understand that you can't find your cleats. You know, get your act together now and you're right.
Speaker 1:And I want to throw in another element that was cooking is food, because now these kids have got I've noticed that on the calls they're like coach, I didn't have time to eat and I'm like you have to eat, you have to get the nutrition, because you know just as well as I do, if you're not eating right, you're not going to perform well. So you have to make that a priority and it has to be good food. You can't just grab fast food all the time and think that's going to be okay. Now in your twenties you feel that's a staple that you can live on. But the reality is, if you're trying to excel and get up there, you've got to be able to move on.
Speaker 1:As an athlete, I mean food wise. So I think we just lost coach Mez. I'm looking at my screen here and and it's unfortunate, but I want to thank him for for being here I think his insight and what he has offered was was amazing. I love the fact that both of our sports really cross over when it comes to how our kids are, what we do as coaches, who we are as individuals and what we can bring to the table. So until then, please remember you are responsible for your own things. You are an amazing person. You've got what it takes. Always remember that. Until then, start strong and finish strong and dominate everything in between.