Shohei Ohtani trains relentlessly — during the season and in the offseason.
Many describe his approach as stoic. Disciplined. Extreme.

But his motivation is not simply about physical conditioning.

It’s about the moment of breakthrough.

According to Ohtani, there are times during training when he feels himself getting better — not gradually, but suddenly. Not because something magically appears out of nowhere, but because daily repetition creates the conditions for insight.

And then one day, it clicks.

A movement matches the image in his mind. A mechanical adjustment suddenly feels right. A pitch release aligns perfectly. A swing connects with a new sensation.

When that happens, he immediately tests it.

Of course, not every idea works. Most do not. But occasionally, something aligns — and that alignment leads to a leap forward.

Ohtani continues to train intensely because he believes that breakthrough could arrive at any moment.

“That moment might come today. It might come tomorrow. One day, I might suddenly grasp something. That’s why I want to practice every day.”

He does not practice only for discipline.

He practices in anticipation.

Growth, for him, is not guaranteed — but it is always possible.

And that possibility is enough.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Opening a Path, Crossing the Ocean: The True Story of Shohei Ohtani, p.278