Mental Toughness Manual - Abilene Baseball Academyabilenebaseballacademy.com/files/mental-toughness-manual-2012.pdf · Get Free Mental Training at 5 Learning Agreement The first step

1 © 2012 Dr. Tom Hanson & Heads-Up Performance, Inc.

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presents

Mental

Toughness Manual

A Step-by-step System for Improving Baseball

Confidence and Consistency

By Tom Hanson, Ph.D. The Play Big Academy

12852 Big Sur Drive

Tampa, FL 33625

813-968-8863

NOTE: You are invited to share this manual with others, but you may not sell it.



Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction 3

What you Will Learn in this Program 5

Learning Agreement 6

Part 3 Focus 18

Centering 20

What to Focus On 21

Shrink the Game! 21

Part 3 Review, Focus 26

Part 4 Preparation 27

PREP 28

Routine: Play One Pitch at a Time 37

ACT 41

Part 4 Review, Preparation 44

Part 5 Practice 45

Exercise 1: Journaling 45

Exercise 2: Focusing 47

Exercise 3: Pre-playing 48

Forms

Quality Practice 53

Pre-game PREP 54

Part 2 Commitment 7 Clarifying Your Commitment 9 Committing to Actions 10

10 Committing to Qualities 11 Part 2 Review, Commitment 17

Post-game PREP 55

10-Day Challenge: The Daily Practice 56

Course Summary 58



About the Author

Dr. Tom Hanson has dedicated his life to helping athletes and business leaders

“Play Big.”

Mental game expert, executive coach and professional speaker, Hanson has brought his cutting edge approach to performance to baseball players from

Little Leaguers to big league World Series Champions, including the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and individual major league players. He consults with

Fortune 500 companies, such as Microsoft, Verizon and Kaiser Permanente, and smaller businesses, transforming team and individual performance.

Hanson believes dramatic improvement is possible. Anyone can break through their current limits and play big -- on the field or in life -- if

they’re willing to challenge their current thinking and follow some simple steps.

Hanson has a Ph.D. in education specializing in sport psychology from

the University of Virginia, where he also served as hitting coach. From 1991 to 1998 he taught sport psychology and was the head baseball

coach at Skidmore College. He left his tenured position there to found Heads-Up Performance, Inc., an international consulting and coaching company.

His first book, Heads-Up Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time,

co-authored with Dr. Ken Ravizza, has been called “the bible for learning mental toughness in baseball” and was required reading for the U.S. Olympic

baseball team and many pro teams.

His second book, Who Will Do What By When: How to Improve Performance, Accountability and Trust with Integrity, co-authored with

his wife and business partner Birgit Zacher Hanson, MCC, has empowered thousands of leaders with a step-by-step guide for manifesting their vision.

In 2011 he released the best-seller PLAY BIG: Mental Toughness Secrets that Take Baseball Players to the Next Level.

He is a world leader in the elimination of the “yips” in baseball players, golfers,

and others.

Hanson lives with his wife Birgit and children CJ and Angelina in Tampa, Florida.



For More Information Visit:

PlayBigTraining.com -- Get free training based on this book

YipsBeGone.com – If you or someone you know is having trouble making

easy throws, putts, or anything else, visit this site now.

HeadsUpPerformance.com – For business team and individual performance

enhancement.

Get your copies today at www.PlayBigBaseball.com



What You Will Learn in This Program What is going on inside you? Are you calm, focused, confident and in control?

Or are you shaky, scared, and tense with a million thoughts racing through your

head?

Performing in pressure situations depends on your ability to focus and trust.

Players who can consistently focus and trust themselves in the face of adversity are

mentally tough.

Baseball is a game of adversity. If you didn't just fail, you are about to.

This program is designed to help you thrive on adversity, stay focused and

be the player you want to be regardless of your circumstances.

Coach Hanson

I'm Dr. Tom Hanson. I'm going to share with you what I've shared with the New

York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Anaheim Angels and Minnesota Twins organizations:

how to take your game to the next level by being more focused.



5

Learning Agreement

The first step on "The Road to Mental Toughness" is to make a

personal commitment to become mentally tough. Making a firm

commitment and honoring that commitment is the only way to find out

how good you can be in baseball.

Complete the following:

I (your name) commit to:

• Being open-minded;

• Doing all the exercises in this program during the next three weeks. (Knowledge

alone does no good. Action is what counts.)

• Apply the new techniques in practices and games.

• Enjoy learning to play Focused Baseball and not be overly serious or

perfectionistic about it.

Sign your name: Date:

As we’ll discuss in the next section, your commitment level will play a

major role in determining your learning and performance, so please

don’t take the above lightly.

You'll likely get more out of this program if you team up with someone, so I

encourage you to find a partner – perhaps a teammate or parent – who will

learn this material along with you.



2 - Commitment

What Are You Committed To? In 1947, Jackie Robinson was an intensely competitive professional baseball player.

Jackie Robinson Was

The "Mentally Tough

Player Of The Year"

in 1947

When players harassed him, threw pitches at his head, and spiked him at second

base, he suppressed his anger and desire to fight back. Why?

He was too scared.

He knew the harassment was just a normal part of being a

rookie. He didn't want to get kicked out of the game.

He was committed to paving the way for other Blacks to play in the Major

Leagues.



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Not committed Totally Committed

Answer 3 is accurate, but number 4 is best. He didn’t do what he felt like doing

(fighting back) because he was committed to something bigger; he was

committed to breaking the color barrier for black athletes.

What are you committed to in baseball? Write your answer here:

Are you acting consistent with that commitment? Look back at the past year and rate

yourself from 1-10 on how committed you've been by circling the appropriate

number:

My Commitment to Baseball:

If you gave yourself a 10 you’re saying you have acted totally consistent with what

you wrote in the space above.

There is nothing "wrong" with not being a 10. Different levels of commitment

just lead to different results.

What results do you want to produce? What experiences do you want to have in

baseball? What is your dream?

Chances are the results and experiences you want require high levels of

commitment. I’ve found that most players aren’t clear enough on what they are

committed to.

When you are clear on your commitment you are more focused and

motivated and more passionate about your game. In the following section, I’ll

take you through exercises that will give you clarity on your commitment.



Box Score AB R H RBI LOB SO

Your Name 5 0 0 0 4 3

Clarifying Your Commitment Baseball is difficult. You fail a lot. It is often a grind. You often don't feel the way you

want to.

Imagine This!

Most players operate on the "feeling" level. If they feel good, they work

hard and play well. If they don't feel good, they give in.

These players ride the Results Roller Coaster. Their mood and performance goes up

and down with their latest stats.

Don't Let Your

Emotions Get You On

The "Results Roller Coaster"

A mentally tough player doesn't just go along with how he feels. His choices

and actions are determined by his commitment.

A clear commitment (like the one Jackie Robinson had) helps you cut through the

frustration, disappointment, and fatigue that are so much a part of baseball, and

helps you consistently be the player you want to be.

There are two types of commitment:

1. Commitment to Actions

2. Commitment to Qualities



Committing To Actions Committing to actions is straightforward:

You commit to do something by a certain time.

It has two parts:

1. What are you going to do?

2. By when are you going to do it?

Here are some examples…

Workout

I'm going to workout three times by Saturday.

I'm going to take 50 ground balls after practice on Tuesday.

I'm going to lead the pack on our warm-up lap tomorrow.

Off the Field

I'm going to lose 5 pounds by February 1.

I'm going to pick you up at your house on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

I'm going to clean out my closets by noon Wednesday.

I'm going to finish my geometry homework by 8 p.m.

On the Field

I'm going to use my pre-AB routine every time I get up in today's game.

I'm going to take a breath between each pitch today.

I'm going to be 10 minutes early for the bus to the game Wednesday.



Let's practice. Make a commitment to an action right now. It could be

something big or something small.

Be specific. Make it as easy as possible to determine whether you did it and did it

on time. It should be easy for anyone, not just you, to judge yes (you did it) or no

(you didn’t). Remember, we're talking about physical, measurable actions.

Now re-read what you wrote. Is it going to be a clear "yes, I did it," or "no, I didn't

do it?" Make sure an outside observer like a teammate could easily judge it.

Is there a clear "by when" you will do it?

Now be sure to do it!

Committing To Qualities The second type of commitment is about having particular qualities.

Instead of committing to what you are going to DO, you commit to how you

are going to BE. You could commit to being: Focused, Intense, Relaxed, Loose,

Proud, Positive, Supportive, Energetic, Happy, Fun, Playful, or any other way you

want to be.

Jackie Robinson was committed to being patient. That commitment determined his

actions. So when other players harassed him and he felt like fighting back or

quitting, remembering his commitment to being patient enabled him to rise above

his own feelings.

His commitment guided his actions – not his feelings.

Think about your practice sessions. Everyone does pretty much the same thing. In

other words, they take basically the same actions. But does everyone get the same

thing out of them?



One of the action examples from earlier was "take 50 extra ground balls after practice." Will that help the player get better?

Yes

No

It depends

I’ll presume you rightly picked number 3. Yes, it depends on the qualities

with which he takes them.

If he is focused on what he is doing the ground balls will probably

help him. If he is just “going through the motions” and isn’t focused on what

he is doing, the ground balls not only might not help him, they could lead to

his developing bad habits. Your actions are very important, but the quality of your actions -- the way

you are being when you take action -- is vital. You could go through this whole

season practicing and not get better if the "quality of being" isn't there. You could

actually get worse.

So which qualities should you commit to being?

You are the best person to answer that question. The following exercise will help you

discover it. Please focus in on this exercise; I think it is the most important

one in this whole course.

The end result will be your personal guide to mental toughness.



Who Do You Admire? 1. Make a list of players and coaches who have qualities you admire.

I'm not talking about physical qualities - like "I admire Barry Bonds' quick swing" or

"Ichiro's speed," or "Randy Johnson's arm." I mean inner qualities, character

qualities that are reflected in how the person goes about his business, and

how he plays the game.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

Players other players sometimes admire

include: Cal Ripken Jackie Robinson

Orel Hershieser

Kirby Puckett

Craig Biggio

Kenny Loften

Tom Glavine

George Brett

Derek Jeter

Tony Gwynn

Nolan Ryan

Roberto Clemente

Roger Clemens

Ken Griffey, Jr.

Jim Tome

Lee Stevens

Travis Fryman

Greg Maddux

David Cone

Curt Schilling



2. Why do you admire the people you listed?

Look at the person you have in the first position above. What qualities does he

have that you admire? List those qualities below. When you are finished with the

first player, consider the second player: What qualities does HE have that you

admire? Add those qualities to your list below. Repeat this process for each player

on your list.

You might have words such as committed, passionate, generous, fun-loving, and so

forth.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

(make your list as long as you want, but I encourage you to have at least 5

qualities.)

Commonly admired qualities include:

Professional Respect for the Game Dedicated

Enjoyment/fun Love of the game Concentration

Mental toughness Trust Consistency

Pride Committed Focus

Composure Desire Work ethic

Passion Integrity Intensity

Respect for the Game Honesty Leadership

Pride



3. Now let's choose the qualities off of this list that are most important to you:

Take a deep breath into your belly, and let the breath go.

Read each word or phrase in the list of qualities above and notice how

each word or phrase makes you feel.

Choose the top two qualities that “feel” the best and are the most important

to you, and write them here.

My Top Two Qualities are:

1. (this is your “Q1”)

2. (this is your “Q2”)

Don't worry about whether you got the "right" ones. There are no right ones, just ones that are important to you.

The Good News I've got some good news about these qualities: you already have them! They

are already a part of your make-up. It's funny how this works, but if you hadn't

already experienced them you wouldn't recognize them in other people.

These qualities are your key to mental toughness. They unlock your talent and

free you to play great. Your task now is grow them.

What would your season be like if you were a "10" in each of these qualities?

Imagine if you were a "10" in just your first quality (Q1) for the entire year,

regardless of what happened to you. How would your season be? What things

would you do on daily basis?



How do you “be” Q1 and Q2? That's for you to discover. It's different for everyone.

Simply commit to being them and find out for yourself.

Whatever situation you find yourself in, ask yourself, "What would a guy

committed to being (Q1) and (Q2)

do now?

Slumps Are When You

Have A Problem "Being"

Your Best

One Triple-A pitcher told me recently he was having a great season and attributed it

mostly to the level of focus he had every time he took the mound. I asked him how

he did it, and he said, "At the start of the year I made a commitment to myself that I

would be totally focused every time I stepped on the mound this year. Especially in

bullpens."

It's that simple - but it's NOT EASY! All kinds of things get in the way. If it were

easy, everyone would be mentally tough.

At least now you can be clear on what your target is…

You now have a clear answer to my original question:

What are you committed to?

Your answer…

"This season, I'm committed to being (Q1) and

(Q2)!"

Say this out loud three times. How does it feel? Is it true?

In Part 5 (Practice), I give you a chart that enables you to track your progress with

these two qualities.



Part 2 Review: Commitment Commitment is the foundation of mental toughness. Your commitment guides

your choices. It governs your decisions.

There are two types of commitments:

Commitment to Action

Commitment to Qualities

Committing to an action means you state clearly what you will do and by when you

will do it. Remember, you committed to do an action – have you done it yet?

Committing to a quality means you will "be" a certain way, such as fun, honest,

proud.

A commitment is a promise. You are saying you promise to complete an

action or to be a certain way.

Your season will be determined by the degree to which you

honor your commitments.

Keys To Mental Toughness Complete this sentence: “The two most important things I learned in Part 2 on

Commitment are…”

1.

2.



Part 3 - Focus

The Road to Mental Toughness Way to go! You've got this new commitment and you're ready to go out and be Mr.

Positive.

But, of course, it's not so easy.

You say, "I'm going to be (Q1) and (Q2). I'm

not going to let anything pull me off track."

Then you head onto the field and funny things happen…

Circumstances Happen So what happens to you? You start off committed to "being" your qualities and stuff

happens – circumstances happen: the umpire makes a bad call, you strike out,

you’re not in the starting lineup, you feel tired, you are bored, you get hungry.

Your "circumstances" are the conditions you are in, your situation, the stuff that happens.

Staying on course, maintaining the qualities you chose regardless of

circumstances is being mentally tough. It's being "mightier than circumstances."

When a fish bites into a worm that has a hook in it, the fish gets pulled off course -

he's hooked. When something happens to you and you get upset about it and you STAY upset about it while the game or practice continues to move on, YOU are

hooked.

When you are “hooked” you have lost your focus – and your performance

suffers.

So let’s take a closer look at what “hooks” are out there. Being aware of what

circumstances can hook you makes you better able to deal with them when they

show up.



Circumstances can be divided into two groups, External and Internal.

External Circumstances include anything outside of you, such as…

• Your Results: Failure or Success (your statistics!)

• Playing time: Not getting it or Getting too much of it

• Off-the-field Issues: Relationships, Nightlife, Alcohol, Drugs, Money and

Schoolwork

• Your Coach

• Teammates

• Weather

• Field Conditions

• Batting Practice Pitcher

• Opponent: Really good, Really bad

• Umpire: Really bad

• Fans

• Media

• Travel

Internal Circumstances include anything inside of you, such as…

• Emotions: Fear, Confidence--Low to High, Nervousness, Anxiety, Boredom,

Anger, Frustration, Resentment, Excitement, Pumped up, Joy

• Physical discomfort or injury

• Fatigue, low energy

• The Little Voice in Your Head (you know, the one you are hearing right now

as you read these words – sometimes this voice doesn’t say nice things to

you)

All of these circumstances will conspire to hook you. They will try to rob you

of the qualities you are committed to.

Or you will fall off track. .

Don't Get Hooked!

But that's the way it is. Baseball is difficult. No matter what you do, you will get

hooked now and again.

So you need ways to get unhooked.



Centering One of the most powerful skills you can learn to help you be focused and keep your

body under control is called "Centering." It gets its name from the idea of centering

your focus on one point and being balanced in your body around your center

of gravity (a point an inch or two below your belly button).

Essentially centering involves:

1) Taking a deep breath to clear you mind and rid your body of extra tension; and

2) Focusing on what's most important now.

Centering is kind of like pressing the "reset" button on your video games. Clean the slate and start fresh.

How To Center Stand with your feet hip width apart with one foot slightly ahead of the

other, with both feet turned out a bit. Let your knees be slightly bent. This is

important because if your knees are locked straight you can't feel the weight change

that comes with centering and you won't be as aware of your tension level.

As you inhale deeply into your belly, check the tension in your chest,

shoulders and face.

As you exhale, relax the muscles in your thighs and calves and allow your knees to

bend slightly. You should feel yourself sink slightly and an increased connectedness

with the ground.

It's a pretty simple process, but powerful if you practice it and remember to use it

during a game or practice.

When should you center? Anytime. Between pitches is perfect. Breathe in,

breathe out, focus.

Watch a big league game and you see guys take deep breaths all the time. Many do

it as part of pre-pitch routine, which we'll talk about later.

Many players I've worked with say this is the single most helpful tool they

learn.



We'll do more with the breath in Part 5, but now that your body is centered, it's time

to focus.

What To Focus On

Focus is the direction of attention, or the concentration of energy.

I believe that focus is the most important element of performance. You only

have so much attention to give, so the question becomes: What should you focus

on?

A great place to start looking for answers is what you are doing when you are

playing great.

Complete each of these sentences at least once.

When I'm playing great, my focus is on…

1.

2.

When I'm playing poorly, my focus is on…

1.

2.

Notice any difference between when you are playing great and when you

are playing poorly? Can you choose what you focus on?

Shrink the Game!

As we've learned, there are countless things you could focus on, worry about, feel

guilty about, be attracted to, and care for.

If you focus on more than one thing at a time you'll be overwhelmed.

Mentally tough players don't do that. They "shrink the game" to manageable size by

applying three basic ideas.



Shrink The Game Idea #1: Focus on Things You Can Control

Check the items that you can control.

The crowd Getting a hit (as hitter)

Your playing time The umpire's calls

Your focus Your body

Your teammates Field conditions

Getting an out (as pitcher) Winning the game

The only things you can control are your focus and your body. If you could

control getting a hit, why would you ever make an out? If you could control winning

a game, why would you ever lose? You can control you and that's about it. Shrink The Game Idea #2: Focus On The Present Moment

The second idea is an extension of the first.

Imagine you are pitching. If you are about

to make the first pitch of the game, what

should your focus be? THIS PITCH.

If you just gave up a two out walk, what should your focus be?

THIS PITCH.

If you just gave up a three-run, two-out, two-strike home run, what should your

focus be?



THIS PITCH!! If the batter just smashed your first pitch of the third inning off the wall in right field,

what should your focus be? Back up third base! Then, when you get back on the mound, what

should your focus be? THIS PITCH.

You can't do anything about the past or the future. The runs on the board and

the guy on deck are circumstances that need not "hook" you.

Focus on the present. It's easier said than done, but the only "place" you can do

something is right now, this next pitch.

Position players, you've got the same thing going at the plate and in the field. There are countless things you can wish were different about what happened in the

past, and countless things you might wish for in the future, but the game of

baseball is always about this pitch.

Regardless of what happened previously or what might happen next, the only thing

you can do anything about is the present moment, this pitch.

So the first thing a mentally tough player does to shrink the game is focus

on what he can control, the second thing he does is focus on the present

moment. He plays one pitch at a time.

Shrink The Game Idea #3: Focus On The “MIT”

The final step in shrinking the game is to focus on the Most Important Thing

(M.I.T.).

It's Tournament Time! Imagine you are in the batter's box, ready for the next

pitch. Of all the things you could focus on, which is the most important?

Let's have a tournament to find out. Using the bracket below, imagine each pair

of things under "Your Thoughts" are competing against each other for your attention.

Which of the two would you choose to focus on? Write the "winner" in the blank

space to the right of the pair.

For example, the first match is between “My Last AB” and “How Good I Look.”

Which of those two is more important for you to focus on? Write the name of the

one you choose in the box to their right. Repeat this process for each pairing.

After you decide all the Round 1 Winners, do the same for Round 2, and then choose

the Champion Thought.



Your Thoughts Round 1 Winner Round 2 Winner Champion

My Last AB

How Good I Look

My Front Shoulder

My Batting Average

My Girlfriend

My Rhythm

The Ball

The Umpire

This is what you do every pitch. In fact, it's what you do every moment of

your life. There are an infinite number of "contestants" you could have in this

tournament because there are an infinite number of things you can focus on.

At each moment you have to sort through them all and choose your focus.

Think of focusing as "connecting." Create a connection between you and the

most important thing. For hitters it's the ball. For pitchers it's the mitt. For fielders

it's the ball, then the target they throw to.

So these are the three steps to “shrinking the game.”

1. Focus on things you control 2. Focus on the present moment

3. Focus on the most important thing Now go back to your answers at the start of this section and notice how

what you wrote matches up with these three ideas.

Your experience is most important. If any of your responses don't match the three

ideas I discussed, that's OK. Focus on what helps YOU the most.

I've accomplished my mission if as a result of this section you are more aware of

what you focus on.



Focus isn't just a choice, it's also a skill. It's one thing to choose your focus,

another to keep it there. A skill is something you develop with practice. You can

practice focusing any time just by doing it. We'll talk more about it in Parts 4 and 5.

Focus Fun Facts: Here are a few more thoughts on Focus:

• Focus cannot be forced. This isn't about trying harder. It's

about allowing, letting yourself focus.

• You are already great at it. Can you focus great when you

are at a good movie? Or do you have to tell yourself "Focus!" Focus!"? You just need to learn to focus on the most important

things at the most important times.

• Too many players believe they have to feel confident to

play well. Not true! Focus is more important than confidence. You can be scared to death and full of doubt, but focus and play

great. That's mental toughness. Plus, focusing will raise your

confidence level.

and

When You're Struggling: When you find yourself being "hooked" by

circumstances - that is, when you are down, frustrated, angry, or

stuck - use these questions to re-focus:

Ask yourself:

• Is this something I can control?

• Is this something going on right now? Or am I upset about

something in the past or worried about something in the

future?

• Is this the most important thing to focus on now?

• What action can I take now that will move me closer to what I

want?

• What am I committed to? Which of my key qualities am I not

being right now?



Part 3 Review, Focus The Road to Mental Toughness is paved with focus. But there are many

circumstances both outside you and inside you that can hook you and pull you off

track.

The more committed you are to the two top qualities you identified (Q1 and

Q2), the less likely you are to get "hooked" by circumstances.

Center yourself and focus on what you can control, in the present moment, that's

most important.

When you do get hooked, recognize it. Say to yourself: "Oh, I got hooked by that

circumstance." Center. Refocus. Play.

My Keys To Mental Toughness Write in the two most important things you learned in this module--two more keys to

Mental Toughness.

1.

2.



Part 4 - Preparation & Routine

“It All Depends on How a Guy Prepares Himself” When I asked Hank Aaron about the mental aspects of hitting, what do you think the

first topic was?

This was my view of

the great Hank Aaron

when we began our

interview in Atlanta

Aaron: "Well, the first thing that comes to mind when you start talking about the

mental aspects of hitting is how a guy usually prepares himself to do battle."

He went on to say that his ability to focus is what enabled him to be so good

so consistently, and that preparation is what enabled him to be focused!

Aaron's Stats:

755 Home Runs (best all-time) 2297 RBI's (best all-time)

6856 Total Bases (best all-time) In 23 seasons, Aaron's "average" year was .305, 100 RBI's, 32 Home Runs

Many major league players have told me that on every minor league team they

played on there were guys that had more physical talent than they did, but most of

those more talented guys didn't make it to the Big Leagues because they never quite

"got it."

"It" is preparation. It's doing what you need to do on a daily basis to put your best

effort on the field that day. Preparing takes mental toughness, and preparing builds

mental toughness.



Do you want more confidence? Do you want it to be there more

consistently?

Good players base their confidence on their approach, not just their results.

They focus on the process of playing rather than their outcomes.

In this section I'll share two "processes" you can use that will help you get and stay focused.

1. PREP gives you a process for preparing for a game or

practice.

2. Routines give you a way to play the game one pitch at a

time.

PREP

Prep stands for:

P= Pick a Quality. Preparation starts with commitment: Pick one quality from your

list (e.g., Q1 or Q2) you commit to being today.

R = Release Your Circumstances. Shrink The Game by letting go of anything that

won't help you play great.

E = Energize Your Body. Get your body "up" or "down" to where it needs to be

today to play great.

P = Pre-Play Your Performance. Imagine the way you want the game to go.

At some point before a game or practice, go through each of these four

steps. Let’s look at them each in more detail. P = Pick A Quality

Pick a quality you commit to being today.

"I will be focused today"

"I commit to being grateful today."

"Today I'm passionate about playing."

"I promise to trust myself fully."

"I will be positive all day."



The average player skips this part. He lets his last performance and how he feels

at the moment determine how he is being. But the focused, mentally tough player is

guided by his commitment. He chooses how he is going to be.

You've already done your homework on this one. Choose one of your qualities from

your list on page 15.

The quality you choose becomes your "inner game" for the day. The “outer

game” everyone sees is always baseball, but you get to choose what inner game you

are playing.

The rules are simple: See how high a number you can be, 1-10, on the

quality you choose.

So, if you choose “determination,” you are playing a Determination Game. Be a "10"

in that quality today.

You are the judge. You decide at the end of the day whether you were a 10 or some

lower number.

You can keep score on the Quality Practice Chart you will find on page 55.

You can choose a quality that isn't on your list. Often pitchers and hitters tell

me they want to be "effortless" in their deliveries or swings. That can be your game

for the day - The Effortless Game.

It's not easy to win your inner games, but the more you practice, the better you'll get.

Keep it simple. Yes, you want to be all your qualities, but make one your theme for

the day.

R = Release Your Circumstances Now that you have committed to being a quality, release any circumstances

that might get in the way.

"Releasing" is part of "Shrinking the Game." Remember, to Shrink the Game you

focus on things

1. You Control

2. In the Present Moment

3. That are Most Important for your performance.

Let go of anything else.



A famous quote by sculptor Michelangelo about his masterpiece David comes to

mind. When asked how he created it out of ordinary stone, he said, "I just cut away

everything that wasn't David."

Michelangelo “Released”

The Statue of David

From The Stone

Releasing means cutting away everything that doesn't enhance your performance.

What Do You Need To Release?

The best way to identify what you need to release at any moment is to answer some

questions. Before your game or practice, ask yourself:

• What excuses do I already have for not playing well today?

• What beliefs do I have that may keep me from playing well? • What circumstances might hook me today?

• What am I complaining about today? • What am I upset about?

• What am I afraid of? Am I willing to let go of these things until after the game?



You might need to let go of:

• Needing to be perfect

• Thinking you're not good enough

• Wishing something hadn't happened

• Complaining that you don't feel "right" or

• Some hassle you've got going off the field.

Release the emotion and concern you have about them right now. Anger,

frustration, and worry all disrupt your focus and cause unwanted tension in your

body.

In the space below, complete the following sentence at least 5 different times:

Things I often need to release include:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Like most of the ideas in this program, releasing distracting thoughts and feelings is

easier said than done. Here are some ideas some players find helpful:

1. Breathe. Inhale take a deep breath, exhale let the concern go. Repeat! 2. Imagine that when you take off your street clothes you are taking off

all concerns of the "outside" world. Like your clothes, your concerns will

be there after the game, so don't worry about them now.

3. Move your body. Slumping players often stop moving and stew in how

unfair it all is. Move, gesture and breathe the way you would if you were

totally confident, free from any fear or frustration.

4. Breathe some more! 5. Write down the circumstances and emotions you want to release and

stick the list in your locker or bag, or tear the list up and throw it

away. This idea is a lot more powerful than you'd think.

6. Talk about what's upsetting you or getting in your way. Don't try to

solve all your problems, simply speaking them helps you release them. Either find a friend who will simply listen (not tell you what to do) or talk to yourself (make sure you’re alone!).



E = Energize Your Body

The third part of the PREP model is to get your body feeling the way you want it to.

Pop Quiz: Does

This Guy Need To

Energize?

How do you want your body to feel before a game?

Stand up right now and pretend you are back in a game where you played great.

Move the way you moved, breathe the way you breathed, swing or throw the way

you did when you felt awesome and unstoppable. Create that feeling.

If you really do this you may discover something that makes a big difference in your performance.

Complete the following sentence 3 times: "When I'm playing great, my body feels …

1.

2.

3.

Now let's look at the other side. Stand back up and pretend you are back in a

game where you felt completely off. No confidence, no energy, no feel for what you

were doing. Get into it, try to get yourself to feel that way again.

Then complete this sentence three times:

"When I'm playing poorly, my body feels…”

1.

2.

3.



Compare your “Playing Great” and “Playing Poorly” body feelings. What do you

notice?

The Ultimate

"Down" Body Message:

When you are playing poorly you focus IN on yourself: "Poor me," "Why me?"

"It's all about me." As a result, your body feels heavy, sad, angry, or some other way

that interferes with your performance.

When you are playing great you focus OUT on the game. You aren't in your head

worrying, you are paying attention to the game, encouraging teammates, and moving

your body.

Getting Energized

Your task before a game or practice is to somehow get your body feeling as close to

the way you want it to as possible.



How do you get energized?

1. Jeter (that’s right, “Jeter” is a verb). Stand the way you would stand if

you felt great about yourself. Move the way you would if you were totally confident. Not arrogant, just really great.

Look at Derek Jeter. He's one of the mentally toughest players in the game

and I believe one reason why is because he carries his body so well. Negative thoughts and energy have a hard time staying in a body that

is carried so confidently. Throughout your team's next practice, pretend

you are Jeter or whoever your role model is for confidence.

Regardless of how you feel, be long, broad, free, and "up" in your

body. You might be amazed by what you notice.

2. Breathe. Long, slow, deep breaths lower your energy and help you tune in to

what your body most needs. Short, quick breaths through your nose build your

energy. 3. Jam. Play music that puts you in the mood to play. 4. Be a 24-hour Player. Feeling good during games is a 24-hour deal, not

some magic you do at the last minute.

What you eat, when you eat, the quality of your rest, the quality and timing

of your workouts, and other choices you make away from the field affect your

performance. Whatever you put into your body off the field comes out

in your performance on the field.

The key is to study yourself. Pay attention! Notice how different foods

make you feel. Notice how different workouts make you feel. Notice how

different sleep patterns affect you.

Getting energized means getting your body ready to go, and no one can tell

you exactly how to do that but you.

The Prep Sheet in Part 5 will guide you and give you some more ideas.

P = Pre-Play Watching games on TV we often see replays. While you can learn a lot by studying

videos and memorizing each SportsCenter, replays can't change what

happened!

"Pre-play" means imagining a play before it happens, and it can help your

performance a great deal.

Performers in all areas of life, not just baseball players, pre-play their actions.

Executives visualize how they want their meetings to go, musicians hear the notes

before they play them, and teachers mentally pre-view their classes.



My surgeon visualized how he wanted my operation to go before he scoped my knee.

(I made sure of that.)

You undoubtedly do this already to some degree, and I'm also confident you

can enhance your performance and become more consistent by pre-playing more

deliberately.

Simply ask yourself: "What do I want to have happen today?"

See it in your mind's eye. Feel it in your body.

You may not be able to get very clear images of what you want, that's OK. For many

athletes it's totally a feeling thing. Feel what you want to feel.

What are the Benefits of Pre-Playing?

It clarifies what you want. Your body is like a good DJ -- it takes requests!

Pre-playing your performance is like asking your body to do things for you. You are

more likely to get what you want in a game (and for your birthday) if you ask

specifically for what you want.

It Shrinks the Game. If you are pre-playing what you want to have happen,

you are not thinking of anything else. Pre-playing is focusing.

It energizes you. Remember when you were a kid and you used to get all

pumped up playing wiffle-ball pretending you were your favorite player? It still works

for you now. Imagining yourself playing great will energize you. While hitting in

the Major Leagues, Hall-of-Famer Mike Schmidt used to sometimes pretend he was

Hall-of-Famer Roberto Clemente.

Imagining what you want to have happen in game can get you energized.

Who pre-plays?

Hall-of-Famers Do!

Hank Aaron. I learned interviewing him that visualization helps you focus. Do it

consistently and you'll play more consistently.



Roberto Clemente used to lie down on the trainer’s table before a game and

visualize what he wanted to have happen.

Nolan Ryan "Before each start I sit in the clubhouse and analyze the other teams

hitters. I concentrate on visualizing what I've done in the past to get hitters out,

consider his strengths and weaknesses. I just sort of run through the line up in my

mind; it's a pre-game ritual that reinforces the fact that I'm mentally prepared to

pitch effectively." From his "Pitcher's Bible" p. 33-34.

Mark McGwire (Hall-of-Famer-to-be) could be seen in the dugout and on deck

centering and picturing what he wanted to have happen.

Pre-Play Pointers

1. Set aside 5, 10 or 15 minutes to pre-play, or just do it as you go through your

day. Find what works best for you.

2. Put yourself in different game situations. See and feel things going great.

See and feel yourself recovering from adversity. Imagine yourself "being" your Key

Qualities.

Pre-play yourself

making great plays!

The PREP Sheet gives you some ideas for pre-playing the game, and exercises in

Module 5 will talk you through it.

So That's PREP!

1. Pick Your Quality: How are you going to be today?

2. Release your circumstances

3. Energize Your Body

4. Pre-play Your Performance

Spend a few minutes before each game and practice to PREP. Being prepared enhances your confidence and consistency.

Now, after going through the entire course so far, you're finally ready to play! Let's talk pre-pitch routines.



Routine: Play One Pitch at a Time The on-the-field key to playing Focused Baseball is having a pre-pitch routine. A

routine is a set series of steps you take that gets you focused. It “Shrinks The

Game” and helps you lock in on the most important thing you can control right now.

Instead of being "hooked" by what has happened in the game, you are focused on

your routine.

A routine is a recipe. If you have a great piece of pie, you might ask the

baker for the recipe. You'd then have a list of ingredients and a step-by-step

process for producing the pie you love.

What Is Your

Recipe For

Success?

Similarly, if you have a great performance, ask yourself for your recipe: "How did I

do that?"

Here are the "ingredients" that can be used in a routine, and a sample each

for pitchers, hitters, and fielders. You don't need to use all the ingredients in

your routine. Put ingredients together in a way that creates your best performance. Ingredients of a Routine

Confident body

Regardless of how you feel, carry yourself the way you do when you feel

unstoppably confident. Be long, tall, loose and broad. Moving your body

confidently creates confident thinking.

Check in

Notice how you are feeling. Do you have the energy level that helps you play

your best? Are you centered? If so, great, go on. If not, take extra time to

energize or center.

Particular Physical movements

You may have a unique thing you do, such as you

• Step on the rubber a particular way



• Step in the box a particular way

• Tug your jersey

• Fix your batting gloves • Stare at a spot on your bat

• Focus on a piece of dirt or rock on the mound

Breath/Centering

My personal favorite. I love to see guys take a breath between pitches.

Commit to a Plan

Pitchers: Commit to the pitch you are going to throw. Don't throw a fastball

while you're wondering if you should be instead be throwing a curveball.

Hitters: Commit to what you are looking for and what you want to do.

"Fastball, outside, hit it up the middle."

Fielders: "Hit it to me."

Pre-play the pitch. "Connect" with your target by imagining what you want to

have happen on this pitch. Feel it.

Cue Words

Silently say a word or short phrase that reminds you of a quality (such as

"smooth" or "easy") or a mechanic (such as "stay tall" or "release point").

Trust

The final ingredient is always trust. Let it go. Allow your body to perform. The

goal of the routine is to keep your thoughts, criticisms, worries and

fears out of the way so you can fully trust yourself on every pitch. Let

your body do what it knows how to do.



Sample Routines Here are some examples of routines. Experiment to find out what works best for you.

Pitcher's Routine

1. Off the rubber

o Confident body

o Check “in” - notice how I feel. If I feel centered, go on. If I'm "hooked" by

something and don't feel centered, take extra time behind the mound to

center.

o Check “out” – know the game situation and get an idea of what pitch I

want to throw.

2. On the rubber

o Take a breath

o Commit to the pitch I'm going to throw

o Connect with my target by Pre-playing the pitch: see it, feel it

o Cue word as I start my motion: "Free and easy"

3. During the pitch

o Trust it, let it go

Hitter’s Routine

1. Outside the box

o Confident body

o Check in - notice how I feel. If I feel centered, go on. If I'm "hooked" by

something and don't feel centered, take extra time out of the box to center.

o Check out – know the game situation, get signals from your 3B coach.

o Commit to a plan: "See the ball, hit it up the middle."

2. Inside the box

o Step into the box the same way each time

o Take a breath

o Cue words: "See the ball"

3. During the pitch



o Trust

Fielder's Routine

Ultimately fielding comes down to having a mindset of "Hit it to me."

If you want the ball hit to you, you're ready.

1. Before the pitch

o Breath

o Pre-play the pitch. See a ball hit to me and imagine myself making the

right play.

2. During the pitch

o Say, "Hit it to me," and Trust Now it's Your Turn

Write in the steps (the ingredients) to your routine in the spaces provided.

My Pre-Pitch Routine

Pitcher

Off The Rubber

On The Rubber

During The Pitch



Hitter

Out Of The Box In

The Box During The

Pitch

Fielder

Before the pitch

During the pitch

Your mission each day, both in practice and in games, is to go out and execute

your routine. Of course, it isn't just a matter of DOING the steps of your routine. They

must be done with QUALITY. If your commitment is to be focused, be focused doing the

steps. If your commitment is to be relaxed, be relaxed doing the steps.

Just going through the motions won't help you much. You have to be there.

Putting It All Together I’ve found that different players find different ways of saying things helpful. So, here’s

another way to talk about your routine. It is really just another way to say what I’ve

been talking about for the last few pages.

I call it ACT: Awareness - Connect - Trust. It is a way for you to “ACT” confidently and

consistently.

The first step is Awareness – you check in on yourself and then check out the game

situation. Then you Connect with your target – the ball or the mitt. Finally, you Trust

yourself to just do it. This is the dance of baseball, this is the flow of the "inner game."

Repeat it 300 times and you've got a nine-inning game!



ACT 1. Awareness

Being aware means two things:

A. Check In on yourself: How am I? Am I centered?

We already know from earlier that when you are playing great… Your

focus is: (page 18)

Your body feels: (page 28)

If you are focused and feel this way, move on to “Connect.” We

also already know that when you are playing poorly…

Your focus is: (page 18) Your

body feels: (page 28)

If you become aware that your focus or body aren’t right,

STOP. Take some extra time to center, slow it down, breathe.

Remind yourself of the perspective you are taking today.



B. Check out the game situation

This second part of Awareness is about strategy. What do I need to

be aware of? What do I need to do? What's important now?

Pitchers: What pitch am I committed to throwing?

Hitters: What am I looking for?

Fielders: What will I do when the ball is hit to me?

2. Connect

Connect with your target. Imagine there is already a connection between:

Pitching: The ball and the catcher's mitt (or whatever target you are

using)

Hitting: The ball and the fat part of your bat

Defense: The ball and your glove

Pre-play the pitch. See it, feel it…

3. Trust

Just do it. Don't try. Allow. Free it up. Let it go.

Turn control over to your body and allow it to do what it already

knows how to do.

When you are trusting you have a relaxed concentration. You're energized,

yet your motions are fluid, not forced. You aren't in your head thinking about

mechanics or anything else, your focus is outward, connected to your target.

Trusting is a great quality to develop and a great perspective to take - practice it daily.



Part 4 Review, Preparation Preparation and Routine put your Commitment and Focus into action.

Prepare using PREP:

1. Pick Your Quality

2. Release Your Distractions

3. Energize Your Body

4. Pre-play your Performance

Once you are prepared, use your routine to stay focused on one pitch at a

time. When you are in the game, use ACT for each pitch: Be Aware, Connect and then

Trust! Let it Go! If you can be prepared and remember ACT, you'll be on the Road To Mental Toughness.

My Keys to Mental Toughness

Two ideas I want to be sure to remember out of Part 4, Preparation:

1.

2.



Part 5 - PRACTICE

Practice Every Day Confidence and Consistency are the two things players say they want most in the

mental game. Both are the result of being able to control your focus and trust your body.

How do you learn to control your focus and your body? Just like you learn any other skill: Practice.

Part 5 is a collection of exercises for learning to control your focus and your body.

Practice them and you'll improve your ability to consistently create the feeling you want

to have.

You'll also learn to play better when you don't feel great.

I highly recommend you start a Daily Practice consisting of some of the tools

provided here. A Daily Practice is just what it sounds like: It's something you do

every day that helps you improve your ability.

I suggest you read through all of Part 5, doing the short exercises I introduce

along the way. Then begin the 10-Day "Daily Practice Challenge" program

presented at the end.

Exercise 1: Journaling Do the following three steps:

1. Get a blank piece of paper or a notebook, and something to write with.

2. For the next five minutes, write about what you have learned, felt, or thought

about this course so far. Look at the clock on your computer or watch and

determine when 5 minutes will be up, and start writing. 3. Don't stop until you reach 5 minutes. Keep going even if you don't know

what to say. If you can't think of anything to write, write about that. Soon

thoughts will come and you'll be rolling.

So right now, before going on, write for 5 straight minutes about something you

have learned, felt, or thought about in this program so far.

Keeping a journal is one of the most powerful tools for developing mental toughness. And

you've begun! If you did the exercise above--Way to go! Keeping a journal, or journaling, means writing down your thoughts, feelings and actions.



Most of my job when I'm coaching a player isn't teaching him something

new, it's reminding him of what he thinks and does when he is playing great.

Remember what I said at the start of the course: The answers are in you.

Journaling brings those answers out.

One of the biggest causes of poor and inconsistent performance is mental and

emotional constipation. You get frustrated, angry, or disappointed and you carry

that into the next game. Your emotions keep you from playing well in that game, and

you don't play well there either. Soon you're in a full-blown slump.

So relieve yourself! Write down your thoughts and emotions.

More Benefits of Journaling

• Journaling helps you discover what helps and what hurts your performance.

• It helps you prepare for a game by clearing out what might be in your way

(see "Releasing" in the PREP sheet later in this section).

• Journaling after games helps you learn more from the experience, so you improve faster.

Guidelines For Your Mental Toughness Journal

Here are some guidelines for your mental toughness journal:

• Get a notebook. You may want to use a three ring binder so you can keep all of

your materials from this course together.

• If you are a good typist you can keep your journal on the computer.

• Keep your journal confidential. You are more likely to write freely if you are

writing only for yourself.

• Write for a set amount of time. Five minutes is fine when you are starting out,

then move to 10. Once you start to write do not stop writing until time is up. You

can certainly keep writing beyond your minimum time.

• Write about anything that is on your mind. Record your thoughts, feelings,

and actions of the day. Don't limit yourself to just baseball.



If you'd like, choose one of the following topics:

1. The Best Game I Ever Played

2. My Worst Game: How I Felt and Thought

3. What I'm Good At

4. What I Want To Learn

5. Why I Play Baseball

6. My Biggest Problem Right Now

ALSO: Schedule Your Journaling Time. If you don't assign yourself a time to

write, it's not likely you will do it consistently

Exercise 2: Focusing

1. Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet flat on the floor, your spine fully

lengthened upward, and your hands resting comfortably on your thighs. Close

your eyes and allow your attention to focus on your breathing. Breathe through

your nose, but don't make any effort to change your breathing at all.

2. You may choose to focus on the feeling of the breath in your chest or abdomen, or

you may pay attention to the sensations in your nose.

3. When your mind drifts off to something other than your breath, simply notice that

and bring your focus back to your breath.

4. Do this for 2 minutes.

What was that like for you?

When you are at the plate, on the mound, or playing defense, you want to be

focused. Too often you are filled with thoughts and emotions that get in the way.

You want your mind clear. But usually players just let this happen by chance:

Some days they are focused, some days they aren't.

Clearing your mind is a learnable skill.

This exercise is like the "mental toughness bullpen." It's where you go to learn so you

can perform great on the field.

Mark McGwire began do this in the late '90s when his numbers exploded. He says

it helped him learn to quiet his mind and block out everything but the baseball.

Sorry, but... The Little Voice in your head that keeps distracting you is not going to

permanently go away. It may be quieted for a while, but it will come back. When you find

yourself "hooked" by thoughts other than your breath, simply notice that and bring your

focus back to your breath.

Notice that the Voice will tell you something to do instead of what you are doing.



Also notice that you can choose to not do what he suggests. This is mental toughness in

action: Stay focused regardless of your circumstances. Your Little Voice is a circumstance.

You are not that voice! You can choose to follow it or not.

You will likely lose you connection with your breath so often that "being focused" will

mean refocusing quickly after you lose focus. That's the key to playing Focused Baseball:

1. Focus

2. Lose your focus

3. Refocus

Variations of the Focusing Exercise

1. Count your breaths: Inhale, exhale, 1. Inhale, exhale, 2, and so on. Count to

5, then back to zero. If you lose track of the number, start over at 1.

2. When you can consistently count to 5 and back without losing focus, try 10.

3. Deepen your breath. Draw the air down into your belly. Count silently to six each

way on the breath: "Inhale, two, three, four, five, six, Exhale, two three, four, five,

six."

Exercise 3: Pre-playing

As you may recall from the PREP model, Pre-playing is visualizing and feeling

your performance before it happens.

You can do it any time. Before a game it helps you prepare, between pitches it helps you

focus, and after a game it enhances your learning.

The key is to involve as many senses as you can. See what you want to see

when you play, feel what you want to feel, hear what you want to hear.

A lot of players don't "see" images clearly, but instead feel their

performances pretty well. Don't worry if you are doing it "right."

Call up the desired feeling as clearly as possible. Imagine and feel yourself

performing perfectly.



Pre-Game Pre-Play

Below are two lists of things you can pre-play as part of your PREP before a game, one

for pitchers, one for position players. You may want to go through the whole list before a

game, or just pick one or two items.

You may want to sit quietly with your eyes closed or you may just do this while you go

through your day, during BP, or any time you have a few moments. Experiment.

Discover what works best for you, then do it consistently.

To the best of your ability, feel what you'll feel, see what you'll see, and

hear what you'll hear in the following situations:

Pitchers

Pre-game:

• Getting to the park before the game

• Team warms-ups/stretch

• Batting Practice

• Your personal stretch

• Warm-up tosses

• Bullpen: What quality or feeling do you want your motion to have?

Feel it now. Imagine throwing all your pitches. Imagine throwing from

the stretch. Hear the ball pop the mitt.

First inning:

• Feel the adrenaline, imagine making quality pitches

In the Groove:

• Feel having your good rhythm

• Make good pitches with each type of pitch you throw

Game Situations:

• 2Man on first, one out

• Runners on first and second, two outs

• Bases loaded, one out

Specific hitters:

• Imagine pitching to each guy in their line-up

• How will you pitch their best hitters? Feel yourself trusting your stuff

against them



Adversity:

• Practice being mentally tough by imagining yourself

• Responding well to the following situations:

• Broken bat single to drive in a run

• Giving up a home run

• A fielder makes an error on a routine play

• Bad umpire

• Bad mound

• You don't have your good stuff

Pitching Great:

• Finish by imagining yourself pitching great

• Feel the rhythm, effort, ease

Position Players

Pre-Game

Arrival:

• Getting to the park on time or early

• In the locker room

• Warms-ups/stretch

Batting Practice

• How you want your swing to feel?

• Imagine seeing the ball great; feel and hear hitting balls on the nose

with great rhythm

• Feel being focused and free making plays in the field

Pre-game infield/outfield:

• See and feel yourself with good energy, catching and

throwing the ball well

During the Game

At the plate:

• Imagine seeing the ball great

• Feel great rhythm

• Hit different types of pitches, different locations



Game situations:

• Runners on base

• Last inning, game on the line

Adversity:

• Bad call by umpire

• Hit balls hard at fielders

Hitting Great:

• Finish by imagining hitting the ball great over and over

Quality Practice Chart & PREP Forms

Here are three printable forms you can use before and after games and practices that

will help you stay on track. I encourage you to either complete and save the files online,

or print them and keep them in a three-ring binder. Review past forms often; you may

be surprised at what you learn from yourself.



Quality Practice Chart Here's what to do:

1. PRINT THE CHART

2. WRITE THE TWO QUALITIES

Write the two qualities you are committed to being (from Part 2: Commitment)

on the lines under where you see the words "Quality" in the middle of the

page.

3. STEP 1: RATE YOURSELF

Rate yourself on a 1-10 scale on both of these qualities for the past week, three

days, 24-hours, or however long it's been since you last completed the form. One

is low, 10 is high. For example, if one of your qualities is "Focused," a "1" would

be very unfocused, a "10" would be highly focused. If you feel you've been a "5,"

shade in the boxes up to 5 like you see in the example under the date "January

12."

Be sure to write in the date above the column you shade in. The player in the

example completed the form every three days.

4. STEP 2: COACH YOURSELF

Think back to what you did and didn't do that affected your performance since the

last time you completed the chart. Ask yourself questions like:

o What did I do that helped my performance?

o What did I do that hurt my performance?

o What didn't I do that I know would have helped?

o How did I prepare for each performance?

o How did I carry my body?

o What did I spend my time thinking about?

o What did I focus on?

o What did I eat?

o Who did I talk with?

In the space provided under the charts, create a list of your coaching advice to

yourself you of things want to remember to do (under "Do This") and a list of

coaching for yourself about what you want to NOT do (under "Don't Do This"). Add

or subtract from the lists each time. Remember to focus on things you can control.

Putting "Get four hits each game" on your "Do This" list isn't as helpful as "Be

committed to seeing the ball early each pitch."

When you have completed the form seven times you'll need to print

yourself a new one. I suggest you keep all your charts organized in a folder or

three-ring binder. The forms will be an extremely helpful resource for you as your

season and career progress.



8

6 5

3

Quality Practice Chart

Complete this form daily, every three days, or weekly. NAME

STEP 1: RATE YOURSELF. Rate yourself 1 (low) to 10 (high) on the degree to which you’ve been the

Key Qualities you committed to. Color in the number of boxes that correspond to your self-rating. Start a new chart

after you’ve completed this one seven times.

EXAMPLE Date: JANUARY

12 15 18 21 24 27 30

10 9

What Are You 7

Committed To? Quality: FOCUS 4

2 1

Date: Date:

10 10 9 9 8 8

Quality: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Quality: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

STEP 2: COACH YOURSELF. What have you learned? Reflect on what helped and what hurt your

performance over this time period and create a list of “Do’s” and “Don’t” for yourself.

Do This! Don’t Do This!



Pre-Game P.R.E.P.

Print this form and complete it before your game or practice. Name

Pick A Quality What one quality do you commit to being today?

Date

Release Your Distractions Possible Distractions Today (list) How You Will Release Them *

*

*

*

*

Energize Your Body Place an “X” on the number where your body feels now, and circle the number where

you want to be at game time.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Low Energy High Energy How will you energize your body?

Pre-play Your Performance

See, feel, and hear yourself: (check off each when complete) Making great Pitches (wind up & stretch) Hitting great:

Fastball x 5

Breaking ball x 5

Other x 5

Fastball x 5

Breaking ball x 5

Other x 5

Refocusing after: Refocusing after:

giving up a hit, home run

bad call by umpire

error by fielder

Distractions listed in “Release”

swinging at a bad pitch

bad call by umpire

striking out

Distractions listed in “Release”

Finish with seeing yourself being successful



Post-Game P.R.E.P. Complete this form as soon as reasonably possible after a game or practice.

Name Date

P What quality did you “Pick” to be today?

Rate yourself on that quality today.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Low High

R Rate your “Releasing” today. Were you able to let go of distractions?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 No, Yes,

couldn’t let go let go great

E Rate your “Energize” level. Did you get your body ready to perform?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 No, I Yes, I was flat felt great

P Rate the quality of your “Pre-Play.” Did you see it, feel it, hear it?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Low High

1. What really helped your performance today?

2. What distractions “hooked” you today? What made you lose focus?

How did you try to Release them?

Tom Hanson, Ph.D. [email protected] Ph: 813-968-8863

© April 2004 Heads-Up Performance, Inc. All Rights Reserved www.FocusedBaseball.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.focusedbaseball.com/



10-Day Challenge: The Daily Practice As I've said throughout the course, knowledge alone does you no good. You've got to

practice these skills to make them useful to you.

My challenge to you is to take action each of the next 10 days and complete

the tasks written below.

Generally speaking, it takes between 21 and 30 days to form a habit. Repeat days 8,

9, and 10 or develop your own "practice" and continue on past 10 days.

The Journaling topics are suggestions. You may write on anything you

choose.

Day 1:

• 5 minutes of Focusing. Stay connected with your breath.

• 5 minutes of Journaling on "What I Thought About In My 5 Minutes of

Focusing"

Day 2:

• 5 minutes of Focusing. Feel your belly move.

• 5 minutes of Journaling on "Why I Want to Learn To Be Mentally Tough"

Day 3:

• 5 minutes of Focusing. Notice the air moving through your nose.

• 5 minutes of Journaling on "Why I Play Baseball"

Day 4:

• Rate yourself on how you've been "being" these last 3 days on your Quality

Practice Chart

• 5 minutes of Focusing. Count breaths up to 5 and back. Repeat, …

• 5 minutes of Journaling on "What I Really Want To Learn"

Day 5:

• 5 minutes of Focusing. Enjoy it.

• 5 minutes of Journaling on "What Is On My Mind Lately?"



Day 6:


• 2 minutes Pre-playing. See, feel, hear yourself play great.

• 10 minutes of Journaling on "What I Saw and Felt Pre-playing"

Day 7:


Practice Chart


• 2 minutes of Pre-playing. See, feel, and hear yourself play great.

• 5 minutes of Journaling on "My Commitment Level"

Day 8:

• 5 minutes of Focusing. Count breath up to 10 and back….

• 5 minutes of Pre-playing. Play a favorite tune and spend the whole song

seeing and feeling yourself play great. Do it standing up and moving if you

want.

• 10 minutes of Journaling on "What I am Grateful For"

Day 9:

• 10 minutes of Focusing. Feel yourself breathe.

• 5 minutes of Pre-playing. Play a favorite tune and spend the whole song

seeing and feeling yourself play great. Do it standing up and moving it you

want.

• 5 minutes of Journaling on "Reasons I Have To Trust Myself on the Field"

Day 10:


Practice Chart

• 10 minutes of Focusing: Connect with your breath.

• 10 minutes of Journaling on "What I've Learned On This 10-Day Challenge"



Course Summary This page marks the end of the new material for the course, but hopefully it's still the

beginning of your learning.

Mental toughness isn't something you get from reading paper. It's something you grow in yourself.

You might be some rich kid that hasn't had to work much for anything in your life so

you aren't very mentally tough right now. Or you might be a scrappy kid who has

been toughened by having to overcome adversity to get where you are. Either way,

playing an "inner game" each day and doing the other practices in Part 5 will help

you find out how good you can be in baseball.

But it's very hard to do it alone. You'll forget and slip back into old habits. Soon

weeks will go by and you won't even remember one of the qualities you committed

to being.

Hook up with a teammate, friend or parent and support each other. Sign up

for one of my teleclasses, or hire me to be your personal coach. I'll send you an

email from time to time, but put some "structure" in place that will help you develop

new habits.

Create a summary sheet with your key information on it and keep it with

you in your bag. Read it before you go to practice or to play--and then follow it

during the game!

The "Keys to Mental Toughness" you've created for yourself are not just

your guide to playing better baseball. Consider how they might apply to the rest

of your life. Keep the qualities you committed to in mind. They are the keys not only

to "mental toughness," but also to being yourself.

Ultimately that's what I'd most like for you: For you to be yourself. That

includes your being in touch with what you really want and having the ability to get

out of your own way enough to get it.

Hopefully, this course will help you on the Road to Mental Toughness. I see you carrying out all your new commitments.

I know you can do it! When you step up to the plate one run down in the last inning

of that Championship game, you're going to be loving it, not losing it--you're going

to be mentally tough. And that headline the next day is going to read:

[your name] Wins It All!!

Young Player Destined

For Greatness



For more information, including personal coaching that will take

you to a whole new level of performance, visit:

www.PlayBigBaseball.com



For More Information Visit:

PlayBigTraining.com -- Get free training based on this book

YipsBeGone.com – If you or someone you know is having trouble making

easy throws, putts, or anything else, visit this site now.

HeadsUpPerformance.com – For business team and individual performance

enhancement.

Get your copies today at www.PlayBigBaseball.com NOTE: You are invited to share this manual with others, but you may not sell it.

Documents

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