Customer Reviews

Heads-Up Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This will be short and sweet. I coach a college softball team. This is mandatory reading each year for my team. We study it as a team. I believe the mental aspects of the game are of utmost importance, usually being the difference in championship caliber contests. This book not only addresses with an easy-to-read approach, it provides exercises, that if taken seriously, give athletes a means by which to measure their mental progress. I give this book my complete endorsement. By the way, my team won the junior college national championship. I relate this not to brag, but rather to substantiate this book. We defeated a team (twice) that was physically our superior. We beat them mentally.

I teach high school sports psychology and have used this book as a text on several occasions. I now make it mandatory for all of my softball and baseball players as additional reading. Their feedback has been nothing but positive regarding performance enhancement. I strongly recommend this user-friendly text for any sport!

I feel compelled to comment on this well written and insightful reference because Ken and Tom put together a truly masterful work on the "game within the game". Never have I read a more thorough and complete account of the mental game of baseball (I just wish I had it when I was playing!). The mental issues and techniques they write about are a must for everyone from the casual fan to the serious player. The two have even designed blocks of information specifically aimed at coaches in an easy to find and read format. Included in the book are mental excercises and discussions with many baseball legends.

I want to both congratulate and thank the authors for this penetrating and truly functional book. It joins insight to instruction, and has applications far beyond baseball. It breaks the mental aspect of the game down just as one would analyze a swing, and offers concrete methods for correcting flaws typically viewed as abstract. The information in this book is essential to playing the game.

I've given this book to my two teenagers to read and they understand how to apply the principles. They enjoy the book and I devoured it as a parent. It is one of two books I keep on the desk at all times. The other one is on mechanics. I am ordering more of them for other coaches and parents.

I never read the book, but my son (14) read it in a few days last week and then he went 4 for 5 that weekend. That ended a huge slump for him. I'm not sure what the book did for him, but when I asked, he said something about humming tunes, breathing techniques, confidence, and routines. He also was doing something funny with his glove. He called it part of "his routine". My son could hit in the batting cages and practice but not so well in the games. That changed this last weekend. Only difference was this book. But could be coincidence. Will see over the next few weeks. His coaches and hitting coach always tell him his problem is in his head. Sounds like a common problem for all baseball players from little league to Major Leagues.

Great read for any serious baseball player, coach or parent. One of the BESt books I have read on baseball.

This book was recommended to me by Coach "Hutch" of the University of Michigan's Lady Wolverines, and I've not been disappointed. I highly recommend this book for both coaches and players (over 16).

I run a competetive youth baseball team and my son was struggling with his mental game. After buying this book and "forcing" him to read it, his game improved greatly. This book not only helped him to deal with the game, but it seemed to help him inderstand the importance of practicing hard. I tried in vain to explain this to him, but coming from another source than Dad seemed to help.

The best book for anyone that wants to know the details of the game that separate, wining from loosing, when teams are evenly matched.