About DVD and Books

TIPS FOR VIEWING AND LEARNING FROM BASEBALL'S MENTAL FUNDAMENTALS:

Baseball's Mental Fundamentals is a video guide to developing a champion's state of mind for achievement on and off the diamond. This is a video that players will want to view again and again, as they continue to progress in their performance.

“ Baseball's Mental Fundamentals is like five DVDs in one,” said Andy Lopez, baseball coach at the University of Arizona. “It has one learning and teaching point after another.”

This is the type of presentation that allows parents and coaches to sit with the player and discuss the material. It is ideal for pausing, then evaluating and discussing how a player can improve his own mental fundamentals. Players and coaches will find their own ways to best use this information, but here is a suggestion for how to use this DVD to your advantage:

1. As the DVD proceeds, break down the mental fundamentals one at a time. Download the INDEX FOR TEACHING POINTS


2. After each player interview, or the Kuehls make a point, stop and discuss what has been said. Contemplating and discussing what was said will help players figure out how each specific point fits their game.

So much information is presented in this DVD that it is best not to attempt to view and digest the entire presentation in one quick sitting. It is the type of material that is best taken a section at a time, then reflected upon, before moving to another section. Parents, players and coaches will want to view this again regularly in order to update their mental processes.

Developing mental skills is an ongoing effort. The players featured on this DVD repeated time after time that they are still improving their mental game. Mental fundamentals should never be taken for granted; winners continually refine all fundamentals, both physical and mental.

The Major League players featured in BMF told us time and again that they are still working on their mental game and still learning. Fundamentals should never be taken for granted, winners continually refine all fundamentals, physical and mental.

Baseball' Mental Fundamentals is two hours and 16 minutes long, presented in five segments plus a story about how Reggie Jackson, “Mr. October,” controlled the moment in pressure-packed situations.

Included with the DVD is an insert that can be used as a pocket guide for reminders

About  “Mental Toughness: Baseball's Winning Edge” By Karl Kuehl, John Kuehl, & Casey Tefertiller:

Mental Toughness presents a look inside the minds of the major leaguers, as Karl Kuehl, John Kuehl and dozens of big leaguers tell how players develop the mental skills that lead to achievement both on and off the field.

This book breaks down the critical elements of the baseball's mental game into easy-to-understand sections, using examples from successful professionals. Mental Toughness delves into such areas as attitude and concentration and shows how players can enhance their abilities, which leads to improved performance.

The Kuehls' concepts come directly from Major League players and their own years of experience. What they have learned is revolutionary in that they show that such areas as confidence can be learned and improved, rather than being a natural gift. Players can learn to improve confidence, just as they do their focus or perform with a positive attitude.

“When I was coaching with the Minnesota Twins, I realized that there were so many players in the minors with great ability that would never reach the majors, and so many players in the majors who advanced with only average ability,” said Karl Kuehl. “I came to realize that the mental game could be taught, and it could be learned.”

This book is the culmination of a half century of learning by Karl Kuehl, who has become recognized throughout professional baseball as an authority on the mental game. It is essential reading for players intent on achieving.

“Something else I realized is that a sound mental game makes baseball more enjoyable,” Kuehl said. “We have to remember that baseball is fun, and good mental skills makes the game even more enjoyable.”

After Hall of Famer Don Sutton read the book, he said, “I wish I'd had Mental Toughness when I was a kid trying to get to the big leagues ... . It's a great book. It helps players, coaches, parents and people in every walk of life figure out how to turn losses into speed bumps rather than roadblocks. Every agent and every team ought to be required to give this book to the players they represent and sign. I'm giving it to my friends, especially the ones who have kids.”

Mental Toughness is about turning potential into performance.

These areas are addressed in Mental Toughness:

ATTITUDES
Everything begins with attitude: Players must consider what they want to do before they do it.  Players can learn the difference between an attitude that leads to achievement and an attitude that assures failure. By selecting the best attitudes for the best situations, a player is more likely to achieve and enjoy the game. Mental Toughness tells many of the specific attitudes of Major League players.

CHARACTER AND VALUES
Sean Casey describes the pressures placed on major leaguers and how he learned to cope with them. With Sean's help, a breakdown is presented that serves high school and college athletes as well in learning to cope with pressure in and beyond the game. How a player, or a person, develops is based on his or her values, what is important to them. Positive values can help produce positive results on the field and throughout life.

CONFIDENCE
Confidence can be learned. It is not something magical or genetic, it is a learned skill. One of the greatest gifts that parents can give to their children is to help them develop confidence. This chapter tells how players develop confidence, and how parents can help teach their children to become more confident.

THE CONCEPT OF COOL
Learning how to play in tense,  pressure-packed situations is one of the great keys to success. There are methods to improve achievement under the most adverse situations. Such techniques as controlling your heartbeat and breathing can improve a player's chance for high-level performance.

FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION
The ability to concentrate is critical for baseball players. Focus at the plate, on the mound, in the field; all are areas that are critical to reaching maximum potential. One of these tools is visualization, where a player learns to envision his circumstances and prepare for achievement. Robin Yount provides insight into the use and effectiveness of visualization. Another key tool is learning to find my zone, a self-induced replica of the zone. Dave Stewart explains how learning to improve his focus provided a turning point in his career.

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
Learning to adjust is a mental skill even more than a physical skill. If a player must learn to change his swing or a pitcher must learn to alter his delivery, then it demands the mental preparation to make those adjustments. Learn about the strategies for adjusting that work for the best of the best. Scott Spezio tells how a minor adjustment that took just a few minutes and had a big impact on the rest of the season.

MENTAL TOUGHNESS WITH DETERMINATION
Bud Black shows how the 2002 California Angels used the principles of Mental Toughness to help win the World Series. Black served as pitching coach for the team, and he used the same concepts to lead the Angels to the 2007 National League West championship. He provides an inside look at the Angels with original material that had previously not been made public.