The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance

Yogi Berra said the game of “baseball is 90% mental and the other half physical.” He wasn’t far off. This was my baseball bible when I was in college. I get a copy for all my private clients. Most people can physically play the game, they can throws, catch and hit. But to really play the game they need to have the mental skills to excel. This book opens up another dimension and will teach you or your child how to master the mental side of the game.

I have given this four stars because it's basically an incomplete review, but the early returns are positive. I bought this for my fifteen year old son who has played baseball since he was in kindergarten. He loves the game and always has, but he has struggled since beginning high school ball, particularly at the plate (he is currently a sophomore). He has always had a lot of team and individual success in this sport, so I was looking for something to help him. He even mentioned that he used to relish coming to the plate in high pressure situations, but recently, he wasn't nearly as confident as he used to be. A couple of years ago, when the Cleveland Indians' Corey Kluber won the American League Cy Young Award, in one of his interviews, he credited Harvey Dorfman's book on pitching as to how he keeps such an even keel. If you watch Corey pitch, you can't tell if he just gave up a three-run jack or if he struck out the side on nine pitches. His demeanor remains the same. Encouraged by that endorsement, and positive reviews on Amazon, I picked out this book for my son based on the fact that this particular book covers the entire game of baseball. He read two chapters the other night, and played in a game the next day. In that game, he went 2-4 with 4 RBIs, his first solid hits in some time, and just missed an infield single on a bang-bang call at first. As he took the field after his first RBI single, he found me in the stands with a smile on his face and mouthed the words, "It's the book." For him to have read only two chapters so far and give that book direct credit for his success the NEXT DAY speaks volumes. I have to highly recommend this for anyone who wants to get better mentally in the game of baseball, and watch that mental clarity and toughness translate to on-field success.

I bought this book hoping to get some tips to help my 9 year old son in little league. He's not a natural athlete, but he really loves the game an can do OK. During practice and in the batting cages, he doesn't have a lot of power but he makes good solid contact, and in his past 2 years playing he rarely struck out. Since moving up to pony ball he had really struggled to make contact, 2-3 Ks per game. I knew it was mostly in his head, as his mechanics are quite solid. We were both frustrated, and I didn't want him to lose his love of baseball because of it.This book was VERY helpful for every aspect of the game, be it hitting, fielding, pitching, or baserunning. It discussed both good and bad mental approaches to the game, with real world examples taken from MLB, like Doug DeCinces struggling to fill Brooks Robinson's shoes to Steve Sax's difficulties throwing to first, and how a change in approach can make all the difference.The lessons discussed, from attitudes and confidence, to taking control and responsibility for your actions, can be applied not just to baseball but to life in general, and help guide you to success.Applying lessons from the book, my son has learned to quiet all the thoughts and pressures in his head when he is at the plate, and in the field, and trust his skills. He will never be Ted Williams, but he's making contact again, and having some success. His team just won the league championship, and he now feels he contributed. Most importantly, though, his is smiling again and having fun playing.Even if you have only a casual interest in baseball, I highly recommend this book.

I love this book. It has not only changed the way I play the game of baseball, its changed the way I've played life. I am a baseball player myself, and have always loved the game. When I would play, I would always get nervous when I would hit, and I'd say to myself "I've gotta get a hit.....", and when I didn't, it threw off my game. My friends on the team were having sucess, and I was riding the bench, because my production had suffered. I was a nervous wreck. Then, I read this book. I read about real-life examples of this in the majors (Doug DecCines, Joe Carter, and other notable ballplayers) and it helped me. It says in the book that having a relaxed attitude while at the plate, and in all areas of baseball, will help you be more sucessful. The year after reading this book, I was the starting centerfielder, cleanup hitter, and I was coming up big in key situations. Why? This book convinced me, that sucess in baseball stems from hard-work and confidence. I already knew this, but this book also helped me put this to action. It revealed concentraion and relaxation techniques (deep breathing) I use while in the batter's box. Since then, I've read this book probably 5 times, and learn something more every time. Also noteworthy, I've realized paraells between baseball and life. In life, you have to have confidence in your abilities as well. Usually nervous in front of an audience, I've become a decent public speaker, thanks to more confidence. Looking back, I thought my dream of becoming a major league baseball player was done, and I was about to quit, forever. I then read this book. I still don't know if I'll ever make it to the bigs, but at least I'll go down trying.

The author reminds you how to make the mental mechanics simple to the point that you should approach the task with no relevance for fluid follow through. I recommend it for any calling where performance required.

Fantastic book on the mental side of baseball. I used it myself in my playing days and now recommend it to the kids that I coach. The mental side of the game is often under coached with too many coaches focussed on the physical side of the game only. 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 cannot recommend this book enough.

Empfehlenswert für jeden der Baseball im Wettbewerb spielt, egal auf welchem Niveau. Es enthält hervorragende Tips zur mentalen Einstellung, man beginnt seine Spielweise aus einem ganz neuen Winkel zu betrachten.Hat einige Längen, insbesondere, wenn Spieler aus den 80ern und 90ern zitiert werden, die man als Deutscher kaum kennt.Alles in allem empfehlenswert!

Best book written to date on this subject.

A wonderful read. Wish I known this and mastered my psychology 35 years ago.