Unlocking the Mental Edge

MEM Playbook Series – Phase 1: FOUNDATION

Figure Out Your Drive

Welcome to the first post in our exclusive blog series unpacking the Mental Edge Methods (MEM) Playbook, developed by renowned performance coach Ken Baum through 40+ years of working with athletes—from youth competitors to Olympic champions.

Over the next nine blogs, we’ll walk you through how we help athletes eliminate Mental Blind Spots, discover a new Performance Identity, and build long-lasting, elite-level confidence from the inside out.

This journey begins with Phase 1: Foundation – Figure Out Your Drive.

🧭 We Walk With Your Athlete – Not Just Cheer From the Sidelines

Every athlete needs more than motivation—they need structure, perspective, and someone in their corner beyond a parent or teammate.

That’s why we don’t just hand you a playbook—we walk with your athlete through it.

Our proven programs, from the 90-Day Mental Edge Accelerator to our 1-Year Elite Coaching Program, are designed to offer consistent guidance, accountability, and support from a coach trained to spot what others might miss.

Phase 1: Building the Mental Foundation

Before we push forward, we go deep. Success begins with understanding your internal drivers and mental habits. Here's how we guide your athlete in Phase 1:

🔥 Ignite Intrinsic Motivation & Clarify Purpose

External rewards fade. Internal fire lasts.

We help athletes uncover what truly drives them—not just to win, but to grow. We ask:

• Why do I play this sport?

• What lights me up about competition?

• What type of athlete—and person—do I want to become?

This clarity fuels consistency, especially during setbacks.

🎯 Set Aligned Goals: From “I Want To” → “I Will”

It’s not just about setting goals—it’s about setting the right goals that are rooted in your athlete’s values and identity.

We help athletes identify what truly matters to them, then shape those insights into clear, actionable goals. This process shifts their mindset from vague intention to confident commitment.

Instead of “I want to win more,” it becomes:“I will show up focused and prepared every day to earn the win.”

When goals are aligned with who the athlete is—and who they want to become—they gain power, purpose, and persistence. No more chasing goals to impress others. Now it’s about growth, ownership, and performance that feels personal.

We walk with your athlete step-by-step through this process, helping them build goals that reflect their values, inspire daily action, and unlock their potential.

🎛️ Focus on What You Can Control

We train athletes to stop obsessing over the uncontrollable (coaches, competition, refs) and start mastering what they cancontrol:

• Effort

• Attitude

• Mindset

• Preparation

• Recovery

This shift builds mental toughness and clarity—game after game.

🥁 Power Talk Drumbeat

Every champion has a voice in their head. We make sure it’s a powerful one.

Our athletes build a custom “Power Talk Drumbeat” they use daily—before practice, during games, in pressure moments—to reinforce belief, block distractions, and stay mentally dialed in.

“I use my legs to shoot three-pointers with confidence."

🧠 Why This Process Works Better With a Coach

Parents mean well. Friends are supportive. But real transformation happens when there's an expert in the athlete’s corner—someone who:

• Holds them accountable

• Spots the blind spots

• Pushes them through resistance

• Believes in their future identity even before they fully see it

That’s what we do—with compassion, consistency, and strategy.

Ready to Build the Foundation?

If you’re serious about helping your athlete thrive—not just perform—we invite you to explore:

• ✅ The 90-Day Mental Edge Accelerator – A focused sprint to mental clarity, confidence, and consistency.

• 🏅 The 1-Year Elite Coaching Program – A full immersion into high-performance identity building, season planning, and mastery.

Because the best athletes don’t try to do it alone. They have a team—and a method.

Tyler Lennon

Coach

310-429-2058

Web: Mental Edge Method

When to Push, When to Step Back: Letting Coaches Do Their Thing as a Sports Parent

4-4 4 Home Runs! #44

Youth sports can be a rollercoaster—not just for kids, but for us as parents. We want the best for our children. We want them to work hard, succeed, and feel proud. But sometimes, our desire to help ends up doing the opposite.

As a parent, I constantly struggle with this. I want to encourage and teach, but I’ve learned—often the hard way—that sometimes the best thing I can do is back off and let things unfold.

Trusting the Coach (and the Process)

Coaches are there to do a job. They’ve got the plan, the drills, the strategy—and most importantly, the perspective. As parents, it’s our job to trust that process, even when it’s different from what we’d do ourselves.

There have been times when I felt like I was too caught up in how my son was performing. I questioned plays. I offered too much feedback. I thought I was helping. But what I was really doing was clouding his head.

One of the best lessons I’ve learned is: let the coaches coach. Our kids don’t need two voices in their ear. They need space to listen, learn, and lead on their own.

A Personal Turning Point – Cooperstown Dream Park

I’ll never forget when my son got the incredible opportunity to play at Cooperstown Dream Park. It was a dream come true, and I was all in—watching every swing, analyzing every one of his plays and honestly, I was probably too in it.

I was anxious. I wanted him to shine. But he was just enjoying being there, trading pins and enjoying his teammates.

So finally, I got in the car, went for a drive, and just… surrendered it. I prayed. I let go of the need to control or manage or fix anything. I reminded myself: this is his journey, not mine.

And the next day? He went 4-for-4. Four home runs in one game. It was unbelievable. Not just because of the performance, but because of the peace that came with letting go.

The Balancing Act: Teach, Then Be Quiet

This experience reminded me: there’s a time to teach, and there’s a time to be quiet.

Yes, we should guide our kids. Yes, we should talk about effort, commitment, and teamwork. But sometimes they just need us to sit back, watch, and cheer.

They don’t need a coach on the car ride home. (Which I have done way too many times!) They need a parent who celebrates them no matter what the scoreboard says.

What Our Kids Really Need

• They need encouragement, not pressure.

• They need us to be their biggest fans, not their toughest critics.

• They need space to succeed—and space to fail.

And above all, they need to know that their value isn’t tied to their stats.

Final Thoughts

Sports are about so much more than wins and losses. They’re about growth, resilience, and learning who you are under pressure.

As parents, we’re part of that story. But we’re not the main characters. So let the coaches do their job. Let the kids play. And when the urge to control sneaks in again—as it always does—breathe, surrender, and enjoy the ride.

You never know… it just might lead to four home runs.

Tyler Lennon

44 Sports Connect LLC

The Missing Piece in Your Athlete’s Training: Mental Coaching

From One Parent to Another

As a father of a young athlete, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I truly want for my son, not just as he plays sports, but as he grows into the man he’s becoming. Sure, I want him to be successful. Sure, I’d love to see him earn that scholarship and play at a high level. But if I’m honest?

What I want most is for him to be confident—not cocky, not arrogant, but grounded, resilient, unshakably confident in who he is.

This fall, he has the opportunity to attend a fantastic school. One of their required summer readings? The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser. He’s going into the 8th grade. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Teaching kids from a young age that confidence isn’t something you’re born with—it’s something you build.

That’s exactly what we focus on with athletes through The Mental Edge Method—a coaching system designed to develop athletes from the inside out. Because what we’ve learned is simple: It’s not just the fastest, strongest athletes who earn scholarships—it’s the ones who are mentally built to last.

Let me break it down for you.

The Mental Edge Playbook: What We Teach

Phase 1: Building a Foundation

This is where it all begins—laying the groundwork mentally and emotionally.

• Drive: Helping athletes connect with why they play. Not for trophies, but for something deeper.

• Focus: Teaching them how to quiet distractions and stay locked in when it counts.

• Belief: Building an unshakable inner confidence—even when no one’s clapping or watching.

Phase 2: Performance & Identity

This is where things really start to shift—athletes begin to own who they are.

• Identity: Understanding that they're more than just their performance. They’re more than a number on a jersey.

• Execution: Learning to show up every time, especially under pressure.

• Recovery: Turning setbacks, injuries, and bad games into lessons—not roadblocks.

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for their journey instead of blaming coaches, refs, or circumstances.

Phase 3: Leadership & Voice

This is where athletes go from being players to becoming leaders—on and off the field.

• Voice: Helping them communicate with confidence—whether in a huddle, a meeting, or with a coach.

• Responsibility: Understanding their impact on teammates, siblings, friends.

• Influence: Becoming someone others look to—not because they’re loud, but because they’re steady.

What Mental Coaching Really Does

As a parent, I know how easy it is to focus on the physical training programs, private lessons, tournaments. But here's the truth: If your athlete doesn’t have the mental tools, none of the physical training sticks when the pressure hits.

Mental coaching helps uncover blind spots—those hidden patterns that keep athletes from leveling up. We help them build tools they’ll use far beyond sports:

• Confidence under pressure

• Emotional control

• Leadership presence

• Resilience when life throws curveballs

These aren’t just “sports skills.” These are life skills. And trust me—college coaches notice.

Action Step: Let’s Talk

If you’re reading this as a parent and thinking, “This is exactly what my kid needs”—then reach out.

Let’s talk about how we can support your athlete—not just in chasing a scholarship, but in building the confidence and mindset that’ll carry them through sports, school, and life.

Because sometimes the best training isn’t in the weight room or on the field—it’s in the space between the ears.

Let’s build the edge together.

Tyler Lennon

44 Sports Connect LLC