| The Science of Hitting |  | Authors: John Underwood, Ted Williams
Publisher: Fireside
Category: Book
List Price: $8.50
Buy Used: $4.92
You Save: $3.58 (42%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  52 reviews
Sales Rank: 3718977
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st Fireside ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 88
ISBN: 0671449133
EAN: 9780671449131
ASIN: 0671449133
Publication Date: April 16, 1982
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Softcover. Binding is tight. Moderate cover wear. Foxing on some pages.
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Amazon.com Review
As a boy, all Ted Williams wanted was to be the best hitter there ever was. Through his storied tenure with the Red Sox, he pretty much got his wish. He not only hit, he knew how to hit; there was no keener, more devoted, more articulate student of the art. The Science of Hitting is his comprehensive book of wisdom and anecdote, a baseball bible that offers clear, concise, well-illustrated, fundamental information on how to hit a baseball and, just as important, how to think about hitting a baseball. Williams's first commandment is "Get a good pitch to hit," and, in one of baseball's most dramatic teaching tools--a photograph that divides his strike zone into 77 baseballs, seven wide by 11 high--Williams projects what he would hit at each pitch location, from .230 on the low-outside strike to .400 in what he called his "happy zone," the heart of the plate belt high. In 1941, that happy zone was obviously ecstatic; Williams hit .406 that year, the last to break the magic .400 barrier.
Product Description
Ted Williams is our greatest living expert on how to hit a baseball -- the last baseball player to hit .400 in the major leagues. Williams's career hitting statistics will stand forever as a monument to his complete mastery of the single most difficult thing to do in sport: .344 lifetime batting average, 521 home runs, 1839 RBI and 2654 hits.The Science of Hitting has reigned as the classic handbook on hitting since being published in 1971 -- and now it's even better! Ted's hitting advice has been updated, and exciting new color graphics and photos have been added to enhance your reading pleasure. The Gallery of Great Hitters has been expanded to include Ted's choices for the best hitters of the '70s and '80s: look inside to see who made the cut! You'll still find all of Ted's great advice on how to improve your turn at bat and become the best hitter possible. Learn: * How to think like a pitcher and guess the pitch * The three cardinal rules for developing a smooth line-drive swing * The secrets of hip and wrist action * Pitch selection * Bunting * Hitting the opposite way And much more! Whether you play the game or simply enjoy reading about it, you'll find The Science of Hitting an unforgettable addition to your sports library.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 47 more reviews...
Excellent Reading August 8, 2008
Veryyyyyy good information... Has both mental and physical approaches to the game! Definately a good buy!
This book will help you be a better hitter! July 19, 2008
For young and inexperienced players, Ted Williams' name may no longer hold the magic it did when I was growing up and playing baseball. But most of us "old-timers" will still remember that Williams was the last professional ball player (in the MLB) to hit over .400 for a full season. So when my Little League aged son was struggling a bit at the plate a season ago, I broke out my copy of Williams' The Science of Hitting to look for some kernel of wisdom that would help my son get out of his slump.
But, the first line in the book is an admonition that today's best hitters fail more than they succeed "...even if you're a .300 hitter...you are going to fail at your job seven out of ten times." This statement is at once encouraging as well as discouraging. That is hitting in a nutshell (triumphant in success yet unbelievably humbling and potentially discouraging in failure) and any good player will need to remember that success as a ball player is measured a bit differently.
The admonition out of the way, Williams' book splits the topic of hitting up into two basic parts--first, the physical mechanics involved in hitting; second, the mental duel taking place between the batter and pitcher.
Much of what is written in the book is the result of Williams' conversations with great hitters of the past. As a result, much of the advice in the book is shared in the form of readable anecdotes, which make the book easy to read and enjoyable for baseball aficionados as well -- where else are you going to learn about Harry Heillman's philosophy of hitting?
One of the primary keys to Teddy Ballgame's success was his swing. The best "old-time" hitters (and Williams was certainly one of them) had a nearly a flat swing plane, flat wrist-roll and a low, rather than high finish. Most of today's hitters' display an upper cutting arc and high finish to their swings. Yet, in the "dead ball" the old-timers managed to wrack up nearly as many homeruns but had much higher batting averages and strike-out to hit ratios. This ended up being the clincher for me. I noticed immediately that my son had started trying to uppercut the ball so he could hit more homeruns (after hitting his one in his first at-bat of the season).
We started working on having him hit line drives and sure enough he raised his average from .175 to .403 by the end of the season. Then this season he kept the swing we worked on and ended up hitting .390+, but also leading the league in home runs, finishing with 22 (including 6 in the post-season).
The other thing that Williams writes (which is often misinterpreted) is that he'd never swing at a pitch he hadn't seen before. Often time people will swear (incorrectly) that Williams never swung at a pitcher's first pitch. Williams was, if nothing else, a student of the game. He intently studied pitchers watching them warm up, watching them from the on-deck circle and mentally replaying previous at-bats in his head. When he stepped into the batters box he had a game plan and he had a good understanding of what a pitcher threw and when. My son used this part of Williams' game as well and it was fun to watch him "studying" the opposing pitchers.
Thank you Ted Williams! My son, whose name is Theodore William by the way, earned the nickname "Teddy Ballgame" from his coaches and teammates as well.
Williams text in The Science of Hitting is accompanied by the wonderful pen and ink illustrations of Robert E. Cupp. These drawings and other explanatory photographs to help illustrate the points Williams is trying to make and really enhance the book.
If you are a player, coach or just a parent wanting to help your son or daughter improve their game, this book is a must have!
A Classic! June 22, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book, along with "The Art of Hitting .300" by Charlie Lau, simply belongs on every ballplayer and coaches bookshelve. This book is rather simple in format, yet loaded with subtle tips and techniques.
Are there books that may be better? Absolutley.
However, these two books are the foundation on which all others are built.
If you dont own it, buy it!
OLD HEAVY HITTER February 8, 2008
I WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE READ THIS WHEN I WAS LOANED A COPY FROM HIGH SCHOOL COACH - UNFORUNATELY I NEVER GAVE IT BACK, UNTIL NOW - BUT I DID SHARE IT WITH MY COUSINS AND THEN SONS AND DAUGHTERS - AND NEPHEWS - ALL TO FANTASTIC RESULTS...THIS IS THE HITTERS GUIDE BY THE GREATEST HITTER OF ALL TIME...THANK YOU TED WILLIAMS - AGAIN AND AGAIN...
Ted Williams is the man December 2, 2007
Nice read, talks about a ton of ideas for hitting better, have used some of them, and have noticed improved power to the opposite field.
Ted Williams was the second best player of all time, anytime he speaks or writes about baseball, it's in your best interest to soak up the info.
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