In all of my years of consulting, it seems pretty clear that most hitters seem to make a major distinction between how they approach and experience the practice. You can never but two high and never to low, you want to stay somewhere in the. Watch when attending higher level games high school, college, professional, watch the player at the position you play and observe his actions and demeanor on and off the field. The mental side of hitting pro baseball insider baseball. The following articles show the player how to enter the game with the correct mental picture, and operate throughout the game. So i would recomend kens book to anyone that is wanting to keep it simple and still get the point accross. Striking out can be disappointing for players, parents, and coaches. Challenging, because baseball players spend most of their time on physical preparation and little or no time on the one area that is going to impact their career the most. It gives the player a mental advantage and the exercises to develop a strong cerebral approach to the game. In this book, i teach you everything you need to learn about enhancing your mental approach to baseball. If you are looking for tips for youth baseball on how to build confidence at the plate. The game of baseball demands a unique mental attitude separate from other team sports. How to manage the mental hazards in golf, mental approach to better golf.
To get us through, we need something that we can rely on, a mental approach that is proven to increase productivity. Approach training center is your source for a wide variety of baseball classes, clinics, lessons and performance training, focusing on improving physical and mental skills through a position specific curriculum for batters, catchers, fielders and pitchers. Tewksbury, author of ninety percent mental, a book on mental skills. A daily mental practice for baseball players elite. Books on the mental approach general pitching topics let.
The mental keys to hitting is the greatest most user friendly baseball coachs book ever. An inexperienced hitter relies on his day to day practice improvements to gain confidence in his swing. I think the mental approach and the thought process can certainly change along the way, but the. Mental approach and thought process in the box this could be the biggest. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and comments on our articles so we know that you liked them. The the difference between a good game and a bad game is your mental approach, stated utley during spring training, 20. What you can learn from mlbs mentalskills coaches wsj. It was important to us to provide you with printable forms that could be used more easily by individuals and teams interested in measuring and.
This worksheet is designed for young baseball players to help them understand the mental side of baseball. Phoenix its a question that makes paul goldschmidt pause as he tries to come up with an answer sitting in front of his locker before a recent game, goldschmidt, one of the elite hitters in baseball, spoke with about his mental approach to the game. Coach todd guilliams joined the staff of the valdosta state university baseball team in 2008 and helped orchestrate one of the top 10 turnarounds in the country in division ii, taking the blazers to a 36181 record in 2008 and following up with a 4321 mark in 2009 and a 4317 record in 2010. Duffy eventually graduated to dorfmans book, the mental keys to hitting, which he began reading during his first full season in professional baseball.
Mental approach must be worked on collegiate baseball. G has worked with athletes across all sports at every level over the past 35 years. The theory and applications are illustrated by anecdotes and insights from major and minor league players, who at some point discovered the importance of mastering. It was the mental side of the game that got him a year career in the bigs. Head games is the new bible teaching the mental aspects of baseball and softball. Yogi berra once said you cant hit and think at the same time. Inside youll find detailed coverage of the four offensive team goals and the six ways to create offensive pressure that gives every team a chance to be high scorers. Overcome the failure, frustration and fear that the game throws at you each day.
Dorfman does an excellent job of explaning this simple but often overlooked method of batting. Books on the mental approach general pitching topics. Dorfman wrote several books, two of which have become mandatory reading. From anxiety and conditioning to battling the yips, ankiel can help guide them to become the best player they can be. There are many great books to read for baseball coaches, but which are the. The big league approach bla is focused on mastering the mental side of baseball. This book provides the best approaches for business leaders and those who coach and supervise others. Dorfman praises the oakland as approach featured in moneyball. After 16 years of professional baseball, i can tell you that if you havent yet experienced the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with good times and bad times at the plate you will. There is an old adage that your round of golf is always broken up into 3 different parts. Highscoring baseball is the definitive guide for establishing an aggressive, opportunistic, and disciplined offense. If you are looking for tips for youth baseball on how to build confidence at the plate, this other post called the mental side of hitting attainable goals is an excellent starting point and applies to baseball players from youth to pro. Future mlb hall of fame hitter derek jeter also understand the importance of the mental game of baseballonce you step into the on deck circle you have to tap into a hitters mindset, states jeter in a 2011 interview.
The pace of the game fools individuals into thinking that the game is laid back and slow. Step 2 be aware of situations that could happen when you come up to hit. This book was very helpful for every aspect of the game, be it hitting, fielding, pitching, or baserunning. This may come as a surprise, but baseball is actually a team sport shocking, i know. This paper is comprised of notes from two books, the mental game of baseball h. Baseball mental game mental game of baseball tips for. The goal of this article is to do just that to help you understand how to have a more consistent, mental approach to hitting by. Furthermore, in youth baseball, you only have time for the mental approach in the three areas of hitting, pitchingthrowing, and fielding grounders. Golf guru jim flick says that golf is 90 percent mental, and the other 10 percent. Baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical. Dr tom hanson is the founder of the play big academy and author of the books play big, headsup baseball, headsup baseball 2. May 28, 2002 the strategies in this book help players of all ages improve their performance through implementing a structured and controlled mental approach that allows players to keep focussed and positive even during times of adversity on and off the field. I thought the mental aspects of seeing the ball were extremely effective. Worldrenowned mental game of baseball and softball expert, dr.
Also, most good baseball books devote a chapter or much space within other chapters to the mental aspects of the game. Apr, 2017 after 16 years of professional baseball, i can tell you that if you havent yet experienced the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with good times and bad times at the plate you will. Is shows that the mental game of baseball is more important than the physical side because bob tewksbury was not a big dude. Feb 12, 2008 5 minutes of the mental approach to hitting a baseball or softball. The stress of failure results in physically, and mentally exhaustion. Players must develop the ability on the mound or in the batters box to block out distractions, says mr. Intangibles bigleague stories and strategies for winning the mental game in baseball and in life these baseball iq test forms are meant as a supplement to your book purchase. The mental game of baseball mental toughness wins ball games bill cole, ms, ma the mental game coach silicon valley, california. Highlights include the junior college world series mvp, accepting a full scholarship to the university of indianapolis, and the australian baseball league mvp helms award. Patrick cohn, teaches you how to improve mental toughness.
I highly recommend this book and the other two books by mr. Dorfman and karl kuehl present their practical and proven strategy for developing the mental skills needed to achieve peak. Dorfman and karl kuehl and the mental abcs of pitching by h. Start competing with confidence, consistency, and composure under pressure. Resource for baseball players, coaches, parents, and fans to. Baseball mental training and performance enhancement sports. The speed and reaction time in baseball is second to none. A daily mental practice for baseball players elite baseball. Dorfman and karl kuehl present their practical and proven strategy for developing the mental skills needed to achieve peak performance at every level of the game. Learn mental skills and insight to help boost you or your teams performance in games. Baseball hitting strategy pro baseball insider baseball. These three books are the top three baseball coaching books ever written. As far as hitting, pitchingthrowing, and fielding grounders are concerned, the mental game should be the main focus of youth coaches who are trying to learn how to coach their teams better. Mental approach raises goldschmidts game arizona diamondbacks.
The mental keys to hitting is an excellent book, and it is also a short and. Over the years as i have played with and taught amateur golfers, ive noticed that for many the mental approach to the game is where they struggle most. Top 5 ways to improve your mental approach to baseball. The definitive guide to the mental approach to hitting the baseball june 19th, 2017 ryan basham 0 comments baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical. Former cardinals pitcher writes about the mental side of. For harvey dorfman, 100 percent of the game was mental the. Trust and confidence in the swing is gained through dedicated practice and game experience, swing repetition and recall. May 11, 1995 headsup baseball, by tom hanson is an instuctional nonfiction novel that details the ins and outs of playing baseball.
Headsup baseball goodreads meet your next favorite book. Hitting mechanics are being over analyzed and overcoached everywhere you look these days, but how much are you seeing and hearing the mental approach to hitting the baseball being discussed are your youth, high school, or college coaches dedicating enough time to this important aspect of the game. A vast majority of baseball fans never heard of harvey dorfman. A good quality mental approach and hitting strategy are what separate the good from the great hitters. Oct 23, 2014 how a strong mental approach will help your game over the years as i have played with and taught amateur golfers, ive noticed that for many the mental approach to the game is where they struggle most. The mental approach to the game is very important it is the difference in most cases between a player in the minors and a player in the big leagues. Headsup baseball, by tom hanson is an instuctional nonfiction novel that details the ins and outs of playing baseball. Best baseball books the 20 best baseball books ever. The mental approach to baseball rick is available to mentor players that need help with the mental side of the game.
So what is the real cause of these mental pitching problems. Many pitchers focus all of their energy on the physical part of their game, but that is useless if they do not have a strong mental approach at pitching. Top 5 ways for youth ballplayers to improve their mental approach. Alan goldberg is an internationallyknown expert in peak sports performance. Yes, the mental game is being talked about a lot more these days, but talking isnt good enough. How to master the mental game of pitching baseball pitching tips. Feb 08, 2020 baseball, as i pointed out in the book, its always been somewhat of a cyclicalnatured thing. The strategies in this book help players of all ages improve their performance through implementing a structured and controlled mental approach that allows players to keep focussed and positive even during times of adversity on and off the field. Learn proven mental game strategies to boost performance. I dont like to put percentages on it, but you would probably.
Steven ellis get exclusive baseball pitching instruction. Golf is surely one of those sports where the psychology of the game and the importance of confidence and mental toughness are most underestimated. In this book, hanson explores in great depth the mental aspect of the game and how to use a good mental approach to your advantage. Before and after each pitch, watch his preparation, what he does after each pitch, and how he communicates to his teammates.
Jan 20, 2015 the mental approach to the game is very important it is the difference in most cases between a player in the minors and a player in the big leagues. I highly recommend that youth baseball coaches read two books. A new approach to the old ball game paul dickson on the mental side of baseball, its singular moments in history, the game as a poetic metaphor for life. I have bought the mental game of baseball, the mental game of pitching, and the mental keys to hitting. The mental game of baseball hitting baseball tutorials. A must read and listento for all coaches and parents of athletes. Bigleague stories and strategies for winning the mental game. Ninety percent mental by bob tewksbury is a very powerful book. Sep 12, 2017 in this book, i teach you everything you need to learn about enhancing your mental approach to baseball. Ask players and coaches about the importance of a good mental approach, and most will agree it plays a huge role in a players success. How important do you think your mental approach is to your baseball performance. Baseball mental training and performance enhancement. The battingaverage is the biggest trap in all of sports.
Mental approach must be worked on collegiate baseball newspaper. Unless the mental approach to hitting is identified and addressed, players and coaches may wonder why a physically, well earned swing is not translating into game situations. The mental game of baseball is one that every successful pitcher must fight, and hopefully win. It discussed both good and bad mental approaches to. Baseball is the biggest selfesteem destroying sport in the world.
If you are a highlevel player, you know it is very, very important. Baseball, as i pointed out in the book, its always been somewhat of a cyclicalnatured thing. The statement that baseball is 90 percent mental is a testament for the importance of the proper mental approach in games as well as in practice. The theory and applications are illustrated by anecdotes and insights from major and minor league players. If youre ready to get deeper and more advanced into this topic, click here for 4 pro strategies to win your mental battle with the pitcher. It can help change your approach on how you play the game. This book has really helped me improve my mental game for baseball.