Shohei Ohtani’s Mandala Chart, Translated and Explained
As a first-year student at Hanamaki Higashi High School in Japan, 16-year-old Shohei Ohtani filled in a 9×9 goal-setting sheet. Years later it became the most famous Mandala Chart in the world. Here is the whole chart in English, with notes on what each part means.
The goal: a first-round pick by eight teams
In the center Ohtani wrote ドラ1 8球団 – to be picked in the first round of the Japanese professional baseball draft by eight teams. In Japan’s draft, several teams can name the same player in the first round, and a lottery decides who gets him. Being named by eight of the twelve teams would make him the most wanted high school player in the country.
It didn’t happen exactly like that. In 2012 Ohtani announced that he wanted to go straight to Major League Baseball, and only the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters drafted him in the first round anyway. They convinced him to stay, he became a star as both pitcher and hitter, and he moved to MLB in 2018. The specific goal was missed; the player the chart describes was built.
The eight themes
Around the goal Ohtani placed eight areas. Five are about baseball skill and the body. Three – luck, character and mental strength – are about the kind of person he wanted to be. That mix is what makes the chart interesting for anyone, not just pitchers.
1. Body building 体づくり
Ohtani was tall and thin at 16. This block is about building the strength to throw harder without getting hurt – including very concrete numbers for squats and how much rice to eat.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 体のケア | Take care of my body |
| サプリメントをのむ | Take supplements |
| FSQ 90kg | Front squat 90 kg |
| RSQ 130kg | Back squat 130 kg |
| 柔軟性 | Flexibility |
| スタミナ | Stamina |
| 可動域 | Range of motion |
| 食事 夜7杯 朝3杯 | Eat 7 bowls of rice at dinner, 3 at breakfast |
2. Control コントロール
Command of the strike zone. Mostly mechanics – a stable axis, a consistent release point – but also “remove anxiety” and “control my mind”: he saw accuracy as partly mental.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| インステップ改善 | Fix my instep (stride direction) |
| 体幹強化 | Strengthen my core |
| 軸をぶらさない | Keep my axis steady |
| 不安をなくす | Remove anxiety |
| メンタルコントロールをする | Control my mind |
| 体を開かない | Don’t open my body too early |
| 下肢の強化 | Strengthen my lower body |
| リリースポイントの安定 | Stable release point |
3. Sharpness (“kire”) キレ
“Kire” describes a pitch that looks faster and moves more late than its speed suggests. The actions are about spin, release point and staying relaxed.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 角度をつける | Create a downward angle |
| 上からボールをたたく | Hit the ball from above |
| リストの強化 | Strengthen my wrists |
| 力まない | Don’t tense up |
| 下半身主導 | Lead with my lower body |
| 回転数アップ | Increase spin rate |
| ボールを前でリリース | Release the ball out in front |
| 可動域 | Range of motion |
4. Speed 160 km/h スピード160km/h
160 km/h is about 99 mph – a speed almost nobody threw in Japanese baseball at the time. He broke it down into weight, strength and simply throwing more.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 軸でまわる | Rotate around my axis |
| 下肢の強化 | Strengthen my lower body |
| 体重増加 | Gain weight |
| 体幹強化 | Strengthen my core |
| 肩周りの強化 | Strengthen my shoulders |
| 可動域 | Range of motion |
| ライナーキャッチボール | Play catch with line-drive throws |
| ピッチングを増やす | Pitch more |
5. Breaking balls 変化球
A fast fastball is not enough. This block lists the pitches he needed – fork, slider, slow curve – and how to make them deceptive.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| カウントボールを増やす | More pitches I can throw for strikes |
| フォーク完成 | Master the forkball |
| スライダーのキレ | Sharper slider |
| 遅く落差のあるカーブ | Slow curve with a big drop |
| 左打者への決め球 | Out pitch against left-handed hitters |
| ストレートと同じフォームで投げる | Same arm action as my fastball |
| ストライクからボールに投げるコントロール | Control to start a strike and end a ball |
| 奥行きをイメージ | Picture the depth of the pitch |
6. Luck 運
The most quoted block. Instead of treating luck as chance, he listed behavior he believed earns it: greeting people, picking up litter, respecting umpires.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| あいさつ | Greet people |
| ゴミ拾い | Pick up litter |
| 部屋そうじ | Clean my room |
| 道具を大切に使う | Take care of my equipment |
| 審判さんへの態度 | Show respect to umpires |
| プラス思考 | Think positively |
| 応援される人間になる | Be someone people want to cheer for |
| 本を読む | Read books |
7. Character 人間性
A whole block about being a good person, in a chart about becoming a top draft pick. Scouts and teams pick people, not just arms.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 感性 | Sensitivity |
| 愛される人間 | Be someone people like |
| 計画性 | Plan ahead |
| 感謝 | Gratitude |
| 礼儀 | Good manners |
| 信頼される人間 | Be someone people trust |
| 継続力 | Perseverance |
| 思いやり | Consideration for others |
8. Mental strength メンタル
Staying steady under pressure: not riding the highs and lows of each game, keeping a cool head, and being at his best in a jam.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| はっきりとした目標、目的をもつ | Have a clear goal and purpose |
| 一喜一憂しない | Don’t ride the highs and lows |
| 頭は冷静に心は熱く | Cool head, warm heart |
| ピンチに強い | Be strong in a jam |
| 雰囲気に流されない | Don’t get carried away by the mood |
| 波をつくらない | Stay consistent |
| 勝利への執念 | Determination to win |
| 仲間を思いやる心 | Care about my teammates |
What you can copy from Ohtani’s chart
Put numbers on what can be measured
“Front squat 90 kg”, “160 km/h”, “7 bowls at dinner”. Where progress can be measured, he wrote a number. Vague goals are easy to fudge; numbers aren’t.
Turn fuzzy things into behavior
Nobody can schedule “luck”. You can schedule picking up litter and greeting people. Ohtani turned even the least controllable theme into actions he could do every day.
Some actions belong to several themes
Range of motion appears in three blocks, core and lower-body strength in two. That’s a sign of what matters most: if an action keeps showing up, do it first.
Character is part of performance
A third of his chart is about how he treats people and handles pressure. Whatever your goal, other people decide part of the outcome – a coach, a boss, customers, a team.
Make your own chart
You don’t need a baseball goal to use the same structure. Open the free Mandala Chart editor, or start from an example close to your own goal – marathon training is the closest to an athlete’s chart, and the chart for students is a good fit if you are in school, like Ohtani was. New to the method? Read what a Mandala Chart is and how to make one.