Here's What the Man
with the Most Home Runs and Most RBI's of Anyone
Ever Told Me to Tell You...
Warning!
Once you read the secret below you cannot turn
back. You cannot unlearn it. You
will always know the path to excellence
is here waiting for you. Don't read on
if you'd rather stay in the dark and at the
performance level you're now at.
"My ability to fully
focus on what I had to do on a daily basis
made me the successful player that I
was.
"Sure, I had some natural
ability, but that only gets you so far.
"I learned
how to focus. Its' kind of like
learning your ABC's as a child; you learn
through repetition.
"No matter what level you're on, to have the
type of career you can be proud of,
you have to take charge of your mental
game.
"It's what can set you apart
from other players."
Hank Aaron to Dr. Tom Hanson
in exclusive, 1-1 interview
Did you get it? Aaron's secret was
his ability to Fully FOCUS on what he had to do on a
daily basis. And he LEARNED how to do
it!
Pitchers, I've talked to
many Hall-of-Fame pitchers and I can assure you they'd
tell you the same thing...
*********
If you're tired of playing below your
potential and have a strong desire to make your
baseball dreams come true, you can "take charge of your mental
game" and learn
to:
Be
focused and in total control under
pressure -- Do you hit or pitch
great in practice but not so great in
games? Would you like to be able to "slow the
game down?"
Block out
mistakes and failures -- Let
go of your frustration and anger after you
screw up and be focused and confident on the
very next
pitch.
Create
that feeling of total confidenceany time you want
-- Remember that one game you were totally in
the zone? Would you like to be able to
generate that feeling at the push of a
button?
Relax and have
fun -- Jeter told
me this is his key to success. Have
your parents or coach told you that you
should "just relax!"?
Would
you like to learn how?
These abilities are all
learnable by following simple,
step-by-step instructions. I've been
doing it for 20 years. Let me
explain...
By Tom Hanson, Ph.D. --
CEO
Print this letter Baseball
Confidence.com Written Tuesday, 1:44 pm
Tampa, FL
Dear Ball Player:
I'm guessing you're in one of two places right
now.
You're
frustrated, maybe even angry. You
know you have talent, you work hard, but you just
can't perform in games as well as you know you
can.
Something keeps getting in your
way.
Now you're sick of failure and are ready to
leave it behind.
Or, you're
playing well right now but you're
smart. You know you can gain a huge
advantage over other players if you train your brain and
not just your biceps.
So, like Hank Aaron and all top
players, you're looking for an
edge.
If neither of those two fit you, if everything
is just "fine" with your performance and you're satisfied
with where you are now, then good-bye; I can't help
you (not right now anyway, but you might want to
bookmark this page just in case...).
You Will
Choose
This letter is a crossroads in
your career.
In a few minutes
you'll make a choice that will shape your
destiny in baseball.
Will
you: 1) "Take Charge of Your Mental
Game," or
2) "Go it alone"
?????
Can You Relate to Any
of These Players?
If you're still with me, congratulations; You're
a member of an elite group of players.
The group that "gets it."
You're not alone. Here is just a small
sample of actual emails I get from players. See
which ones you can relate to...
"I know that I can
perform at a certain level, and
I do
well during practices, but in games I
always seem to perform below
par. I'm not sure
if it's anxiety or fear of failure, but I
can't seem to get over it
successfully. What can I do to
overcome this?"
"Last year was a big
disapointment for me and for my
team. They were relying on me to
step up and win big games but it didn't
happen. This is my senior year and
I need to have the confidence to pitch my
game."
"I have the talent to
play D1, but I could a lot better if I
were to be more consistent by being
stronger mentally."
"I know that
I am one of the best hitters
'mechanically'. But on a
regular basis I weakly ground out or let
a perfect fastball go by. I need help on
being more consistent and getting that
relaxed batting practice feeling in the
box."
"Sometimes I pitch
great, sometimes I'm terrible. How
can I constantly be locked in on throwing
every pitch and how can I learn
how to block
everything else
out?"
"I know I should be more positive but the
voice in my head keeps telling me how much I
suck."
"I've had success at
every level I've been at so far, but I
know there are other good players out
there. I want
every advantage I can get
and know the mental game is huge at the
higher levels. Can you help me be
more confident and more
consistent?"
What Will Happen If These Players Don't Take
Charge of Their Mental Game?
I'm guessing you can relate to one or more of
those players.
Every player has challenges with the mental game.
(Believe me, I've stood in the Yankees clubhouse and heard guys
with 4 rings struggle with their confidence.)
These players, like you, are at a decision
point; a fork in the road of their baseball
careers:
* Will they "take charge of their mental game" as Aaron
recommends and go on to a season and career they're proud
of?
* Or will they think they know more than Hall of Famers
about how to approach the game and try to "tough it out"
themselves?
Their choice (and more importantly, your choice)
may well determine whether all your hours of training,
traveling and practicing pays off in a baseball
dream-come-true, or end up having been wasted.
If players don't get coaching on how to overcome these
challenges, they''
ll experiencea
lot ofneedless
suffering.
If you don't learn to "take
charge of your mental game," as Aaron described it,
you’ll experience much more of the following than you
need to…
1. Frustration
when you strike out to end the game
(again)
2. Anger
when you walk in the winning run (again)
3. Fear when
you are called on to deliver in a clutch situation
(perhaps not “again” since you didn’t come through
the first time).
4. And most of all,
devastation
when you
realize your career is over and you didn’t reach your
potential.
If you don’t take charge of your mental game you will
not find out how good you can be in
baseball.
You will retire and one day look back and say,
“You know, I didn’t do every thing I could have.
What would have happened if I had trained my brain for
confidence, focus, and composure the way I trained my
body for power, flexibility and endurance?"
Imagine the
waste – all the countless hours
of work on the field and in the gym, all the time spent
traveling to and from ball parks, all the money spent on
equipment, camps, uniforms, team fees, and showcases, and
all the dreams you’ve had since you first picked up a
baseball...
All flushed down the toilet because
you neglected the single most important part of the
game!
Will You End Up Like This Guy?
For example, one guy I know well was pretty
talented. He loved to play baseball as a kid and he
had some big dreams.
He dominated in the youth leagues, but then many
players caught up to him later in junior high and early high
school.
He worked hard between his junior and senior years of high
school and again became a dominent player. His senior
year of American Legion he hit over .400 and was MVP
of his team that finished fourth in
the State Tournament.
But in college his performance waned.
He got one wrong idea in his head as a
freshman, and that one wrong idea handicapped
him his entire college career. He never wised up.
Although he was All-Conference his sophomore year and his
team won multiple conference titles, he never really found his
stroke. He didn't focus and apply himself the way he had
as a senior in high school.
In fact, he forgot much of what had made him successful in
high school.
He didn't do anything
extra.
He didn't seek out help from people who could have helped
him be a lot better.
He chose to "go it
alone."
In the end, his career was OK. He enjoyed some
individual and team success, and he's got some fond
memories.
But he's now (already) 44 years old and he's got
questions. Unanswered questions. The kind of
questions you want answers to but will never get.
"What could I have done had I been more
focused?"
"What could I have done if I would
have known how to 'take charge of my mental
game?'"
"What could I have done if I
didn't have that one wrong idea in my head my
entire college career?"
Those questions will never be answered. There's no way
to turn back the clock.
The door is closed.
The lights are out.
The party is over.
Those questions will live with him for the rest of his
life. For the rest of his life he will wonder "What
if...?"
Not a good feeling.
Do you want to be plagued by those
questions?
Do you want that
feeling?
Well, if you want to know more about them, just ask me.
The player I'm describing is me.
I Go on a Mission
I became facinated with this idea of the
"mental game." Everyone, including me, says it's 80% or
more of your success, but what is it? More importantly,
how do you win the mental
game?"
I went on a mission.
I got my master's degree at the Universty
of Illinois specializing in sport psychology.
I went straight from there to the University of
Virginia to get my Ph.D. specializing in sport
psychology. While there I was the hitting coach for the
baseball team for three seasons.
(By the
way, I'm a P.E. major, not a psychologist.
If you have mental problems, I'm not your
guy. If you want to think great so you
can play great, if you want to learn to think the way Hall of
Famers think, I am your
guy.)
Hitting was my passion, so for my Ph.D.
research I interviewed Hank Aaron, Rod Carew, Stan Musial, Carl
Yastrzemski and Tony Oliva. I picked their brains on this
"mental game" to get them to spill the beans on the real
secrets to their success.
Virtually every one of them said some form of
what Aaron told me 15 minutes into the
interview:
"This is the most important part about
hitting and no one has ever asked me this
before."
I had goose bumps the size of golf
balls.
And I knew I was on the right
track. Clearly this is information that
people needed.
Some, like Aaron, figured it out on their
own. Others, like me and surely thousands of others,
didn't and hung up their cleats unfulfilled.
I continued my formal and experiential research
as head baseball coach and professor at Skidmore College, a
Division III school in New York.
Every day for seven years I got to see what
worked and what didn't work for players, and for myself as head
coach.
During that time I wrote "Heads-Up
Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time"
with Dr. Ken Ravizza. We've sold over 65,000 copies of
that book world wide, and it's been required reading for
several Division I National Champions, pro players, and the
U.S. Olympic team.
Collegiate Baseball calls it
"the bible for mental toughness in
baseball."
After leaving Skidmore to start my own business
helping people win the mental game, I consulted for two years
with the Texas Rangers before being hired away by the Yankees
to work full time here in Tampa for 2001.
It's been 10 years now since writing "Heads-Up
Baseball." Ten years of experience refining and
advancing the ideas in that book.
To begin telling you how to win the
mental game I want to share a quick story from when I was with
the Rangers.
One Centerfield Conversation Reveals Two
Players' Fate
One bright sunny day I
was standing in the outfield grass at The Ballpark in
Arlington shagging balls during BP. The Rangers had
their top prospects in for a special week of training
before spring training started.
On my left was young Player A. On my right
was young Player B.
Player A was commenting on how fun it was just to be
there in a big league stadium and said he hoped he'd be there
for real one day.
Player B interrupted with "What do you think it takes to be a
Hall of Famer?"
Player A laughed at this question, and a coach who joined
the conversation a few moments later did as well. They
didn't feel Player B ought to be asking that question as a mere
18-year-old newbie.
Fast forward to today: I can't tell
you who Player B was because I haven't asked him for
permission to tell you. I can tell you he's played in the
All-Star Game and has already established himself as a plus
Major Leaguer.
I can't tell you who Player A was because I
can't remember who it was. Honest. I
can't even picture his face.
Now of course talent and other things play a roll in this,
you've got to have talent. But Player A was a high draft
choice or he wouldn't have been there, so he had talent.
All I know for sure is the guy focused on being a
Hall of Famer still could be one, and is now cashing some huge
checks and having a blast playing baseball. And
the guy who "hoped to make it someday" is for all I
know flipping burgers somewhere.
Solution: How to Win the Mental
Game
OK, you want to be like the
All-star and not the burger flipper,
yes?
There's more to it than imagining yourself in the HOF, but
it is important to keep it simple.
Basically, to win the mental game, you need
to:
1. Learn what you need to
think and do to be confident and
focused.
2. Do those things every day.
Practice them until they are engrained into your system,
conditioned into your brain.
3. Repeat until you retire.
That's it.
And you already know and use this
process.
Take a physical skill like bunting.
To be a proficient bunter you first learn the
fundamentals of what you need to think and do to bunt
well. Then you practice it over and over until good
bunting becomes a habit, until it is conditioned into your
body.
You then repeat the process, continuing to learn,
continuing to practice. The process goes on and on.
You're never "done" developing your bunting.
If you stop practicing, your skills will
decline.
The mental game is the
same: You first learn the fundamentals of what you
need to think and do to be confident. Then you
practice and condition those things into your
body.
Then you repeat the process: learn more, practice
more, learn more, practice more.
It sounds simple, but it's not easy to do.
Especially without expert coaching.
These next 3 paragraphs are key,
so make sure your speakers are on, click
the purple "play" button
twice and read
along with me:
You can mentally condition your mind to
be confident, focused and cool under pressure
just the same way you physically condition your
body to be strong, fast, and
flexible.
Amazing boosts in confidence can happen almost
instantly using my science-based techniques,
but you must commit to developing your "mental
muscles" throughout your entire baseball career
in order to reach your potential in the
game.
Just like you must consistently go to the
regular gym to condition your body for
strength, speed and endurance, you must go to
the mental training “gym” to train your brain
for confidence, focus, and composure.
You may be
asking...
"But Can You Really Learn to be Focused, Block
out Mistakes, Create a Feeling of Total Confidence, and
Relax and Have Fun Playing?"
Here's what a few
players had to say about that...
Be focused and in total
control under pressure by conditioning yourself
to turn negative thoughts around...
“I had the ability but it wasn’t showing up on
the field. My main problem was I was thinking
in the wrong direction: I was channeling all my
power in the negative.
"You helped me turn those thoughts around
and it was like fireworks going
off. I knew what I needed to do but it
took you bringing them out. I’ve seen nothing
but my game flourish since we started talking.
I used to try to look good; now I’m playing
with passion."
Scott Podsednik
2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox
Block out mistakes and
failures -- Let go of your frustration and
anger after you screw up and be focused and confident on
the very next pitch...
"Hi, I’m Will Mathis, and what
really helped me was the 'push button
confidence.' Because I have been pitching and
people get a big hit on me and I get nervous,
but I remember the push button confidence and I
come back and get the next guy.
"Thank you for this program,
because it has helped me a lot."
Will Mathis --
age 13
Create that
feeling of total confidenceany time you
want -- Remember that one game you were
totally in the zone? Would you like to be able to
generate that feeling at the push of a button?
"I am a former pro and I still
pitch in a 38 and older baseball league in
Eastern Penna. This past Sunday I pitched the
title game and lost 3-2. The quality of my
performance was great. My teammates all
commented that I was in the Zone. I have not
felt that good about my performance in a long
time.
"The ball glided on the
path my mind set nearly every time. I
loved the feeling and plan to continue to
develop my skills and learn as much as
possible.
Tony
Vlahovic
Relax and
have fun -- Jeter told me this is his
key to success. Have your parents or coach told
you that you should "just relax!"? Would you like to
learn how?
Effortless
Control
"Through talking with you I
learned what I needed to focus on to be my
best. I learned to throw more effortlessly –
pitches with good zip right where I want them
that feel like I didn’t even throw them.
Pitching is fun again. Thanks.
Chris Frey
Pitcher, Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox
organizations
Plus, you ought to hear this remarkable
player talk about the experience he's had with mental
training...Click here now to listen...
Now you should be
asking...
"How
Can I Get These Benefits?"
I still do some 1-1 coaching, mostly on the
phone. If you're interested in that, please
contact me.
But
in response to requests for audio programs that could be
done without me (I'm often booked solid
and am too expensive for some players) I created a
step-by-step program for taking charge of your mental
game:
"BREAKTHROUGH! Your 5 Keys to Success at
the Next Level"
It's like a "Mental Game 101" program. I
believe every player, coach and parent should be
required to take it.
Remember how I said in order to win the mental
game you need to:
1. Learn what you
need to think and do to be confident and
focused.
2. Do those things every day.
Practice them
until they are engrained into your system,
conditioned into your brain.
3. Repeat until you
retire.
"BREAKTHROUGH!"
solves the problem of (1)
learning what you need to think and do to be confident and
focused and (2) gives you a way to practice your mental
skills.
But it doesn't give you the "repeat" and ongoing
learning part of winning the mental game -- remember the
way Hall of Famers think: learn more, practice more,
learn more, practice more... (I'll solve the ongoing
learning issue in a moment)
The cost?
"BREAKTHROUGH!" costs $47 if you buy it on
it's own.
But I'm so committed to helping you
win the mental game I will give it to you
FREE
if you join "Hanson's Gym" for just one
month.
"What is 'Hanson's Mental Training
Gym?'"
It's a
monthly program that solves the final problem of
ongoing coaching and ongoing learning
(learn more, practice
more...)
In a regular
gym you condition your
body. In my Baseball Confidence Gym you
condition your mind. Like a regular gym you get to use equipment you
otherwise couldn't afford to
buy.
In this case, it's access to me and the mental
training "equipment" I provide you with.
Instead of
growing your muscles, you grow your mind. In this
program, G.Y.M. stands for Grow
Your
Mind.
This Gym is not like a normal gym you go
to -- the "equipment" is on line. You do the
workout at your computer or on your mp3
device.
If you want
results like the ones you read about above (and I
could send you more testimonials if you want), if
you want to rocket past the training top Division I
college programs are doing, if you want your
mind to be your greatest ally this year instead
of your biggest enemy, all for just pennies on the
dollar, join the Gym.
As a Gym member, each month you
get:
1. New powerful content each month (you
get info I normally save for my high paying
clients.) Each month will have a different
theme vitally important to baseball success.
Plus,
Interviews with baseball's best minds,
including the many Hall-of-Famers like Aaron,
Carew, Musial and Yastrzemski that I already have
on tape that no one has heard;
I've got a "million dollar rolodex" that
enables me to get exclusive interviews with the
best players and teachers of the game
The Gym "Exercise of the Month"
that takes your mental training to highly
advanced levels
2. Email Coaching -- You
get an email each Friday from me that will coach you
to your best performances. The coaching will
cover all aspects of the mental game and focus on the
theme of the month. This will keep your
feet to the fire and you performing at the top
of your game.
3. The opportunity to submit your
questions to me. I can't promise to respond
to each question personally, but I will address
questions I get in the Gym Forum. This is open
to parents as well as players and coaches.
4. Entry into a free 1-on-1 coaching
session drawing. Each month one member
will be selected randomly to receive a private phone
coaching lesson with me. I'll record the
session and send it to you for future
listening.
5. Deep discounts on other products
I offer. Plus "insider" offers I won't
even make available to non-members.
6. "Extra Mile" surprise
bonuses. I'll be in your corner and
I'll take your success personally, so I'll go the
"extra mile" to make sure you break through to your
all-time best performance level.
All this, plus tons of free
bonuses.
If you are ready to take charge of your mental
game, step up to the plate, and reach for the stars, my
Gym is just what you're looking for.
Here's What You
Get:
1. My 5
video program "BREAKTHROUGH!
Your 5 Keys to Success at the Next Level"
($47 value)
2.
One Month membership
in Hanson's Mental Training
Gym
3. SPECIAL
BONUSES: My Mental
Toughness Manual ($29 value) and more than $100
in additional training program
bonuses
That's $215.95
of value ALL FOR JUST
$19.95
"I’ve been pitching for 10
years and in this one month I was able to tap
into resources I never could before. It
definitely took me over the hump."
Kurt Hintzman, pitcher
Presbyterian College
How to Be Like Hall of
Famers
Hall of Famers
and top players at every level constantly look for ways to get
better. They don't quit learning just because they gained
some skill or knowledge about some aspect of
baseball.
Especially the mental
game. The higher the level of player I
work with, the better he understands the mental game is where
it's at.
This is an ongoing process. You never just "get it"
and stop developing your mental
game.
Would you ever stop
your physical conditioning just because you got in pretty
good shape once?
Would you ever stop
taking batting practice just because you hit a few balls on
the nose?
Would you ever stop
throwing bullpens just because you had a couple of good
outings?
Of course
not.
Are You a Fool?
“People are fools for not
seeking coaching on the mental game.
"What I’ve noticed at the higher levels is
that a lot of guys get help with their focusing
because it’s an edge. At this level, at any
level, you need all the help you can get."
Scott Podsednik
2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox
At the start of this letter
to you I said you are now at a crossroads in your baseball
career and you will choose between two
paths:
1) "Take Charge
of Your Mental Game" -- the path Hank Aaron and
virtually all great players take, a path that leads to a season
and career you're proud of; or
2) "Go it
alone" -- a path that leads to a
career-long emotional roller coaster (up and down without
the ability to control yourself)
One is filled with
excessive, unnecessary suffering.
The other is filled with
success, satisfaction and fulfillment.
Notice how I said you
will choose.
Not you could
choose.
Not you may
choose.
Not you might want
to choose.
Time is going by. You are choosing right
now.
As a 44-year old looking back on his college career with
regret for the choice he made, I can tell you
your career is going by fast
right now.
It's
now. Will you spend the
next hour soaring toward your baseball dreams by conditioning
yourself for confidence? Or will you mindlessly surf the
web and fall behind players who are already doing mental
training?
Do nothing and you choose the "Go it Alone" path.
But...
If you are ready to
take Hank Aaron's advice and take charge of your mental
game,
Choose to
Join my Baseball Confidence Gym for one
month.
For $19.95 (this price is subject to change... but it will
never be lower) you get $215.95 worth of mental game
training including: My complete "BREAKTHROUGH!" program and my
"Mental Toughness Manual" free as bonuses, plus all the
benefits of the Gym.
Then, to continue your progress, each month you'll receive a
brand new CD in the mail along with all the other Gym features
listed above for the same monthly charge.
You're free to cancel any time with no penalty.
(click this and you'll learn about an even
better offer)
I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tom Hanson
P.S. Just a
quick reminder of the benefits of this program:
Be
focused and in total control under
pressure -- Do you hit or pitch
great in practice but not so great in
games? Would you like to be able to "slow the
game down?"
Block out
mistakes and failures -- Let
go of your frustration and anger after you
screw up and be focused and confident on the very
next pitch.
Create
that feeling of total confidenceany time you want
-- Remember that one game you were totally in
the zone? Would you like to be able to
generate that feeling at the push of a
button?
Relax and have
fun -- Jeter told
me this is his key to success. Have
your parents or coach told you that you
should "just relax!"? Would you like to
learn how?
Here's What You
Get:
1. My 5
video program "BREAKTHROUGH!
Your 5 Keys to Success at the Next Level"
($47 value)
2.
One Month membership
in Hanson's Mental Training
Gym
3. SPECIAL
BONUSES: My Mental
Toughness Manual ($29 value) and more than $100
in additional training program
bonuses
That's $215.95
of value ALL FOR JUST
$19.95
P.P.S. The clock is ticking on your career and you are
now choosing your destiny. Choose wisely.
FREE
PROGRAM
Get "5 Steps to Unstoppable
Confidence"
Just enter your name and email and
hit "Send it to Me"
"We made
significant
improvements in
significant
areas in 2001
throughout our
player
development
system, and Tom
played a big
part in our
doing
so.
"
I recommend you
let him do the
same for
you."
Mark
Newman
Vice-President
of Player
Development New
York
Yankees
"Keep the
great email
coaching
seminars
coming. Not
only do we
use them as
board
material,
but we
discuss the
articles
with our
players at
our weekly
"mental
meeting"
Thanks!
Brett
Merritt
Assistant
Baseball
Coach
New Mexico
Military
Institute