Being in the “zone” is often described as a mystical experience for an athlete and musician. It arrives with a tremendous sense of freedom that usually happens by chance that allows the athlete or musician to perform at a very high level. It is what Buddy Biancalana experienced in the 1985 World Series for the Kansas City Royals. 

 

Buddy was a 1978 1st round draft choice by the Kansas City Royals. He made it to the Major Leagues for the first time in 1982 and became somewhat of a household name thanks to his stellar play in the 1985 World Series, for the World Champion Royals. In that Series, he played the best baseball of his career as he outplayed his counterpart, Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith.  His recognition heightened from appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and the Today Show.  Buddy enjoyed the glory of a great athletic performance, however, was never able to repeat his stellar play and was out of the Major Leagues just a year and a half later and completely out of professional baseball following the 1989 season, due to a reoccurring back injury.  The challenges of a post athletic career were quickly mounting.   But as Buddy has learned, life’s challenges can be wonderful gifts.  Through this time and many years to follow, he couldn’t help but reflect on his “zone experience” in the Series and the tremendous freedom and subsequent success he had on the field during the most important seven games of his career.  Through his reflecting, he eventually came to believe that if an athlete experiences something once, there is no reason they cannot experience it on a more regular basis. He now teaches athletes, musicians, and salespeople how to get in the “zone” by working with the fine motor skills at the intersection of intention and execution or, thought and action. He has consulted with the Chicago Bulls, Portland Trailblazers, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, University of Arizona, Kansas University, University of Michigan and Princeton University. He has trained athletes in 13 professional and over 20 amateur sports. He has been a guest speaker at The Sports, Energy & Consciousness Festival, the Mindfulness Leadership Summit and the Society for Information Management and The Taft School. Golf clients have included Scott McCarron, Charlie Hoffman, Ben Crane, Ricky Barnes, Michelle Wie and Lee Janzen.