Science of Hitting
by Ted Williams, John Underwood
Paperback from Touchstone
Media Published: 1986-
ISBN: 0671621033
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.
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.
Ball Four
by Jim Bouton
Paperback from Wiley
ISBN: 0020306652
Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton.
When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Today, Jim Bouton is still not invited to Oldtimer's Days at Yankee Stadium. But his landmark book is still being read by people who don'tordinarily follow baseball.As a player, former hurler Jim Bouton did nothing half-way; he threw so hard he'd lose his cap on almost every pitch. In the early '70s, he tossed off one of the funniest, most revealing, insider's takes on baseball life in Ball Four, his diary of the season he tried to pitch his way back from oblivion on the strength of a knuckler. The real curve, though, is Bouton's honesty. He carves humans out of heroes, and shines a light into the game's corners. A quarter century later, Bouton's unique baseball voice can still bring the heat.
The Mental Keys to Hitting: A Handbook of Strategies for Performance Enhancement
by H. A. Dorfman
Paperback from Taylor Trade Publishing
ISBN: 1888698381
Here is the third book in the classic series by H.A. Dorfman, this one outlining the mental discipline and practices needed to be a better hitter.
Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life
by Michael Lewis
Paperback from W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 039333113X
"[Lewis] has such a gift for storytelling."--New York Times
There was a turning point in Michael Lewis's life, in a baseball game when he was fourteen years old. The irascible and often terrifying Coach Fitz put the ball in his hand with the game on the line and managed to convey such confident trust in Lewis's ability that the boy had no choice but to live up to it. "I didn't have words for it then, but I do now: I am about to show the world, and myself, what I can do."
The coach's message was not simply about winning, but about self-respect, sacrifice, courage, and endurance. In some ways, and even now, thirty years later, Lewis still finds himself trying to measure up to what Coach Fitz expected of him.
Blackboard Strategies: Over 200 Favorite Plays From Successful Coaches For Nearly Every Possible Situation (Winning hoops)
Paperback from Lessiter Pubns
ISBN: 0944079318
This compilation of "Blackboard Strategies" from 13 years of our popular Winning Hoops issues offers just what it says: over 200 tried-and-true offensive plays used by 120 basketball coaches at all levels of play. Coaches found these strategies so useful they had to write us about them, so you're bound to love them too.
The Baseball Drill Book (The Drill Book Series)
by American Baseball Coaches Association
Paperback from Human Kinetics
ISBN: 0736050833
Seventeen of the game's top collegiate coaches have teamed up with the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) to bring you the game's most comprehensive assortment of practice activities.
The Baseball Drill Book features 198 drills proven to improve individual and team performance. Former Fresno State coach Bob Bennett, Ripon College's Gordie Gillespie, Lewis-Clark State's Ed Cheff, Wichita State's Gene Stephenson, and South Carolina's Ray Tanner are among the greats who present their best practice drills and insights for improving these skills:
-Conditioning and warm-up
-Throwing and catching
-Base running and sliding
-Hitting and bunting
-Pitching
-Fielding
-Offensive and defensive tactics
Each drill follows a concise format. First, the primary skill or tactic to be enhanced is identified, then procedure and setup details are provided. Illustrations for proper technique are also included, followed by coaching insight to help you sharpen players' understanding of the game's finer points. Glean tactical advice such as how to get a teammate home from third when a key run is needed and how to "sit on" certain pitches while at the plate. Drill modifications are included so that each drill can be modified to fit specific needs.Additional chapters explain how to effectively and efficiently incorporate drills in practice sessions and to simulate game situations. In all, The Baseball Drill Book provides the essential link between initial skill learning and winning performance on the diamond.
Life Is Yours to Win: Lessons Forged from the Purpose, Passion, and Magic of Baseball
by Augie Garrido
Hardcover from Touchstone
Media Published: 2011-
ISBN: 1439186936
PRACTICE PERFECT,PLAY FOR FUNAugust "Augie" Garrido has led his baseball teams to more victories than any coach in any sport in NCAA Division I history. He is also the winner of more National Coach of the Year awards than any other college coach. Garrido's former teams at Cal State Fullerton and, more recently, at the University of Texas together have compiled a total of five College World Series championships under his leadership.
But despite his unmatched record as a winner, Coach Garrido is not a win-at-all-costs coach. He teaches his players to focus on developing character, being good teammates, mastering all facets of the game, and playing with joy in the moment rather than focusing on the scoreboard.
Augie teaches that the challenges faced in the batter's box or on the pitcher's mound are universal--and that the lessons learned on the diamond are applicable off the field, too. Life Is Yours to Win follows the coach's journey of self-discovery and his evolution from being driven by fear to being motivated by passion. His unique and compelling book offers this revered leader's philosophy on life and his thoughtful approach to helping young men understand both who they are and how they can be successful in their work, their relationships, and their communities.
Every individual will find advice worth following including:
·BE A PLAYER, NOT A PROSPECT--If you want to be considered a star in your field, whatever that may be, you need to be fully engaged. Augie once had his Labrador retriever demonstrate the joy of play to a team that needed a reminder of why they loved baseball as children.
·STEP UP, SUPERMAN--Augie stages a costumed Superhero Scrimmage each Halloween to remind his players that their inner superhero is just waiting for the perfect moment when preparation meets opportunity, potential is fulfilled, and destiny is realized.
·THE FEARLESS FIELD--To be successful in the often cruel game of baseball, players must master fear and other emotions so they are energized rather than paralyzed. Augie once rented a hearse and placed a casket on the pitcher's mound to help a slumping Cal State Fullerton team bury their fears and put losses behind them.
·BUDDHA AT BAT--Bunting and other "small ball" skills are not as glorified as home runs and big plays, but Coach Garrido's teams are known for putting players in scoring position and winning games by following a Zen-like philosophy of claiming small victories during each at bat, in each inning that add up to winning records. Augie's coaching methods are unconventional, but his creativity and wry humor provide masterful life lessons. His insights will help you both on and off the field by providing fresh approaches to conquering fears, living with joy and passion in each moment, establishing personal principles, and appreciating the value of both losing and winning. This is a book by a beloved college coach but it is packed with Major League insights and anecdotes featuring many of baseball's greatest players and most inspiring spirits. Life Is Yours to Win will appeal to anyone who appreciates the wisdom of a proven winner in sports and in life.
Youth Baseball Drills
by Marty Schupak
Paperback from Human Kinetics
ISBN: 0736056327
Use Youth Baseball Drills to develop players' understanding, skills, and love for the game. The activities presented will help you make each practice more educational and fun.
This handy coaching tool contains a variety of both tried-and-true and innovative drills that build on and reinforce your technique and tactic instruction of 7- to 12-year-olds. Drills are easily located by topic in the seven chapters, and they progress in difficulty so that you can choose the most appropriate ones for your players' abilities in each facet of the game. And, because attention spans are short at those ages, each drill is designed to maximize the number of players involved on the field.
Helpful tips throughout the book make on-field practice, organization, and time management much easier. Youth Baseball Drills is your guide to fun, productive practices so that your players get the best possible experience playing the sport.
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