The Mental ABC's of Pitching: A Handbook for Performance Enhancement (Paperback)

by H.A. Dorfman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The Mental ABC's of Pitching should be next to Ted Williams' The Art of Hitting on any player's bookshelf, and any team that does not give every pitcher in its organization a copy of The Mental ABC's of Pitching...is living in the dark ages." -- Peter Gammons, ESPN Baseball Analyst

"The Mental Game of Baseball is a book I've traveled with for eight years. Now I'll travel with The Mental ABC's of Pitching. Many of us are blessed with God-given talents for the baseball field, but few of us figure out the mental part of baseball to truly succeed. This book helps pitchers dedicate themselves to that aspect of the game." -- Jaime Moyer, Pitcher, Seattle Mariners

"Wherever he is in any given year, we find him and bring him in. The players wouldn't have it any other way. He 'opens doors' and provides insight like no one else. This book is vintage Dorfman. Every player and coach will have one." -- Pat Murphy, Head Baseball Coach, Arizona State University

Product Description
Pitching at every level, from Little League to Major League, requires much more than good mechanics. Baseball, especially pitching, is a mental game of strategy, confidence, and performance. Here from an eminent sports psychologist and the co-author of the classic book, The Mental Game of Baseball, is a clear and insightful guide to the art of pitching.

A handbook written as an easy-to-use, A-to-Z reference, Dorfmans latest book addresses the problems ever pitcher can face before, during, and after competitionand the strategies for solving these problems. From concise discussions on topics ranging from Adjustments to Zeros, The Mental ABCs of Pitching: A Handbook for Performance Enhancement is the perfect companion to The Mental Game of Baseball and a must resource for every pitcherand not a bad idea for hitters who want to learn more about the mental moves on the mound.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Diamond Communications (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888698292
• ISBN-13: 978-1888698299
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,460 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars College Coach Finds Book Helpful, December 16, 1999

By	Aaron Weintraub (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews

I am an assistant coach at the University of Virginia and love Dorfman's work (see The Mental Game of Baseball). The information he provides in this book allows pitchers to take control of their performance. So often, players work hard, but cannot figure out why they don't perform better. This book shares the experience of a person who has actually taught major league pitchers how to perform near the highest level that their ability allows. It is well-written and a must for any high school (and up) pitcher who truly wants to find out how good he can be (that is - he is willing to pay the price of hard work for success on and off the field).

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully wise and inspirational book, August 31, 2001

By	Sator (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This is a really beautiful book to read. It is a must for all pitchers and their coaches. But it is more than that because it is also about life in general though especially relevant to anyone who loves baseball. It is about being philosophical about our failures and being courageous enough to go out to win in the face of them. In that sense anyone who reads this book will feel a little wiser about life both on and perhaps also off-field regardless of whether they are a baseball player or not.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, but a TOOL that should be USED, September 4, 2000

By	Marc MELLET (Antibes, FRANCE) - See all my reviews

Noooooo !! Don't let the book aside because it seems to be a usual or boring ABC dictionnary. Take your time to look at the content. The paragraphs are linked together with a lot of callbacks. It really forms a great GLOBAL mental APPROACH to the act of pitching and not only a sum of psychological analyses. This book is mainly descriptive, based on experience and examples and that can repulse some people. However if you have the commitment to go further reading, you will profit from the KEY POINTS and PRACTICAL ADVISES given at the end of each paragraph. Put these tips into your practice program progressively, learn them, try them, adapt them, get feedback down the line and adjust. If not used, this reference will be wasted and will only remain a good book that you have read on the sofa. It is said "Every player and coach will HAVE one". Even if it is highly interesting only reading it, I hope that every player and coach will USE it to complement its program in the bullpen. It will be hard to write a better book on the subject before a long time.