When you think of a high school baseball coach, many people might have the image of someone who sweats on the field every day, sometimes scolding and sometimes encouraging the players.
However, Coach Sasaki seemed to think that rather than scolding the players, he should help them develop the ability to think for themselves and make efforts.
It was when I went to Hanamaki Higashi High School and coached the players.
He said to me:
"Our baseball team's motto isn't 'Develop baseball players,' but 'Develop excellent people who are good at baseball.'"
His words still leave a strong impression on my mind.
Any high school baseball coach would naturally think, "I want to develop excellent baseball players."
However, no matter how much your skills or physical strength are superior to those of other players, if you cannot control your most important 'mind' according to your own image, you will not be able to display your full potential in important competitions that determine your advancement to the national competition or in matches that determine the national competition winner.
Director Sasaki realized this fact and studied 'mental training' to attract luck or good fortune at Sanri's seminar.
I thought I should focus on helping my high school students grow into great people through baseball.
--- pp.24-25

Pitcher Kikuchi, whom I had personally coached, asked me to coach a junior player from his alma mater, Hanamaki Higashi High School.
There was absolutely no reason to refuse.
I agreed immediately without a second thought.
Even now, I vividly remember being touched when pitcher Kikuchi said, “I will cover all the expenses.”
Why did pitcher Kikuchi care so much about his alma mater's junior? Of course, one reason was Ohtani's exceptional talent, but there was something else he emphasized.
“I want to repay the favor of my alma mater.”
To him, 'I am who I am today because I grew up in the environment of the Hanamaki Higashi High School baseball club.
So, the strong desire to help the younger members of the baseball team after becoming a professional baseball player was a big motivation.
So I went to the Hanamaki Higashi High School baseball club dormitory and met Otani.
My first impression at that time was, 'It's not flashy, it's sparkly.'
It is a 'twisted desire to win' by grabbing the ankles of others who are shiny and shiny, and it is a 'fair desire to win' that says 'I will definitely get better.'
Ohtani was the latter.
--- pp.29-30

What excited Ohtani during his high school years was playing in the Major League Baseball in the United States, the birthplace of baseball.
So when he announced his intention to play in the major leagues right after graduating from high school, I felt strongly that it was only natural, rather than thinking, "That's reckless," like many others.
The reason why Ohtani was able to say that he wanted to challenge himself in the major leagues at that time was because he had vividly seen himself playing in the major leagues where world-class players gather.
In other words, because I was able to clearly envision my future self, I was able to confidently talk about challenging myself in the major leagues.
--- pp.37-38

Not only Otani, but also top-tier athletes in any sport have the ability to properly control their minds so that they can perform at their best in any situation.
For example, if a player makes excuses when faced with a life-or-death situation, you're bound to think, "Oh, I'm wrong now." or "I'm going to lose this."
However, a player who knows how to properly control his mind will immediately change his thinking even if the thought "I'm wrong now" crosses his mind.
"This situation is getting interesting. Let's turn this crisis into an opportunity."
You think, 'It'll be pretty cool if we can overcome this crisis,' and you actually make that thought a reality.
However, they could not have thought that way from the beginning.
As I gained a lot of experience, I realized the relationship between my ability to exert force and my mind, and through repeated mental training, I acquired mental control skills.
--- p.50

What do they have in common? It's not a sense of duty.
My heart was pounding, thinking, 'This is definitely going to be fun.'
In other words, a pounding heart is also evidence of a 'thrilled brain'.
When your heart beats fast, you can tap into your unknown potential.
As a result, I was able to get the opportunity to perform on a new stage.
We often hear stories of accomplished athletes in the professional world struggling to create a second career because they can't figure out what they want to do.
In the worst case, they become so desperate that they resort to crime.
The reason, I can confidently say, is that 'you are unable to compare your current self with the future self you dream of.'
So how did he fully demonstrate his abilities during his playing days? It was because his body responded automatically, without any thought.
The so-called genius type of player can easily become this type.
--- p.55

One of the characteristics of teams that always lose in the first round and are eliminated in local tournaments where advancement to Koshien is at stake is the tendency to instinctively think, "We're going to lose in the first round anyway."
This does not mean giving up on winning the game.
Based on the experience I have accumulated up to that point, I naturally end up thinking that way.
Conversely, there are different teams that have a chance of winning or are mentioned as regular contenders for the championship every year.
My heart naturally races because I can anticipate the joy of winning each and every game.
Players are able to think positively and actively participate in daily training.
A team that always loses in the first round will almost certainly feel a sense of defeat when facing an exciting opponent, and that is precisely what happens.
So, even if you go through life, you will never be able to escape from being a weak team that has become accustomed to losing.
However, there are exceptions.
If you are currently in a weak team or organization, the time from now on is important.
The exception here is that teams that set exciting future goals are more likely to turn into winning teams.
There is something to be careful about at this time.
Man is a forgetful animal.
Even if you feel excited today and tomorrow, you might forget it the day after tomorrow.
Also, when there is nothing that excites you, you may despair of reality and your brain may become filled with stress without you even realizing it.
So, we need to train our brain to always keep it positive.
--- pp.61-62

At this time, I hope you will ignore your ‘current skill level’.
It doesn't matter if it's some grand goal or one that people might say, "Isn't that too much?"
Next, write specifically about the status of achieving your long-term goal.
When you achieve this, write specifically about how physically stronger you have become, how much your skills have developed, and how much your mental toughness has become.
Meanwhile, many negative situations await you as you strive to achieve your long-term goals.
When faced with a negative situation, the human brain immediately develops a negative image of achieving long-term goals and judges it as 'too much'.
That negative image causes the worst burnout syndrome: giving up.
Burnout is a phenomenon in which one unconsciously loses one's goals and motivation due to being overly satisfied with everything going well, or one becomes satisfied with one's current state and neglects efforts to improve further.
It tends to appear in people who are quickly satisfied and easily satisfied.
--- p.71

This isn't just a story that applies to the world of sports.
The same goes for business and college entrance exams.
A few years ago, a student in his 30s came to see me.
When I spoke to the student's parents, they said that the student did not study at all and instead played games for 10 hours a day.
I talked with the student about 'the university he wants to go to'.
The student immediately said, “I want to go to the University of Tokyo.”
When I asked him why he wanted to go to the University of Tokyo, he replied, “It’s great.”
So I said this.
“Good.
So, let's think together about how we can get into the University of Tokyo."
We thought about what we needed to do to get into the University of Tokyo and wrote it down on paper.
To achieve my goal, I had to study more than 10 hours a day.
A student who saw this said, “This isn’t the time to be playing games.”
Then, I started using the time I had spent playing games to study.
I raised my tuition fee from 30 to 40, 50, and 60, and reached a level where I could really apply to the University of Tokyo.
The student is currently scheduled to take the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo.
Of course, we don't know what the outcome will be.
However, it should be highly evaluated that the deviation value has been raised by more than 30 in just a few years.
Although the student is not an athlete, he can be said to possess the same brain as a top-class athlete in the sense that he 'does more than what he is told.'
Only when you have a goal higher than you ever imagined will you be able to act independently.
--- pp.78-79

Clearing is not just a skill needed in real life.
It should also be utilized during regular training.
The reason is clear.
Because even in training there is success or failure.
This is a common story not only in sports but in all situations.
For example, let's say you make a ridiculous mistake while training.
If you keep in mind the coach who was watching you at that time shouting, "What the hell are you doing? How can you possibly play as a starter?", you will not be able to focus on training with a positive mind.
In that state, even if you continue training, you won't be able to concentrate 100%.
As a player, you cannot expect any improvement in your skills.
That's why I said that the ability to forget is necessary even during regular training.
--- pp.86-87

Positive thinking is the ability to continue to think positively even when the situation is at its worst.
When you make a big mistake in a game, when your mistake becomes a fatal blow and you lose the game, it is common to become depressed or give up.
'good.
It's never easy to think, 'I'll learn from this defeat and definitely win next time,' or 'I'll avoid that mistake next time.'
In such cases, I hope you continue to input positive data into your brain, even if it means lying.
Let me emphasize again that it doesn't matter if it's a lie.
“I can definitely do better next time.” “I can definitely do great in the next game.” Say it out loud, believing it.
The words that come out of your mouth are re-entered into your brain, and if you repeat this countless times, your brain will eventually be fooled and change into positive thinking.
“I lost this game because of my mistake.
But I'm sure I can do better next time."

--- pp.116-117