"“I don’t want to boot this ground ball,” or “I don’t want to walk this batter.” The word “don’t” will not get through to the body. The word carries no functional image. The phrase “boot the groundball” does bring forth an image. The expression of a negative goal will therefore emphasize an undesirable image -- and the error or walk is more apt to be made."
Harvey was a mental skills consultant in the MLB from 1987 to 1997 and is known as one of the original mental skills coaches.