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

by H.A. Dorfman

A clear and insightful guide to the art of pitching.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Psychology, Nonfiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Harvey A. Dorfman (May 21, 1935 – February 28, 2011) was best known as an mental skills/sports psychology coach who worked in education and psychology as a teacher, counselor, coach, and consultant. Prior to starting a business as a mental skills coach, he lived in Manchester, Vermont. He also wrote for a local paper, taught English, and coached basketball at Burr and Burton Semi­nary (now Academy). He earned World Series Championship rings by serving as a mental skills coach for the 1989 Oakland A's and the 1997 Florida Marlins. In 1999, Dorfman became a full-time consultant teaching the skills of sport psychology and staff development for the Scott Boras Corporation, an agency that represents professional baseball players. He also worked as a freelance journalist and lectured at major universities and corporations on psychlogy, self-enhancement, management strategies, and leadership training. Through his books and his teaching experience, he helped thousands of people get more of what they wanted from life through his tough love and clear insight. Some baseball greats give him credit for their success in life as well as in baseball. He died on February 28, 2011

Reviews

[Aaron Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and nicely divided into digestible parts. Applies to baseball and life

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I would have read this book in my earlier years as there is a lot of good advice, though after a decade of professional work experience, this book really helps reflect on my failures and successes, and is helping me calibrate my attitude for the years to come. There are a just few overlapping and common themes among the chapters, but the author is really creative in breaking them down. This book is not necessarily about pitching or baseball, it's about overall performance enhancement (mental and physical) in the context of baseball. I hate baseball.

[Nick Poulson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a different kinds of chapters. First of all, H.A. Dorfman is a sports psychologist for baseball players. This book is written from everything he has dealt with. So far I have read confidence, emotions, fear of failure, and K's.

[Clinton Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

H.A Dorfman’s book The Mental ABC’s of Pitching looks into the mental aspect of baseball. When you think of pitching you always think about the physical portion, but Dorfman does an amazing job of shifting the focus to your attitude. One of his main points throughout the book is how important the approach to each outing is, from breathing to your control. He considers the mental game as a large obstacle for young pitchers, and offers this book as a guide to developing the mentality to perform.

The former Oakland mental skills coach talks in a way that is easy for young athletes to understand. The book is written in short chapters, each word having its own chapter. Dorfman writes the book almost as a dictionary that flows along with each word. The book is easy to understand in the way that each chapter is explained or related to another. He also uses terms and phrases that can be interpreted by anyone (not just pitchers). The author has many other books that flow similarly, and provide a great example of what should go on in a players’s head.

This is a great book to read as a baseball player, but I would recommend it to any athlete or coach that wants to build a mental approach. The key words talked about are easily applicable to other sports. This book is also a great tool for coaches that want to mentally develop players. Originally recommended to me by my baseball coach, I believe every player should give it a read. It’s truly a great book.

[Ryan Zimmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me think a lot about pitching in general. There is a lot more to pitching than just throwing a baseball at a batter. One of the biggest parts of pitching is the mental aspect. If your mental game is not strong, it may affect the way you play. I learned many things from this book, but the overall take away is to always have a healthy mind because pitching isn't all about ability. All athletes need the right approach to the game.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels oddly generic and not well supported

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good leadership book (unlikely I know), but the mental aspect portion is repetitive.

[Nick Hamlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for helping you mentally witht he game of baseball.

[Andrew Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[Brittany McLaughlin]

Used for my baseball paper as background and hopefully will reference

[Neal Boswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone coaching baseball at any level. A must read for any pitcher ~14 and over. Any casual baseball fan may appreciate this as a self help book.

[James Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about pitching and baseball, especially when you realize it’s not just about pitching and baseball.

[Pierce Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

[Jarret E 6 Elmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "The Mental ABC's of Pitching" by H.A. Dorfman is about how you should act and what you should do while pitching. One of my favorite things subjects that he had talked about is attitude. If you are having a bad day pitching and your getting down on yourself, the other team will have an advantage on you. The more you get down the less likely for you to get going again. Another one of my favorite subjects he talked about is balance. If you don't have any balance at all, than you won't be able to throw well. I really liked this book because, it had helped me a lot the last few weeks I have been pitching and with the aspects of the game. Most of this book is common sense, like the one I talked about was attitude. If you don't have good attitude your coach will think you're a little kid still. If you don't have good attitude, than you shouldn't be pitching for your team. The other one I talked about earlier was balance. Like when your about to pitch and your so off balance you can't handle it, you will probably throw it over the back fence. This book can help people through out their career. The theme of this book is, if you don't make adjustments while you're pitching than you wont be a good pitcher.

[Loganhurd · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me as a pitcher, this book helped me learn a few mental aspects of the game. Dorfman explains the different emotions pitchers can feel on the mound, and how to tackle these feelings and turn them into confidence. Each page gives brief stories and psychological information, that really makes you think a different way about baseball. I really enjoyed this book, and I mostly enjoyed it for its psychological side more than its baseball side. All in all it was a good book, and I recommend this book to any baseball player (pitcher or not), or anyone who is interested in how the human brain works.

[towner77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty excellent companion for any young pitcher to be able to turn to for fortification, or any old pitcher or coach for that matter.

[Cody Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

H.A. Dorfman won me over with this brilliant book. This is a pitchers dream book. The Abc's covers every tpoic imaginable that is relative to pitching. This book explores the readers mind and gives advice about how to go about your pitching. Exercises and advice that I have found help me in my game have been from this book. Best read! Only recommend for a pitcher serious about improving their mental strength, or someone wanting to gain knowledge about the mental side of pitching.

[Maya Senen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best described probably as a kind of "self-help for jocks," Dorfman presents wisdom and strategies for effective mental and emotional fortitude in competition which apply well beyond the baseball diamond. This is a great read for all pitchers, athletes, and humans looking to better themselves.