On Saturday, I was in the Padres clubhouse, talking with the team’s acupuncture and massage therapist, Atsushi, while he worked on Jackson Merrill’s diaphragm.

Now that I mention it…of course…it only makes sense that I sat there watching his approach to working on a muscle I hold near and dear. I was loving it. Jackson, on the other hand, was not, to say the least. Lol.

Anyway, I asked Merrill if he ever used AI to support his game. He looked at me like I was crazy and laughed.

“Nope.”

“Really?” I said, sort of shocked. I had suspected he dabbled in it, as most of us do now.

Definitely not.

But then again, he has people looking at every detail of the game, giving him full reports on exactly what he needs to know about his approach at the plate and on the field. The metrics and data they have are, well…A LOT.

“Let’s try it out,” I challenged him.

“Ok, ask for my scouting report for Eury Pérez (the Miami Marlins’ starter that night). I bet it says changeups, down, and away.”

“Chat, what is the scouting report for Jackson Merrill against Eury Pérez? What does he need to throw to get him out?”

Chat responded, “I’d attack Merrill with elevated four-seams + changeups below the zone, with the hard slider as the third weapon. I would drastically reduce the sinker. If Pérez gets to 1-2 or 0-2, I think the changeup below the zone is the pitch I'd want most. Merrill has a 37.3% chase rate this year, well above league average, and once he leaves the strike zone his contact rate falls to 56.1%.”

As I read that to Jackson, he chuckled, “See, I don’t need that shit.”

A confidence boost to a kid whose confidence already fills the room.

You’re welcome, Jackson.

The other thing Chat showed in one of its charts, which it never brought forward, is that Merrill hits the curveball well, with a .298 average.

In his first at-bat, Eury hung a curveball over the heart of the plate, and Merrill smoked it into right field for a single. Jackson later struck out twice on a combo of four-seamers, changeups, and curveballs, all out of the zone. Chase rate…

The report… well, it wasn’t wrong. It just didn’t tell the whole story.

Why am I telling you all this?

Merrill hit .219 in the first half of this season, well off his career average. Padres manager Craig Stammen recently said Jackson was trying to figure out whether he was doubting himself or just in a funk.

Then the All-Star break hit, and Merrill pulled up an old high school video. He said he wanted to get back to being himself, playing "free baseball, loose baseball." And, funnily enough, he also said he simplified his approach and mostly ignores the tech to help him improve his swing.

Since then, the kid has been on a heater, hitting .311 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs. For someone who has access to every report and metric in the game, he turned his season around by going back to what he knows…himself.

Last week, I was prepping for a client call. I gave Chat the transcript from our last call and asked it to outline where to go next. Of course, it spit out some beautiful plan, which the perfectionist in me loved. And instead of checking it against what I actually felt in that previous session, I went with it.

Five minutes into the call, the plan went out the door. AI couldn’t predict where the conversation would go because it couldn’t connect to the energy and history between us. And it certainly didn’t have my lived experience.

AI tells you about the data in black and white, but your body tells you what's happening…right now. Stepping into that call with the robotic outline as my plan, I was sitting on the changeup. Thank goodness I stayed open enough to see the hanging curveball.

Afterward, I could only chuckle as I thought about handing the planning over to AI instead of going with my instinct and experience. People reflect back to me my power as a coach and educator, and what I hold in that space, and I still catch myself looking outside for permission to trust it. Handing my plan to AI was the same habit in a new form.

The moral of this windy story: Your experience matters more than you realize. Read the report, then set it down, trust yourself, and step into the box.

Smooth breaths,
Reis 🤙

THE NOISE

The good kind. What's alive in life this week.

Where I'm Teaching:

Living Breath. Every Thursday, I teach at Oasis in downtown Encinitas (526 2nd Street) at 5:30 pm. It's the simplest way to practice with me each week. Register​

Our Breath Collective. Want a daily practice? Our community breathes daily online for 15 minutes, led by me and the OBC guides. Catch 'em live or on-demand, directly on you favorite device. Try it for 7-days for free​

Private Clients. I have a few spots open for private work. If something feels off and you can't quite name it, hit replay and we can talk. Referrals always welcomed.

What I'm into this week:

Koa Smith on the You Choose Podcast. I have been in Koa's orbit for 20+ years, starting when I lived in Kauai for a period of my life. He is one of the brightest lights I know and this podcast episode puts it on full display. His practice of life is inspiring, chalk full of wisdom beyond his years. I couldn't be more proud to call him a friend. I guarantee you'll end this one with your stoke tank filled up. Listen​

Miklos by Caddis. I got these new prescription glasses last week and love them. Caddis was a client in 2017 when I had my marketing agency. They've always had great style and a fun ethos, which has stayed consistent through their years of growth. Check 'em out​

Weekly breath playlist. I make a new playlist for every breath class I host. Here's the latest​