Rating: 
Summary: One of the best foundation hitting books available.
Review: Having read over a dozen books on hitting instruction, this is still one of my favorites. I still refer back to it. The information is sound and well presented. It is most useful for the beginner-to-medium skills hitter.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best foundation hitting books available.
Review: Having read over a dozen books on hitting instruction, this is still one of my favorites. I still refer back to it. The information is sound and well presented. It is most useful for the beginner-to-medium skills hitter.
Rating:
Summary: Best in Category
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: WITHOUT OUT A DOUBT THE BOOK THAT PUTS HITTING TOGETHER
Review: I'VE READ IT, I'VE PRACTICED IT, I'VE TAUGHT IT TO MY PLAYERS, IT'S A REALLY GREAT BOOK TO READ AND REFER BACK TO. EXCELLENT.
Rating:
Summary: Good stuff!
Review: It works very well. Our 9-10 girls just finished in 2nd in the state LL tournament. I was the batting coach and our girls carried a team average of .362 against state-level pitching! I have a shelf full of books and tapes. If I had to pick a keeper, this would be it. The first tape is excellent, too.The pidgeon-toe stance and the inward turn (we call it "tuck") will improve bat speed, power, and balance.
Rating:
Summary: Good stuff!
Review: It works very well. Our 9-10 girls just finished in 2nd in the state LL tournament. I was the batting coach and our girls carried a team average of .362 against state-level pitching! I have a shelf full of books and tapes. If I had to pick a keeper, this would be it. The first tape is excellent, too. The pidgeon-toe stance and the inward turn (we call it "tuck") will improve bat speed, power, and balance.
Rating:
Summary: You Need This Book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The science of hitting made understandable
Review: My son is really starting to get into baseball, so I wanted to make sure I knew enough about hitting to get him started in the right direction. Dusty Baker's book is teriffic because it breaks down the swing into several components. My boy is only 5, so it would be counter-productive to try and cram every component down his throat. Instead of doing that, I was able to keep him focused on one thing at a time - basically, building his swing from scratch. Important basics like "head down, eyes on the ball," and generating power with your lower body are explained well, and given drills or mnemonic devices to help retention, etc. After working with him for one month, using Dusty Baker's book as my guide, my son had a noticeably better swing, and (amazingly for a 5-year old) better focus at the plate. He was always good at making contact, but this book helped put his swing together and give him better power without sacrificing his ability to get the bat on the ball. Whether you know a lot about hitting, or you were a novice like me, this book really does live up to its title. Even my wife has picked up on the components of a swing, and can remind my son of something when he's playing around and I'm not there. There are other books that get more philosophical and go deeper (like Charlie Lau, Sr.'s), but for a FIRST book, that helps you teach, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: The science of hitting made understandable
Review: My son is really starting to get into baseball, so I wanted to make sure I knew enough about hitting to get him started in the right direction. Dusty Baker's book is teriffic because it breaks down the swing into several components. My boy is only 5, so it would be counter-productive to try and cram every component down his throat. Instead of doing that, I was able to keep him focused on one thing at a time - basically, building his swing from scratch. Important basics like "head down, eyes on the ball," and generating power with your lower body are explained well, and given drills or mnemonic devices to help retention, etc. After working with him for one month, using Dusty Baker's book as my guide, my son had a noticeably better swing, and (amazingly for a 5-year old) better focus at the plate. He was always good at making contact, but this book helped put his swing together and give him better power without sacrificing his ability to get the bat on the ball. Whether you know a lot about hitting, or you were a novice like me, this book really does live up to its title. Even my wife has picked up on the components of a swing, and can remind my son of something when he's playing around and I'm not there. There are other books that get more philosophical and go deeper (like Charlie Lau, Sr.'s), but for a FIRST book, that helps you teach, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: leaps and bounds
Review: The drills in this book help numerous kids on my team. Coaching 16-18 year olds, using the drills in this book created a solid hitting team. The kids made more contact, compacted their swings and got quicker hands. Aces to Dusty Baker!!
| 
