The Power of Focus and Awareness: The Foundation of Mental Performance in Sports

Tyler Lennon
Oct 6
3 min read

The Foundation of Peak Performance: Focus

In sports — and in life — one of the most powerful skills you can develop is focus. The ability to stay locked into the present moment allows athletes to execute with clarity and confidence. Whether you’re a baseball player stepping into the batter’s box, a quarterback about to take a snap, or a golfer lining up a shot, your success hinges on one simple thing: being fully present in the moment.

You can’t play the entire game at once. You can only play one pitch, one play, one shot at a time. The key to mental performance is learning to bring your best self to each of those moments.

When you approach your game one moment at a time, you begin to build momentum, consistency, and confidence. Over time, those small, focused actions compound into big results — just like stacking bricks to build a strong foundation.

Awareness: The Key to Regaining Focus

While focus gets you into the zone, awareness keeps you there.

You can’t stay focused if you don’t know what pulls you out of focus. Awareness is about recognizing the triggers and distractions that can shift your attention away from the present moment. These might include:

Worrying about mistakes or outcomes
Getting caught up in emotions or pressure
Letting external distractions take over (crowd, noise, scoreboard)

Building awareness helps you recognize when your attention drifts, so you can bring it back quickly. Ask yourself:

What situations cause me to lose focus?
What thoughts or emotions distract me?
What can I do — right now — to refocus on the task?

Awareness gives you the control to reset, breathe, and get back to the moment that matters most: now.

Lessons from Executive Protection: Preparation Creates Presence

Before launching 44 Sports Connect LLC in Midland, TN, I spent seven years working in Executive Protection in Los Angeles, safeguarding high-profile clients. In that world, to be successful and to keep your client safe, you needed to do an Advance — preparing every location before a client arrived. We’d walk the property, check entrances and exits, scan restrooms, and identify every possible risk.

Why? Because preparation created awareness, and awareness created focus. When we are familiar with the environment inside and out, we can stay calm, clear, and present — even under pressure.

The same is true in sports. When you prepare intentionally — physically, mentally, emotionally — you eliminate uncertainty. That preparation builds confidence, and confidence supports focus.

Your mental “Advance” might be a pre-game routine, visualization, breathwork, or journaling — anything that strengthens your awareness and locks in your presence.

One Moment at a Time

Success in sports — and in life — comes down to this: Be where your feet are. Play one pitch, one play, one rep at a time.

With strong focus, you perform at your best. With deep awareness, you stay ready and adaptable.

These are the skills that separate the good from the great — and they’re the heart of what we teach at 44 Sports Connect LLC. Through Mental Performance Coaching and Leadership Development, we help athletes train their minds to match their talent.