Start, Stop, Sustain: The process Every Athlete Needs in January-JUST GET STARTed!
SSS is a simple yet highly effective behavioral framework designed to help athletes take control of their performance. Think of it as a habits playbook that will help you navigate pressure, mistakes, and consistency throughout the season:
Start – The behaviors you actively adopt to set yourself up for success. These are the tools and routines that give you control, focus, and consistency from day one. Start behaviors support performance readiness.
Stop – The mental traps, behaviors, and thought patterns that sabotage performance. Stopping these is just as important as starting new habits because negative patterns disrupt focus and recovery.
Sustain – How you maintain these behaviors reinforce consistency under load (slipping under stress, fatigue, or high-pressure situations). Sustaining is what separates athletes who perform occasionally from those who perform reliably, game after game.
In this three-part series, we’ll break down each pillar and give practical, actionable steps to implement in January so your mental game starts strong and lasts all season.
Now let’s dive into today’s focus—Start
“What you start today determines how you finish your season.”
A new year is more than a calendar change—it’s a chance to hit reset on your game plan. Motivation gets you moving, and talent opens the door, but consistency comes from the behaviors you intentionally start and practice every day. That’s what separates athletes who perform occasionally from those who perform reliably.
Why Starting Strong Matters
When you start strong mentally, everything else follows. You focus better in practice, recover faster from mistakes, and carry confidence into competitions. The behaviors you begin today act like compounding interest—the earlier you begin, the bigger the payoff by mid-season.
The key is starting behaviors that build control, clarity, and consistency. These are simple, but they must be done deliberately.
3 examples of start behaviors
Breath Control:
Your body reacts to stress before your mind does. Learning to regulate your body and mind through breath-work helps you gain control over focus and composure. Start with 3–5 minutes of nasal breathing: inhale for 4 seconds, pause, exhale for 4. Do it daily so you can control yourself in practice, games, or even in the middle of stressful drills and lifts.Off-Season Routine: Start building a daily structure. Train with intent, not volume. Set goals.
Commitment Check: Lock-in consistent wake, train, and recovery windows. Enhance your discipline identity. Treat recovery as training. Schedule sleep, mobility and nutrition with the same priority as lifts and field work. Recovery is a skill.
Ask- “What’s my non-negotiable today?”
Mobility + Strength and Conditioning
Nutrition- learn how to eat/cook within my protein, carbs and fat requirements that support weight goals
Sleep- that’s when the magic happens
Reduce screen time (video games, doom scrolling, Netflix binging); increase quality time with family and friends
Focus on breathing and meditation
3. The Daily Reset Ritual
Mistakes happen—it’s part of the game. What matters is what you do next. Start using a 10-second routine to clear errors and reset attention. Steps:
Long exhale + shake out hands/arms. “Clear.”
Posture tall, eyes forward -> quick hip hinge or shoulder roll back. “Here.”
One nasal breath + step forward. “Next rep.”
Even one intentional reset per day strengthens your ability to perform under pressure.
How to Start Without Overwhelm
Focus on one habit at a time. Commit to 5 minutes daily for one week. Track progress (I use an app called HabitShare. Reach out to me, if you need accountability). Once that behavior sticks, layer in the next. Small, consistent starts outperform sporadic bursts of motivation every time.
Starting is where momentum begins. Next, we address what needs to change.
In Part 2: STOP, we’ll explore the behaviors athletes need to release in order to reach their goals and perform with clarity, confidence, and consistency.
Ready to start your mental game right this January? [Download the FLEX Start Checklist] and get your full guide to building behaviors that stick. If you want to learn more, consider booking a FREE Discovery Call.
