9This book has taken several years to finalize into a finished product. In reality, though, it can never be finished because in baseball as well as life, new situations can arise daily or in a game that can cause mental turmoil. This book is about how to combat the mental problems that the game can create. Young players and their coaches spend endless hours in developing physical fundamental skills while spending very little time or effort in the development of the mental fundamentals. This book attempts to give ideas for both players and coaches to assist in the "gray matter" development of the athlete. After all, to become a proficient ball player, the athlete must acquire both physical and mental skills. In this book, the young athlete will learn ways to fend off fear of a situation, how to combat complex developments, and the importance of using the mind to advance to the next level. The ability to see yourself in a situation, talk yourself through an adverse situation, and dream of a success in a trying moment becomes a major advantage in an athlete's rise to the top performance at each level of participation. Fear, in sports, becomes the biggest block toward the young athlete's performance. This book attempts to show the young player how to overcome this fear and learn to develop a respect for each trying moment, and that these moments should be recognized as a challenge.