steve springer quality ABs

[dominik]

Has anyone tried this product? what do you think about it?

[JJA]

Has anyone tried this product? what do you think about it?

I think it's a terrible product, not worth the price. His basic message, given over and over and over again ad nauseum, is to focus on having a quality at-bat rather than the results. OK, I just saved you whatever he charges for the CD.

I suppose if you have NEVER taught the mental game, or if you have a player who is having trouble understanding the mental game, it might have a small amount of value. On the other hand it's so elementary that few even young hitters will benefit little from it. I got it based on a recommendation here several years back, and when my son listened to it, his comment was "Dad, you spent money for that?". I know I'll be in the minority here, many in fact do like it, but I have to say that it's one of the worst baseball materials I've ever bought. Read Ted Williams book "The Science of Hitting" and you'll get for more out of it than that CD.

-JJA

[hitnpeas]

I think it's a terrible product, not worth the price. His basic message, given over and over and over again ad nauseum, is to focus on having a quality at-bat rather than the results. OK, I just saved you whatever he charges for the CD.

I suppose if you have NEVER taught the mental game, or if you have a player who is having trouble understanding the mental game, it might have a small amount of value. On the other hand it's so elementary that few even young hitters will benefit little from it. I got it based on a recommendation here several years back, and when my son listened to it, his comment was "Dad, you spent money for that?". I know I'll be in the minority here, many in fact do like it, but I have to say that it's one of the worst baseball materials I've ever bought. Read Ted Williams book "The Science of Hitting" and you'll get for more out of it than that CD.

-JJA

While I agree Ted's book is a quality read, I think the Springer stuff is good as well. You found little to no value after listening to the CD? Your son didn't either? Kind of ironic though considering you found benefit in the Englishbey material which IMO is some of the worst baseball materials I have ever viewed. To each his own I guess....

Carry on....

[dominik]

While I agree Ted's book is a quality read, I think the Springer stuff is good as well. You found little to no value after listening to the CD? Your son didn't either? Kind of ironic though considering you found benefit in the Englishbey material which IMO is some of the worst baseball materials I have ever viewed. To each his own I guess....

Carry on....

Let's keep this thread on topic. englishbey has nothing to do with this product.

[JJA]

dom,

Actually my choice of words was somewhat poor. I think they Springer CD is really one of the biggest wastes of money I've ever spent on baseball material. "Worst" isn't a great choice of word as it implies the material is harmful. It's not. It's just so obvious that I found absolutely zero value in it, didn't learn one thing, nor did my son. But as you can tell others like it. If you want some really elementary material on the mental game then as I said before you might like it, but it simply wasn't for me or my son.

-JJA

[mudvnine]

Dom,

While I understand JJA's opinion of some repetitiveness of a very narrow message, I do believe that it is a very good product that gives the listener an interesting insight to what's going on in the heads some of the best hitters in the game.

Nobody will ever say that Steve is one of those hitters, but he is almost like George Plimpton, a journalist sharing to the world the difference between the physical and in this case mental attributes of the professional athlete and that of the amateur.

Unfortunately, I think JJA missed the main focus or usable part of the CD. While it is certainly about having a QAB (that is the title as you've noted), what he talks about on how to have a QAB is pretty for those how have not thought about it previously, and about something that I feel most of my incoming player do not have at the plate . . . "a plan".

I have shared my copy with several folks and play it for all of my HS teams early in the preseason, not so much for any specifics, but more as a motivational message (Steve was 4'11' and 90lbs as a freshman in HS, and was not a starter on his senior season on his HS varsity team, yet was still eventually drafted out of college and reached "The Show" if only briefly), and as a primer of the importance of going to the plate with a "plan".

Everyone loves to talk about teaching the mechanics of the swing, but regardless of what or whose material you teach, without the "mental" part of instruction, you're sending your hitters to the plate greatly unprepared once they step to the plate at the higher levels (when pitchers have several different pitchers and can locate them the majority of the time).

The pitcher and catcher are certain have a "plan" or are continuously working on one during the AB, why would you as a hitter, would you not watch what they are doing with other hitters and then not develop a "plan" before you step in the box?

While it's definitely not rocket science, Steve's actually been in the box against some of the best in the game, has an great sense of humor, has spent time with and gotten into the heads of some great hitters, which makes for a fun, easy listening, interesting, and enjoyable story from behind the curtain of those in professional baseball at the various levels of it . . .

$19.95 (the original one, I don't know about his "new" CD) for the story and "lesson"? Yeah, maybe a little pricey for what it is, but if you have a little extra spare cash floating around, it don't think you'd be upset that you spent it on Steve's CD. I've had mine for about eight, maybe nine years now (I think, been awhile though) and just the other day I flipped it into the CD of my truck as I drove around running some errands.

Yeah, I know, I need to get life beyond baseball . . .

[JJA]

dom,

Mud's review should be copied by Springer and put on his web site as it puts his CD in the most favorable light possible. I actually cannot disagree with his comments, as indeed Springer does talk about needing to have a plan at the plate. It's just I think the comments are so elementary, the material such a disorganized mess (he rambles on and on during the CD with no apparent structure to the material), and he repeats some of his same statements over and over again where it's actually annoying, that I just don't see the value in it at all. You're better off with Williams' materials, or actually Dorfman's book "The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance" which Jake recommended to me several years back and I found absolutely excellent. It's almost half the price of Springer's CD and has some really good material in it.

With better materials like Williams' and Dorfman's book out there, I just don't see any reason to purchase the Springer CD, but that's just me.

-JJA

[hitnpeas]

Let's keep this thread on topic. englishbey has nothing to do with this product.

True, but when someone makes a comment as bold as he did, I believe YOU would benefit knowing what he does consider quality baseball information when considering his review.

[mudvnine]

dom,

Mud's review should be copied by Springer and put on his web site as it puts his CD in the most favorable light possible. I actually cannot disagree with his comments, as indeed Springer does talk about needing to have a plan at the plate. It's just I think the comments are so elementary, the material such a disorganized mess (he rambles on and on during the CD with no apparent structure to the material), and he repeats some of his same statements over and over again where it's actually annoying, that I just don't see the value in it at all. You're better off with Williams' materials, or actually Dorfman's book "The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance" which Jake recommended to me several years back and I found absolutely excellent. It's almost half the price of Springer's CD and has some really good material in it.

With better materials like Williams' and Dorfman's book out there, I just don't see any reason to purchase the Springer CD, but that's just me.

-JJA

I think this is EXCELLENT!!! JJA and I actually agree to what is on the CD, as I too cannot dispute anything he posts here (and agree about Williams and Dorfman, as I too have both of their books (actually, two of Dorfman's), as well as Ravizza's which is also good on the mental part of baseball in general).....

And the more I think about it, I guess I enjoy listening to Steve for the motivational, inspirational value, that's mixed in with his "plan", more so than any actual lesson learned.

To explain this a bit more . . . after I have my teams listen to the CD, I see kids who know they heard something important (having a "plan") and inspired to go out and improve their plate appearances with it, but they're not exactly sure how to go out and do that.

What more could a coach/teacher ask for? Students who are highly motivated and eager to learn something new, so they look to the coach/teacher with open minds and willing hearts ready to absorb whatever that lesson may be.

So maybe I'm a little biased and a little overzealous towards Steve's material because of the position I'm in and how I use it, versus where JJA is and what he wanted or expected from the material. I can definitely understand where JJA is coming from.

So Dom, I hope that you can see how these two opposing opinions came about; and when you do, I think you can decide what it is that you want to get out of the material or how you might be able to use it . . . and then make your decision on whether to purchase it or not.

Is this a first; two polar opposite opinion of the value of a hitting product, yet both agree 100% on its content? Pretty cool . . . thanks JJA, you actually made me rethink why I enjoyed, and "valued" the product so much.


mud -

[dominik]

I did order the CD and got it today.

I have to say it is good information but I would say that it is very basic and repeating. could go a little more in depth, he is just repeating look for certain pitches and attack the inside of the baseball all the time.

but I have to say that it is funny as hell. steve seems to be a very relaxed guy (is he a smoker?). did tell some cool stories there.

[ndd]

but I would say that it is very basic and repeating.

Ah....interesting... perhaps there is something to be learned there ....

[PlankSpanker]

I have a couple versions of the Steve Springer QAB's CD and the DVD.

At first I didn't "get it" and felt like it was a dumb purchase. Given that I had already dropped the coin on the CD, I started playing it for my son as we drove to games just to pass the time instead of listening to music or BS'ing about some random topic.

After hearing it many times and discussing with my son how to apply what Steve was talking about, it started to make sense. Each little "idea" which sounds intuitively obvious upon first listen, starts to be ingrained in your brain to the point where it can be very effective in mentally preparing for a game. After repeated listens, your mind sort goes into a "pre-flight checklist" mode, for lack of a better term, where you already know what he is going to say but it reinforces positive "self talk" instead of allowing your head to be filled with self-doubt. Just as you do many reps to get good at anything else in baseball, it certainly does not hurt to spend a small amount of time in "getting your mind right" as Steve calls it.

The CD does not contain voodoo magic that will make your kid hit .400 but it can be a useful tool if you are willing to listen with open ears. In retrospect, this was one of the better baseball investments I've made.