You Can Teach Hitting [Paperback]

Dusty Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 1992

"Dusty Baker was a natural hitter and is a good communicator. I highly recommend this book as a teaching aid for players of all age groups." -- Hank Aaron You Can Teach Hitting is more than a set of instructions and guidelines for swinging a bat. It's a book written for baseball teachers--coaches, parents, even peers--who want to teach hitting better. And for hitters--youngsters and professionals--who want to learn to hit better. You Can Teach Hitting takes you from selecting your bat to selecting your pitch. From the science of the swing to the art of situational hitting. And it shows, step by step, how you can teach--or achieve--the "Three C's" of hitting--confidence, concentration, consistency--while avoiding the ten most common mistakes. And because baseball is a team sport, this book also provides hitting drills, specific approaches to hitter development by age, and tips on organizing more effective team practices. You Can Teach Hitting will help everyone get more out of their game. From beginning coaches to veterans. From teeballers to advanced hitters. It's pure baseball. A book that's bound to make the game more fun for young hitters--and more challenging for young pitchers. Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, an outstanding hitter through fifteen major league seasons, is the former batting coach and current manager for the San Francisco Giants, where he's helped develop hitters the likes of Will Clark, Matt Williams, Robby Thompson, and Kevin Mitchell. Jeff Mercer, a highly regarded hitting instructor and former assistant coach at Indiana University, brings a knowledge and experience of the game that will improve you as a coach or a hitter. Marv Bittinger, teacher and author of better than 100 mathematics textbooks selling over six million copies, contributes his proven writing talents and an unrestrained love of the game to this unique collaboration.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

An old baseball adage claims that pitching is 90 percent of the game. However, this treatise on hitting, a virtual clinic for any player, gives the reader plenty of help on the remaining ten percent! An ex-major league player and present batting coach for the San Francisco Giants teams with a former college coach and a math professor to produce this systematic approach to hitting for players, parents, and coaches alike. In order to provide organized instructional practices that are fun, the authors offer tips and drills for players of all ages. Parents, coaches, little leaguers, and advanced athletes will find technical information presented in an attractive and easy-to-read format. For most public libraries.
- Albert Spencer, Coll. of Education, Univ. of Nevada-Las Vegas
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"... destined to be the next classic on baseball hitting. Run-don't walk to get yours! " -- -Larry Kahn, KMPC Sports Radio, LA

"I highly recommend [Dusty Baker's] book as a teaching aid for players of all age groups." -- Hank Aaron, Hall of Fame

"I loved the book and videos. This is the most outstanding series on hitting that I have ever seen! -- Steve Franks, Baseball Coach, Marist School, Atlanta Georgia

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (January 11, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940279738
• ISBN-13: 978-0940279735
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Need This Book, July 6, 2000

By 

dlcochrane (Saint Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Can Teach Hitting (Paperback)

My boys needed some help with their hitting, and I decided I would try to help them. Since it was almost 30 years since I played baseball (and I really wasn't very good), I decided I needed some help. I bought a number of baseball instruction books, including You Can Teach Hitting. What a magnificent book!

Baker breaks the swing into components, clearly describes the reason for each part of the swing, and provides appropriate drills for T-ballers through the pros.

The benefits of the book can be immediate. After reading the first couple chapters, I found out I had been taught to grip the bat incorrectly, and, not surprisingly, I passed the misinformation on to my boys. After one or two swings with the proper grip, each of my boys had clearly improved their bat speed. Given that success, they were will to try other changes, and in just one week, they became noticeably better hitters.

This book is clearly written, interesting, and all key points are fully illustrated. I am glad that I can now help my boys with hitting, being confident that I am teaching them properly, and not just passing on mistakes I learned when I played ball.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best in Category, January 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: You Can Teach Hitting (Paperback)

I have coached for 5 years and read books by Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn. I found this book to be the most complete guide to a good swing than the rest. Ted was a dead pull hitter and Tony was an opposite field hitter. Their styles are hard to duplicate. Dusty Baker brings it all to life in this book in a way that every Dad can understand . If you think your kids coach is going to know how to coach hitting think again. It's worth the money to see the extra hits!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for little league coaches who teach hitting., June 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Can Teach Hitting (Paperback)

This book is the best I've seen for developing proper fundementals for hitters at an early age. The drills depending on age group will give a coach a working program to follow. Repetition of proper fundementals is critical knowledge for any coach. The book has been endorsed by many proven hitters. It is a great reference book also for problem solving drills depending on the swing flaw. Thanks Dusty, even though I grew up as an AL fan watching G.Brett in KC.

PS. Pitching - see Dick Mills