My son is 13; I am looking for recommendations for good reads for someone his age on the mental side of hitting and pitching.
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Two Books by H. A. Dorfman:
"The Mental Game of Baseball" and "The Mental Keys to Hitting" should be what you are looking for.
Fungo
"The Mental Game of Baseball" and "The Mental Keys to Hitting" should be what you are looking for.
Fungo
The book and tape by Walter Herbison may also be helpful. Look at www.walterherbison.com.
Reading will help some. But the thing that will be important is you helping him keep his confidence solid.
Confidence is important in pretty much all aspects of every sport. But perhaps nowhere is it more important than in pitching.
There are some great quotes by HOF pitchers that he should tack onto the wall and read each day. PM if you need some of these.
After a good outing, go over the good things. Help him keep the good feelings fresh in his mind.
When the defense falls apart behind him & the unearned runs mount, remind him that he has done HIS job. If he got the batters to hit ground balls and/or fly balls, he has done all anyone can expect of him. He was successful even though the team was not. {There may be some folks who feel this violates "team". But it is vital to the young pitcher developing mental toughness. And if the pitcher doesn't develop mental toughness, he will be of no help to the team at all.} I can't overemphasize this one.
When he has a bad outing, and every pitcher will have a bad outing every now & then, help him write it off and leave it behind. As hard as it may be for you as a dad, leave the critique until the next bullpen. Then you can talk about "things to improve". Probably every dad has made the mistake of analyzing a bad performance after the game. Many of us have made it more than once. That is an attempt to help, but the timing is bad.
Help him develop a mound persona where he shows no emotion at all. This is another crucial part of mental toughness. No frustration after a horrible call by the blue, a dropped pop fly by the short, or a home run. No digging the toe in the dirt, hands on the hips, etc. Explain that showing any signs of frustration, anger, etc. just pumps up the opposing team. If he learns to control his external emotions, he will be a long way down the road toward mastering his internal emotions.
And on a side topic, be sure to teach him about reading the batter as well as pitch selection and strategy. Good coaches won't call the pitches. And many catchers aren't as well trained in pitch selection as they should. And even disregarding these two things, he needs to know when to shake off the sign.
May your son experience much success.
Confidence is important in pretty much all aspects of every sport. But perhaps nowhere is it more important than in pitching.
There are some great quotes by HOF pitchers that he should tack onto the wall and read each day. PM if you need some of these.
After a good outing, go over the good things. Help him keep the good feelings fresh in his mind.
When the defense falls apart behind him & the unearned runs mount, remind him that he has done HIS job. If he got the batters to hit ground balls and/or fly balls, he has done all anyone can expect of him. He was successful even though the team was not. {There may be some folks who feel this violates "team". But it is vital to the young pitcher developing mental toughness. And if the pitcher doesn't develop mental toughness, he will be of no help to the team at all.} I can't overemphasize this one.
When he has a bad outing, and every pitcher will have a bad outing every now & then, help him write it off and leave it behind. As hard as it may be for you as a dad, leave the critique until the next bullpen. Then you can talk about "things to improve". Probably every dad has made the mistake of analyzing a bad performance after the game. Many of us have made it more than once. That is an attempt to help, but the timing is bad.
Help him develop a mound persona where he shows no emotion at all. This is another crucial part of mental toughness. No frustration after a horrible call by the blue, a dropped pop fly by the short, or a home run. No digging the toe in the dirt, hands on the hips, etc. Explain that showing any signs of frustration, anger, etc. just pumps up the opposing team. If he learns to control his external emotions, he will be a long way down the road toward mastering his internal emotions.
And on a side topic, be sure to teach him about reading the batter as well as pitch selection and strategy. Good coaches won't call the pitches. And many catchers aren't as well trained in pitch selection as they should. And even disregarding these two things, he needs to know when to shake off the sign.
May your son experience much success.
Get your hands on some of the products from Ken Ravizza and Brian Cain. Good stuff!
"Heads-Up Baseball" by Ravizza and Hanson, made me a better player after 50!
The science of hitting, by Ted Williams. Read it with him!
Also, make sure you foster an environment in that he is not afraid to fail (need help from the coach on that one). Failure is such a large part of our sport. I do not have any sons, but I tell my daughter, who plays basketball, that she can not be afraid to miss a shot. She is going to miss, that is part of the game. Kobe misses, so does LeBron, Dirk and everyone else. She can't score if she don't shoot!
When I was a young baseball coach, I think I did a poor job fostering the above said environment. It is the one aspect of my coaching that I have worked on tirelessly!!!
Also, make sure you foster an environment in that he is not afraid to fail (need help from the coach on that one). Failure is such a large part of our sport. I do not have any sons, but I tell my daughter, who plays basketball, that she can not be afraid to miss a shot. She is going to miss, that is part of the game. Kobe misses, so does LeBron, Dirk and everyone else. She can't score if she don't shoot!
When I was a young baseball coach, I think I did a poor job fostering the above said environment. It is the one aspect of my coaching that I have worked on tirelessly!!!
I would highly recommend "Mind Gym" by Gary Mack. This is fairly simple read that is appropriate for a HS age person. T
While I think the that the Dorfman series is by far the best on this subject, I think it would be far too much for any 13 year old to get through and understand. I would also recommend the Ravizza book.
While I think the that the Dorfman series is by far the best on this subject, I think it would be far too much for any 13 year old to get through and understand. I would also recommend the Ravizza book.
great post, Texan!
I also have the "Mental Game of Baseball" by Dorfman, and it is excellent! Although, to be honest, IMO its a book more for adults to read, and then pass along the info to kids.
I also have the "Mental Game of Baseball" by Dorfman, and it is excellent! Although, to be honest, IMO its a book more for adults to read, and then pass along the info to kids.
It's not specific baseball, but "The Inner Game of Tennis" (Tim Gallwey) is a classic and excellent for any athelete in any sport.
"The Mental Athlete" (Kay Porter) is an older book as well but its content still applies.
"The Mental Athlete" (Kay Porter) is an older book as well but its content still applies.
