5 Reset Drills Every Athlete Should Master When Chaos Hits
You know that moment…
Everything is going great. Energy is high. And then one mistake flips the vibe. Suddenly you can feel the momentum draining like air out of a balloon. Everyone sees it and everyone feels it. That’s the moment you don’t want to give energy to. You need tools to reset.
The problem is under pressure, you won’t think to reset. Your nervous system moves faster than thought. Your body tightens, adrenaline spikes, your brain scrambles, and if you haven’t trained a reset, instinct will take over. That instinct is usually freeze, rush, or panic. I talk more about drive styles and what to do with your own in the book.
That’s why you train reset drills like fire drills. Nobody waits until the building is burning to wonder how the exits work. You rehearse it calmly so that when it’s chaos, your body already knows what to do.
Here are five fast reset drills that let you get your system back online in seconds. Four come from the AthLITES Reset System, and one is a bonus from neuroscience. Together they’ll help you stop spirals and get you back to baseline.
The Full Body Shakeout “Shake it Off”
If you’ve ever heard someone calling from the stands to “shake it off”, it’s great advice but no one really knows what to do with that advice. When your body locks up with tension, your timing and instincts disappear. The Full Body Shakeout clears adrenaline and tight muscles in seconds. Shaking is a natural, hardwired way the body clears stress. If you’ve ever seen a dog tremble after a loud noise or an antelope shake all four legs after escaping a predator, you’ve seen this in action. Animals instinctively shake to discharge excess adrenaline and reset their nervous system back to baseline. Humans have the same wiring. We just forget to use it.
How to do it:
Shake out your wrists, then your arms, shoulders, and legs.
Bounce lightly on your toes.
Let your jaw and face go loose.
Exhale hard, then smile just a little.
Why it works: If you’re in your head, it’s hard to talk yourself out of it. Think back to a time you were in a bad mood - it’s hard to think your way into a better frame of mind. And in competition you don’t have that much time. Motion resets emotion so leverage that. Animals instinctively shake after danger to clear stress. You’re doing the same telling your body: I’m safe, let’s move forward.
Use it right after a mistake, a long rally, or whenever you feel frozen.
2. Grounding Squeeze
When your thoughts are taking over, grab something (it could be your fist, a ball, even your palms pressed together) and squeeze hard for 5–10 seconds. When you squeeze hard your body gets a surge of “I’m steady” signals. That deep pressure calms the nerves, slows racing thoughts, and anchors you back in control. The letting go part is just as important. When you let go, your nervous system gets the message to drop the tension and reset. It’s quick, it’s subtle, and nobody even has to know you’re doing it but inside, your body has already flipped the switch from panic back to focus.
How to do it:
Tighten your muscles or squeeze an object firmly.
Breathe steadily.
Release slowly and feel the tension drop.
Why it works: Strong pressure signals your brain: I’m steady. I’m in control. Instead of floating in panic, you’re anchored in your body.
3. Shout Out Reset - “Use Your Voice”
Ever notice athletes yelling “Let’s go!” or clapping after a mistake? That’s not just hype. It’s a reset. When your inner voice gets loud, negative, and distracting, saying something out loud (“Reset,” “Next play,” “Let’s go” etc) cuts through that chaos like hitting a stop button. Your brain can’t stay stuck in the spiral while you’re physically shouting a new command. Add a clap, stomp, or sharp exhale, and you’ve given your nervous system a clear reset signal: stop the noise, re-center, and keep move forward.
How to do it:
Pick a short, positive phrase and be specific so you can direct your energy. Let’s go is great, but doesn’t really tell your body and mind what you’re wanting to do unless you anchor that phrase to what “Let’s go” really means for you.
Say it out loud. Firmly if you need calm. Louder if you need energy.
Pair it with a clap, stomp, or big exhale.
Why it works: Your inner voice can spiral into self-doubt. By speaking out loud, you override the mental static and give your system a sharp cue to move forward. It’s like flipping tracks on a playlist. New song = new energy.
4. Micro Gratitude - Find one small thing
Under stress, your heart rhythm turns jagged and uneven, which scrambles your focus. Gratitude smooths that rhythm out. HeartMath Institute research shows that even a few seconds of real appreciation puts your heart and brain back in sync, a state they call “coherence.” In coherence, you think clearer, react quicker, and feel steadier. So when you pause mid-game to find one small thing you’re grateful for, you’re not just shifting your mood. You’re putting your whole system back into rhythm.
How to do it:
Place a hand on your chest.
Take a slow breath.
Quietly name one tiny thing you’re grateful for — your shoes, your team, your chance to compete. It doesn’t have to be big, you just need to feel the gratitude. If you can’t say it out loud say it in your head.
Breathe with that feeling for 2–3 more breaths.
Why it works: Gratitude is proven to calm your nervous system and restore focus. Even a micro-moment pulls you out of fight-or-flight and back into flow.
5. Field Scan - Widen Your Gaze
Stress shrinks your vision. You get tunnel vision, and your body stays in panic mode. Widening your eyes back out lifting your gaze to the horizon or softening your focus so you notice the whole scene sends a message to your brain: I’m safe, calm down. Neuroscience shows this instantly lowers stress, steadies your heart rate, and clears your thinking. In-game, it’s the fastest way to break out of tunnel vision and see the court or field the way you need to again.
How to do it:
Lift your eyes toward the horizon or far wall.
Soften your focus. Notice things at the edges of your vision.
Take one slow breath while holding that wide gaze.
Why it works: Research shows panoramic vision activates brain circuits that shut off the stress response. In 10–15 seconds, your system downshifts from fight-or-flight into calm, steady focus.
How to Layer This Into Practice and Game Day
If you only try these when the game is on the line, they’ll flop. You have to wire them in step by step until they become automatic. Think of it as training reflexes, not routines. If you have to think about it, it’s not wired in yet. Practice, practice practice.
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Introduce each reset in warm-ups or downtime.
Try them slowly. Notice what feels natural.
Pair them with mistakes in drills (miss a rep, do a reset).
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Use resets between reps or drills.
Coaches can cue: “Reset!” after errors.
Athletes should start to self-initiate instead of waiting for cues.
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Build resets into scrimmages.
Add stakes (score penalties if resets aren’t used after errors).
Practice team-wide resets (e.g. one big clap and “Reset!” call after a run of mistakes).
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Make resets part of pre-game rituals.
Normalize: every mistake = immediate reset.
Check in after games: Which reset did you use? Did it help?
The five drills in this article are only the beginning. Inside AthLITES: Transform Your Mental Game you’ll find 20+ reset tools. Each one is designed for a specific moment: before the game, mid-chaos, when you’re spiraling, or after it’s all over.
The book also goes deeper with the Drive Style framework helping you discover whether you’re wired as a Protector or Guardian under pressure. Once you know your Drive Style, you’ll understand why certain resets work better for you and how to train them until they fire on instinct.
If you’re serious about building a mental game that won’t break when it matters most, grab the full playbook on Amazon - it’s just $6.99.
Recover faster, refocus under pressure, and rise to the challenge with proven reset tools for athletes, coaches, and parents.
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