Mind Over Batter

by Graeme Fowler

Few sports can be played as much in the mind as cricket. When bowlers are hurling the ball down at your head at 90 mph, or fielders are crowded round the bat waiting to snap up an edge, only the most resilient can thrive. In Mind Over Batter, former Test batsman, commentator and coach Fowler looks into all facets of the game to assess the mental aspect of cricket. What is mental strength? And how can you improve it, or why do some people suddenly lose it? Can the environment in a dressing room have any impact on both mental strength and mental health? When a game builds up to a dramatic climax - how do you train yourself to cope? Can pressure really lead to catastrophic decision-making and even lead players to bend the rules?

Told with his familiar mix of brilliant insight, hilarious anecdotes and moving personal experience of his own mental demons, Fowler delivers a superb portrait of the game. Mind Over Batter will not only shed light on the top echelons of cricket, but it will also provide the reader with many useful ideas on how they can improve their own game and performance - in cricket or in other walks of life. Finally, having resisted for many years despite his own mental health issues, Fowler decides to take a closer look inside his own mind and for the first time undergoes therapy to see if he can work out what makes him tick. What he discovered surprised even him. 

Genres: Nonfiction

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 2019

Reviews

[Peter K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember watching Graeme Fowler play for England but had not kept track of how his post playing life had developed save for reading about some mental health issues that he had experienced.

In reading this third book of his I was at a disadvantage as not having read the previous two I was unsure of the ground already covered in these books. Now having read Mind over Batter I'm equally unsure as to the subject matter of those works as this book felt like a bit of everything, biography from early life onwards , critique of coaches , players and tactics and a little bit of mental health awareness.

I did not appreciate this book as much as I imagined I might. The structure , save from a top and tale description of a consultation with Mike Brearley , was too free flowing for my liking. There are chapters to this book but there is little to differentiate between them, each is a collection of anecdotes from a good career both in playing and coaching.

I'm afraid I found the tone of the book too negative for my enjoyment , many of the anecdotes were about how the author was right when others were wrong often to exhaustive detail.

Some more even handedness and structure would have made for a more enjoyable book though there were some gems here

[Traviss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, especially if you're interested in cricket from the early 80s as much of the book is the author's experience from around that period. It's rather more biographical than I imagined having a quick look at the cover/blurb, but interesting to me nonetheless as his career coincided with my peak cricket interest of the early 80s... Graeme Fowler played 20 odd tests for England from 1982-1985, probably a bit unfairly discarded as soon as the South African Rebels returned from a three-year ban in 1985, not least as he scored 201 in his second last game. He delves in to all sorts of subjects, invariably centered around cricket and to a greater or lesser extent mental preparation, toughness and health. He's been quite open about his struggles and the book opens and closes with his sessions with a (well-known) psychologist.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three years on from Absolutely Foxed and just as interesting. What an England coach he would have made, although the ‘suits’ would never have liked that. Fascinating insight and analysis illustrated by stories from his cricketing career, but which apply across the board. Highly recommended.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found it an easier read than his previous book and a good holiday read with a serious underlying message.

[Shane MacDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read. Really unlocks the psychology of cricket as a batter. Would recommend to any fan of the sport

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An open and insightful book, with plenty of cricket anecdote and humour but also tells of frustration, depression and understanding mental health issues of sportsmen.