Get Back to This Play: Reset Routines

Dr. Ken Ravizza, one of the pioneers of sport psychology, taught elite baseball players a simple truth: you can’t erase nerves or mistakes. But you can reset.

His “heads-up routines” were quick resets that stopped overthinking and pulled athletes back into the present moment. Instead of being stuck in “what just happened” or “what if I blow it,” athletes learned to lock back onto this pitch, this point, this play.

Why This Matters

Pressure and mistakes are part of sport. Without a reset tool, one error snowballs into two, one bad choice spirals into panic. Reset routines are the mental clean slate.

Coaches who train them don’t just prepare athletes to play well—they prepare them to recover fast when things go wrong. And at the highest level, that recovery speed is the separator.

How to Train Reset Routines

1. Build a Simple Reset

Keep it short, clear, automatic.

• Step 1: Breath – one slow exhale to release tension.

• Step 2: Cue – a single word or gesture (“next,” touch cap, tap thigh).

• Step 3: Body Check – relax shoulders, reset stance, adjust posture.

The whole thing takes 5–7 seconds.

2. Use It After Mistakes

• Missed free throw? Reset before the next shot.

• Error in the field? Reset before the next pitch.

Coaches: stop play in practice after mistakes. Guide athletes through their reset, then restart. Normalize quick recovery.

3. Make It Automatic

• Practice resets every day, not just in games.

• Pair them with a physical gesture (clap hands, wipe jersey, tap glove) so the body signals the brain: “new play.”

• Coaches: bake resets into drills—after turnovers, after missed reps—until they’re second nature.

Key Takeaway

Anxiety and errors will always show up. Ravizza’s gift was giving athletes a way to move on fast. Reset routines stop the spiral and keep performance locked in the now.

The message: don’t try to be perfect. Train yourself to reset.

Lock in. Breathe. Cue. Reset. Play.