Customer Reviews

Mike Epstein on Hitting

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Epstein's book is a wonderful review of "rotational" hitting mechanics. The early chapters focus on mechanics while the later chapters address more specific hitting problems. According to Epstein, hitting well (for power and average), like the great hitters, ie Mays, Aaron, Williams, etc. centers on three critical aspects: 1) hips lead the hands 2) matching the plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch, and 3) hands staying "inside the ball." While the book goes far in describing these factors, it does not cover specific drills or techniques to teach these methods. For these drills you need to purchase Epsteins instructional tapes. (See his website or check ebay...I think they're worth the dough.) Many of Epsteins thoughts will contradict oft repeated instructions given by amatuer (youth) coaches. Epstein, like Williams, recommends things like swinging upward (not level), NOT extending your hands over the plate but rather in front of it, and keeping your weight back, over the back leg, for example. Yet when you carefully watch MLB players in film and photos, you'll recognize these techniques in today's great hitters. This book will help you understand these rotational techniques and their value in generating greater batspeed for more power. I would have rated the book a five star, but it does contain some repetitous material as it seems that the chapters are a collection of Epstein "articles" and thus can become redundant. That notwithstanding, I'd otherwise highly recommend this book for those interested in understanding hitting mechanics. I'd especially recommend it for softball players...the sport is replete with poor hitting instruction. Finally, I would recommend you also read (memorize) Ted William's classic, "THE SCIENCE OF HITTING" for it also contains a wealth of information on good hitting mechanics. (I had one major league scout of 40yrs tell me that "Ted's book is all you need; throw the rest away!") Good Luck!

In terms of mechanics and teaching what actually happens in a swing, no one is better than Coach Epstein.

I am the softball hitting coach at a University in Chicago and also do private fastpitch hitting lessons. I applied many of Mike's ideas with my own philosophies and we've had great immediate success. Linear hitters who couldn't understand why they were driving the ball into the dirt feel rejuvenated as they elevate balls into the gaps...and beyond.

I'll use this book to refresh and re-energize my philosophies every year, along with Ted Williams' "The Science of Hitting".

I only have these small critiques: 1.) The book is not well edited; there are some typos and the over-use of quotation marks is exhausting. 2.) Mike doesn't share much in the way of drill work, repeatedly hinting that you'll need to buy his tapes (the prices of which are jacked up).

Like the title says, this book is just a collection of Mike's articles "On Hitting"; a rotational philosophy rooted in the mechanics of the best in the business by one of the best instructors in the business.

Whether you're in the market for drill books or not, buy this book. No drill you do will have substance without this rotational foundation.

The book has good advice, but it's just a collection of Mike's short articles. I would recommend Mike's DVD "Do We Teach What We See". His Rotational Hitting Mechanics are on the money - the best I've seen. He breaks it down into simple motions to understand and teach. Start with the DVD then buy the book, then the articles in the book make more sense. Ted William's book "The Science of Hitting" is of value too if you want to understand Rotational Hitting Mechanics - but doesn't go into detail how to teach it - Mike's stuff does! "Beginners thru Little League - Explosive Rotational Hitting", shows some fun drills to help teach Rotational Mechanics, but Mike Epstein's stuff is where to start...use the "Explosive" DVD to help drill Mike's techniques.

Gave this to my husband, a hs baseball coach, for Christmas. He was telling me tonight that he really liked it. From what I gathered from what he was telling me, it took problems that you were having in hitting and told you what to do about it in order to correct it. He really seemed to enjoy it, and we own tons of baseball books. Two thumbs up!

Mike Epstein knows what he is talking about! The book is very informative and backs up the theory of rotational hitting. I like the troubleshooting section but the early parts of the book could use some illustrations. My younger guys have a tough time without a pic. The book is more written towards instructors.

The method is what every power hitter in the Majors uses in one way or another.

Its really Ted Williams method. But Mike has laid it out specifically on how to do it.

His CD "Hit Your Potential in just 7 Days" has technical problems. Does not work with all operating systems. Beware. Factory is no help at all. Apparently Mike doesn't run the business but his son....

Mike Epstein is the authority on rotational hitting instruction. If you believe in this approach, you need this book. Save money on hitting instruction and use this book to teach you or your son the right way to hitting with power. This ain't your daddy's way of hitting...it's much better.

I have been involved in baseball instruction and coaching for 15 years now and I have studied every hitting technique out there. Mike Epstein is BY FAR the best. He takes an old hitting technique and shows you how to teach it VERY EASILY !!! This book is a collection of articles that Mike Epstein has written that are factual and logical. This book is an invaluable tool for your you or your son / daughter.

I suspect the author knows about hitting but just can't write. He randomly and liberally quotes, italicizes, and capitalizes. He organizes poorly, explains badly, postures incessantly, and tries to sell us his other products excessively.

This book has all the subtlety of an Amway pitch. Give it a miss and try The Louisville Slugger® Complete Book of Hitting Faults and Fixes : How to Detect and Correct the 50 Most Common Mistakes at the Plate instead.