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Mental Practice

"Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical." - Yogi Berra

Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey says that baseball is 60 to 80% mental.

College and pro players say the mental part of the game is huge, so why don't we spend more time on mental practice?

Mental Practice Plans
Source: Collegiate Baseball | Published: January 2012
By Alan Jaeger

How adding 10 minutes to your daily practice can turn a good season into a great one
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MENTAL TOUGHNESS TRAINING MANUAL FOR BASEBALL/SOFTBALL PLAYERS

CONTROL

Satchel Paige once said "If it's outside your control, ain't no use worrying, cause it's outside your control. And if it's under your control, ain't no use worrying, cause it's under your control".
Right on Satchel.

Just worry about what you can control. Make a list of those things you can control, such as your conditioning, your swing, how you handle yourself in the field, etc. On the other side, list what is outside your control, the opposing pitcher, the weather, the days lineup, etc. Focus on the control side of the list.
Read more (pdf)


Suggested Reading

The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance
by Harvey A. Dorfman


The Mental ABC's of Pitching, A Handbook for Performance Enhancement
by Harvey A. Dorfman



Video

Evan Longoria E:60 | Best 10 Minutes in the Mental Game of Baseball


Podcast

BC30: Steve Springer – Quality At-Bats | Brian Cain
Steve Springer is the master of quality at bats. From a non-starter his senior year of high school baseball to playing in the Major Leagues and now coaching numerous all-star hitters on the mental side of the game “Spring” is a gem and the baseball version of Rudy.


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