The Science of Hitting

by Ted Williams, John Underwood

“Baseball’s last .400 hitter share[s] his secrets in this primer still used at all levels of the game.” —Paul Dickson, author of Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick

Now fully revised with new illustrations and diagrams, the classic—and still the greatest—book on hitting from the last baseball player to break the magic .400 barrier, Ted Williams.

Ted Williams was arguably the greatest pure hitter who ever lived. A lifelong student of hitting, he sought advice from every great hitter—and pitcher—he met. Drawing on that advice, as well as his own legendary life in baseball, Williams produced the all-time batting classic, The Science of Hitting. Using its detailed illustrations, anecdotes, and concise coaching, players of all skill levels will learn how to improve their fundamentals and gain keen insights into the finer points of hitting, including:

-How to Think Like a Pitcher and Guess the Pitch
-The Three Cardinal Rules for Developing a Smooth Line-Driving Swing
-The Secrets of Hip and Wrist Action
-Pitch Selection
-Bunting
-Hitting the Opposite Way

The Science of Hitting is a must-read for all baseball players looking to improve their turn at bat and for all coaches and parents teaching the sport.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Science, Business, Psychology

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A good friend of mine used to say, "This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains." Think about that for a while.’ Ebby Calvin LaLoosh in the movie, Bull Durham (after hearing it from ‘Crash’ Davis)

For all the changes in the sport world, baseball has changed the least. That’s part of the joy in discovering this gem of a book. What’s the difference between an antique car and a classic? The antique sits in the garage until you take it to an auto show while the classic is ready whenever you want to take a drive.

The Science of Hitting is a classic. Reading it, I discovered that much of what Williams wrote almost fifty years ago is still being repeated by batting coaches, managers and the players, themselves. Examples: using a light bat; doing your homework on pitchers; leading your swing with your hips.

Even if you are not going to the batting cage, or trying to make the team, there is plenty in the book that is pleasing. Read it and you will become a better observer of the game. Read it and you will learn a lot about the best batters that Ted Williams saw during his many decades in the sport.

[Joe Boeke · Rating 5 out of 5]

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, William’s 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 24 (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!

[Rory McCreight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hit the biggest home run of my life after reading half of this book

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 4 out of 5]

What you need to know about this slim book is that it is a byproduct of the life story Underwood set out to write with Williams. In an early conversation, Williams insisted there be an entire section devoted to what he had learned about hitting. One reason why he remains one of the best hitters who ever played baseball—along with his prodigious natural skills and his inner demons—is that hitting was to him more important than anything else in life. Even during the off-season, there was always a bat within reach. He seems to have thought of hitting night and day.
As so often, one of the elements of his excellence was attention to detail. The first photo of him in the book shows him standing next to a player he is coaching. The first thing I noticed was that I could see the label on the barrel of the bat he’s holding. A no-no, I thought. I was taught to have the label facing up as I swung, for it was placed to show how the grains of the wood ran, thus minimizing the likelihood of bat breakage. That part was right, but it worked equally well if the label faced down, and that’s how Williams held it, so there would be one less distraction to his eye.
Williams is appropriately aware that he might come across sounding like yet another old fart griping about how much better the game was in his day. In fact, the book surprised me by not being overly dogmatic. He concentrates on the mental part of an at-bat. I had heard he was big on taking the first pitch, but that only applied to his first time up in a game; in that at-bat, he wanted to see as many pitches as he could from a pitcher to compare it with what he remembered (and he did remember) from previous times facing him. Does his fastball have extra zip today? Is he having trouble getting his curve over?
He is surprisingly flexible on some of the physical aspects, such as stance. Young players should experiment, find a stance they are comfortable with. He also encourages batters to recognize what type of player he or she is and work within that. He is dogmatic on one point: weight shift alone won’t generate power, it must be combined with hip rotation.
Most memorable is his analysis of the strike zone and stressing the importance of choosing your pitch. The book has a chart with 77 baseballs filling his strike zone. Written on each is his batting average on a pitch located there. I had seen the chart before and was happy to learn while reading the book that these are not meant to apply to everyone. This was his analysis of his strike zone. Each batter has to analyze his or her own.
For all the helpfulness of the advice and information this book contains, none of it takes away from one thing Williams is dogmatic about: hitting a baseball is the single most difficult skill in all of sport. That being the case, a batter needs all the help he or she can get; there’s a great deal to find here.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Science of Hitting by Ted Williams is a remarkable book. In one sense, the book is well before it's time. The graphics, layout, and data recorded in the book seem like they would have been derived from the 21st century, not the 20th. However, the simplicity of Williams' approach is a sure sign that the book hails from a different era. While Williams provides lots of advice on a myriad of topics such as the kinetic chain (he wouldn't call it that), bunting, and finding the right bat, two things stand out to me as things that should give hitters a sure advantage. First, Williams recommends being patient and finding a good ball to hit. Second, he recommends making contact with the ball on a slight upward plane in order to give the hitter more time in the zone.

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slim volume with analytics, anecdotes and analysis. Students of the game today are using computers to do what Ted did with just eyes and brain, though probably not as well. Way ahead of its time.

[Bart · Rating 5 out of 5]

What expertise reads like

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Upon reading this book, I really can understand why Warren Buffett recommends it: this is fundamentally a strategy book not just for baseball, but for all other sports - and life)

- Strategy of doing something is just as important (if not more so) than doing the thing itself. It’s important to constantly reflect on the strategy of how you’re doing something and not get distracted by other things (this is perhaps what Kobe Bryant meant by he think he was “taking candy away from children” when he played for the NBA: he noticed that a lot of his colleagues only played for paycheck, whereas he played to win. His vast time spent on the game itself meant that his colleagues have a tremendous amount of gap between theirs and Bryant’s soft as well as hard skill set)

- “Son, whatever you do, don’t let anybody change you… your style is your own.” Only focus on your strength. When your weakness occurs (in this case, a ball comes to you in an area that you are not good at), don’t change to adapt. Wait it out. Seek more balls to come.

- One important thing to note is Williams emphasizes the importance of “waiting for a good ball to hit”. As soon as ball leaves a pitcher’s hand, the ball’s movement becomes its own thing with no control over by the pitcher. Thus, it’s pointless to look at how pitcher would behave. Be patient to hit a ball that strikes your target. Having a FOMO mentality would mean that you won’t be seeing the best ball to hit you (since this book is so cherish by Warren Buffett: you won’t have the dry powder to pounce when the market condition for good investment comes to the market)

- Actively study the pitcher: if a pitcher gets you with a fast ball, for instance, the pitcher is likely (obviously depending on the person - a mind game) to try to do that to you again in the future. The author advocating for patient observation of your opponent, as well as active guessing of the likely pitch to be thrown at you (which I should note, human reaction - even the pros - can’t really see how a fast ball would arrive. Thus active prediction is the only way to play this game)

- Anticipation for the likely pitches prepares you before hand what could happen. If your anticipation is wrong, then just don’t swing. The author wrote:

But if you have developed discipline at the plate, and can wait for that good ball to hit, you have a right to think along with the pitcher, and you will surprise yourself how often you outguess him.

- Need not to bat right away - study how a pitcher pitches first (unless the pitch - the author noted only 5% for him - was too tempting not to hit). The author wrote (italic author’s):

You must learn to make that first time up a key time by striving to find out as much about a pitcher as possible, and you do that by making him pitch.

- Marco vs Micro environment: while the hitting itself ought to be mostly focused on the micro environment - how the pitch is thrown, the macro environment (the weather, the wind, even the lighting etc) ought to be something taken into consideration as well. Lacking of either could cause big trouble

- Kaizen should be constant

- Be prepared constantly, get psyched to be prepared. When the right ball comes - you’re ready

- (Talked about in sports psychology all the time): do not adjust your game just because you’re losing steam on the surface. There are various things beyond your control. Sometimes (often times) your losing of the has nothing to do with your ability. Stick with the best you could do because that’s the best you could do. A brilliant poker player dealt with a bad hand still will loses, but he ought not to change the way he plays

- On Knuckle balls: the beauty of the ball is the unconventionality of it. Because seldom do people practice it, the pitcher who mastered it has advantage over batters. Yet, on the other hand, because it’s so seldom used, the catcher will have enormous problem with it. (Thus the author wrote that even though Wilhelm is fantastic with a knuckle, he often gets batters onto the first base because the catcher can’t handle the ball)

- Consider every play as a fresh play. Only then you can be level headed handling the play

- It’s one thing to play the play, but it’s another thing - a more important thing - to study the play

- There are people who play the game for paychecks, there are people who play the game for the sake of playing the game (Kobe Bryant once remarked that playing in NBA, realizing most of the player there are only playing for money is like “taking candy away from a child”). The author remarked that:

The pitcher is lucky if he gets in four of these eighteen games, so he doesn't bother to study. Half the pitchers can’t tell you why the ball curves, why it’s important to grip it across the seams a certain way to improve the curve.

- (This book is truly author’s love letter to Hitting)

[Mark Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ted Williams' treatise on hitting is a classic for a reason: it's informative, engaging, and concise. This book is written for the serious baseball player, not the casual fan; it's a description of how Williams approached hitting, from pitch selection to angle of bat at impact.

For today's well-trained players, the book will contain little new information because Williams' insights have become so well-accepted. For example, the fact that the bat should be traveling upwards (not downwards) at impact, in order to be on-plane with the incoming pitch, is well-known. Using a shorter, quicker swing with two strikes is preached by every Little League coach. However, while many players "know" these things, they tend to forget them -- and would therefore benefit from rereading Williams' book.

The writing style is conversational and humorous -- in part because of Williams' blunt manners. He refers to pitchers as "hard-headed" and, of Ty Cobbs' advice about how to stride, says "This is wrong because it's impossible." At just 66 pages, it's a quick, easy, fun, and useful book.

[Pierce Glore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ted Williams was possibly the greatest hitter to ever play the game of baseball and when he writes a book about hitting, you pay attention.
Throughout the book he reflects on past experiences over his professional career and personal life. He shows the science and physics behind the art of hitting a baseball.
Ted said hitting a baseball was "The hardest thing to do in sport". He uses the knowledge of other greats to write this book. He really stays true to the fundamentals of the game and breaks down the science behind being a good hitter.
After reading this book, I changed a few small things on my swing and those changes have really improved my batting average.

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had read this years ago. And I wish they would re-issue it and back up Williams' theories with now available statistics to see if he was, indeed, correct. The writing is clear, the advice and philosophy makes sense, and while some of the schematic drawings are confusing (a YouTube video would be fantastic), the biggest points easy to adopt. Highly recommend this to anyone who wants to improve how they hit from the neck up. This is a book I look forward to purchasing and using as a reference for the foreseeable future.

[Godfrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I averaged .344 for a career. I had a higher percentage of game-winning home runs than Ruth, I was second only to Ruth in slugging and percentage combined; I was walked more frequently than Ruth and struck out less--once every eleven times up to Ruth's one in six. I had to be doing something right, and for my money the principal something was being selective."

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a classic, with many good nuggets for hitters. The writing was a bit all over the place, with some rambling anecdotes and lists of names of players most of us haven't heard of these days. Some of them are fun, others distracting. Could benefit from better organization and more concise writing. But, his tenets are now widely accepted and his tips are really useful.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitting a baseball - I've said it a thousand times - is the single most difficult thing to do in sport.

I never played baseball. My eight year old son, though, has been playing since he was four years old. Over those years I've done my best to accumulate baseball knowledge and help improve my son's skills. While watching an Ultimate Baseball Training video on YouTube, Coach Justin mentioned this book, The Science of Hitting. I was tangentially familiar with Ted Williams and his fame for hitting prowess. So I picked up this slim volume to see what I could glean from it.

Most of the physical advice in this book was already stuff we had been taught. Coach Justin from Ultimate Baseball Training must obviously be a student of Ted Williams' school of thought. My son's summer league coaches also focused on many of the same components to the baseball swing. Not rolling the wrists, turning the hips. stepping straight toward the pitcher, all of this was already in our training repertoire.

That doesn't mean this book is out of date. To the contrary, it speaks to how timeless the advice doled out by Ted Williams is.

the continuing frustration of knowing that even if you are a .300 hitter you are going to fail at your job seven out of ten times

There's also plenty of space devoted to the mental aspect of hitting. As Williams reminds the reader multiple times, half of hitting is above the shoulders. These discussions were doubly interesting to me since my son wants to be a pitcher. Hearing the hitter's philosophy of interacting with pitchers sheds light on both sides of the equation. Even if Williams is a little dismissive of the work pitchers put into their game.

Knowing how to recognize each pitch, having the patience to wait for a ball you can hit, analyzing your own style and strike zone. All of these are mental aspects that are hard to instill in any player, especially younger ones. I'm proud my young son already recognizes that truism about failing to hit more often than not, so he doesn't get upset and pout about a strikeout.

The entire book is peppered with old timer rambling about old players from the past. It's amazing how many details athletes retain from their careers. Much like the wrestling memoirs I've read, Williams can recall minutiae about a multitude of pitchers, hitters, and plays. You really feel like he is sitting on his porch or standing on a ball field just talking with you.

As a non-player of baseball, I'm sure I didn't get nearly as much out of this book as a player would. This should probably be required reading for all baseball players.

[Tony WANG · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to the Merriam dictionary, a home-run is defined as "a hit in baseball that enables the batter to make a complete circuit of the bases and score a run; an impressive success hit". Similarly, in trading, a home-run can be interrupted as an investment/trade that produced a significantly large return in a specific period of time.

In this book, renowned baseball player Ted William and arguably one of the greatest of all time in the game in terms of batting average and number of home-runs, revealed his secrets of success and formula. Williams was one of the pioneer by having a highly analytical approach in his swings, postures and psychology. He also advocates practice for self-mastery and constantly adjusting his techniques in order to achieve mastery.

Warren Buffet famously referenced Williams' technique and tactics for his swings/strike zones in multiple occasions. The point is to have an edge and be advantageous and have the odds in our favour just like how Buffet is incredibly selective at his investment decisions. Buffet is a huge proponent in quality over quantity.

Some quotes that is worthy of a revisiting for me:

"… most hitting faults came from a lack of knowledge, uncertainty and fear—and that boils down to knowing yourself. You, the hitter, are the greatest variable in this game, because to know yourself takes dedication."

"… it wasn’t just his physical ability, it was his devotion to practice, his concentration, his observation. And in order to excel a hitter has to have those things."

"I couldn’t “see” the bat hit the ball, another thing they wrote, but I knew by the feel of it. A good carpenter doesn’t have to see the head of the hammer strike the nail but he still hits it square every time. "

"I think that every player should have goals, goals to keep his interest up over the long haul, goals that are realistic and that reflect improvement. Goals keep you on your toes, make you bear down, give you objectives at those times when you might otherwise be inclined to just go through the motions."

Whilst having almost zero knowledge about baseball prior to reading this book, the technical aspects of this book is rather ineffectual for me. But some of the psychological aspect of achieving success in this sport certainly resonates in other fields like finance where human emotions and the mental game certainly played an equally huge role. 3.5/5 rounding down.

[Harry Harman]

seven out of ten times

You don’t have to have good eyesight to play golf. Tommy Armour was a terrific golfer, and he had no sight in one eye.

HITTING A baseball—I’ve said this a thousand times, too—is 50 per cent from the neck up

the strike zone

Giving the pitcher an extra two inches around the strike zone increases the area of the strike zone 35 per cent.

“PROPER THINKING” is 50 per cent of effective hitting. A simple example: If a pitcher is throwing fast balls and curves and only the fast balls are in the strike zone, you would be silly to look for a curve, wouldn’t you? “Ted, I always wanted to ask you. Did you guess at the plate?”

My average went up steadily thereafter because in those formative years

looking for in the ninth inning

the batter has about 2/5ths of a second to make up his mind

It is only 60.5 feet from pitcher to batter. If the pitcher throws the ball 90 miles per hour, it takes less than 0.40 second for the ball to reach the batter

The first rule of thumb is:
Don’t hit anything you haven’t seen.

This will give the hitter with problems another big advantage: more time. You are always fighting for more time.

I know that it’s important for a pitcher to perfect his curve ball. In only very rare cases will he get by on a fast ball alone, no matter how good it is.

[Chris Witt · Rating 4 out of 5]

There might not be too many books of this type that would be considered a "classic", but this one fits the bill.

As a recent member of an "old man baseball" league, I'm looking for any edge I can get. I've been startled at how often this book comes up as a go-to for hitters, even among current/young pro ballplayers.

Surely no amount of reading alone is going to make you a better hitter. You definitely need to get your reps in at the plate and see a variety of different pitchers on the mound. However, what this book will still do for you all these years later is help you with your approach at the plate.

In that way, I'd consider it a great companion for Harvey Dorfman's landmark book, "The Mental Game of Baseball: A Guide to Peak Performance".

Yes, there is some fluff in here. The inclusion of Ted Williams' lifetime statistics, for example, is not necessary in an era where everybody has access to an electronic copy of The Baseball Encyclopedia in their pockets. And pages discussing Ted's favorite hitters of all-time or, even worse, his thoughts about the Washington Senators before and after his arrival as manager.

Still, it's a quick read that is definitely worth re-visiting throughout the course of a season.

[Michael Toleno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been a great (baseball or softball) hitter—not even a very good hitter. In my best days, I was competent, but never consistent. Even though my dad was a consistent hitter, far better than I ever was, he didn't teach me proper swing mechanics, even though he must have had great mechanics himself. Would that I had come across this book many years earlier! This book explained basic aspects of swing mechanics that I had never known. I put this on my "Re-read or review from time to time" list long ago, but I never did re-read it, probably because I only played softball for a few seasons since I initially read the book. Still, I should have at least reviewed it when I did play.

I read that the late, great Tony Gwynn talked about hitting with Ted Williams fairly late in Gwynn's career, and in that conversation (or series of conversations), Williams told Gwynn that he should pull inside pitches more and that that would enable him to hit for more power. (Tony Gwynn tended, with great success, to hit "inside outers," sending inside pitches to the opposite field with a slicing golf swing.) Gwynn did change his hitting based on Williams's advice and did improve hitting inside pitches with power. Imagine if he had had Williams's dedicated coaching from early in his career! How many .400 seasons could Gwynn have had, and how many home runs?

Four stars only because it's a short "how-to" book.

[Leslie Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Science of Hitting" by Ted Williams is a classic book on baseball hitting techniques. Here's a summary:

## Key Concepts
1. *Hitting Mechanics*
2. *Pitch Selection*
3. *Mental Preparation*
4. *Practice and Training*

## Key Takeaways
1. *Focus on the fundamentals*: Williams stresses the importance of mastering the basics of hitting, including proper mechanics and pitch selection.
2. *Develop a keen eye*: He emphasizes the need to develop a keen eye for the ball, recognizing different types of pitches and reacting accordingly.
3. *Mental toughness is key*: Williams highlights the importance of mental preparation and toughness in achieving success as a hitter.

## Target Audience
"The Science of Hitting" is relevant to:

1. *Baseball players*: The book provides valuable insights and techniques for players looking to improve their hitting skills.
2. *Coaches and instructors*: Coaches and instructors can benefit from Williams' expertise and teaching methods.
3. *Baseball enthusiasts*: Fans of baseball can gain a deeper understanding of the game and appreciate the art of hitting.

[ReadingMama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ted Williams, one of the greatest baseball hitters ever lived, holds nothing back in this book. He, of course, talks about baseball, but the application goes to financial or general decision making as well. In the end, understanding the strike zone, you have to WAIT for pitches in the zone that you can handle, meaning that you have to be PATIENT to make the best decision.

Per Ted Williams “I think that every player should have goals, goals to keep his interest up over the long haul, goals that are realistic and that reflect improvement. For me, if I couldn’t hit 35 home runs, I was unhappy. If I couldn’t drive in 100 runs, if I couldn’t hit at least .330, I was unhappy. Goals keep you on your toes, make you bear down, give you objectives at those times when you might otherwise be inclined to just go through the motions. You certainly cannot go through the motions and be a great hitter. Not even a good hitter. It’s the most difficult thing to do in sport.”

[Tim Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the greatest hitters in baseball history writes on his philosophy of hitting and his work ethic. Williams was known to practice hitting until the callous' on his hands were bleeding.

He believed in having a slightly upwards swing since the pitcher was working from a mound about a foot higher than the ground. The idea was the slightly upwards swing would more squarely meet the slightly downwards path of the pitch from the mound.

Reading this as a junior high aged summer league baseball player, I absorbed what greatness in a sport entailed and essentially any profession also. William's relatively extreme hard work, mental toughness and dedication & enbolden spirit made him one of the best all time.

Now most appreicative of his Hall of Fame speech in which he said he would love to see baseball players who played in the Negro Leagues without a shot to play in Major League Baseball get voted in one day. Five years later that happened.

[Arash Jamwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little book :)
Recommended by a friend who has now settled in U.S.
The book is written by a player and coach who have played (and lived) baseball throughout his life.
It contains real-game anecdotes with deep meaning.
Some are listed below:
Know yourself.
Light on toes and in mind too.
Practice, practice and practice some more.
Choose your own style.
Learn via Hit and Trial and Error.
Be Quick!
Know the Pattern.
Solid Advice a). To get a good ball to hit. b). Don't let anyone change you.
Don't be a cry-baby!
Anticipate and be Natural.
Change is only constant.

Moral of the book: Happy Zone(Find it and stick to it)

[Fred Fontz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting study on the art of hitting. Obviously, the statistics included are no longer accurate, but the meat of this book is just as relevant today as it was when Williams write it.

Williams makes the idea of hitting seem so easy and most of this book reads like a conversation with an old friend.

Nothing in this book will blow you away, but it all makes sense and should make you a better hitter.

There are also a few interesting tidbits in there that may surprise you. 1. I was surprised to see is that Williams used multiple bats.

[Matthew Gagnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't care how old this book is, or how obsessed the game of baseball gets with new analytical fads like "launch angle" -- there is still, to me, no better book on hitting than this one by Ted Williams.

The only downside to this book is that many of the references are dated. He quotes statistical performance of certain hitters who played decades ago, because, of course, this was written decades ago.

But when it comes to the actual content? Brilliant.

I'm a baseball coach, and I've been giving this book to all my 12 year old Little League players who are aging out every year for the last several years. It is easy enough for a kid to understand, but also is complex enough to be helpful for those in high school, college, and the pros.

Full of diagrams and images that show certain angles and paths of a baseball swing, Williams does an excellent job explaining, from start to finish, what a good swing looks like, and more importantly *why* a certain kind of swing works best.

You can't go wrong with this one. Love it.

[Mike Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never much of a hitter. My heart was always in pitching, so I devoured Nolan Ryan's Pitching Bible when I was a kid, following his regimen, doing the same workouts day after day.

My playing days are loooooonnnnnggggg gone, but I'm glad I finally got a chance to check this book out. Williams, arguably the greatest hitter of all time, fills the pages with tons of great concepts, beliefs and rules, all geared towards making the reader a better hitter.

[Kevin Jakubec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that I’m too old to play, thanks to Ted Williams, I now know was I’d wished I’d known 50 years ago about ‘The Science Of Hitting’. As in hitting, timing is everything. I’d encourage today’s ballplayers and hitting coaches to pick up and read a copy of Ted’s book before their next visit to the batting cage.

[Judge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into the mind of arguably the most knowledgeable hitter the sport has ever seen. I learned a lot reading this book that has improved my swing and how I approach my time at the plate. Wish I would have had coaches teach me this back when I was a kid.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were a baseball player, this book would probably be more helpful to me than it stands now —as an interesting account of hitting and the strategy behind good hitting. That being said, I feel like more people who actually play the sport should read this book! It probably has at least one good lesson in it for hitters of all types and ages and skill (not that I would know).

The voice its written in was also surprisingly fun to read, with the illustrations and diagrams being helpful for visualization. Mr. Williams please stop being so salty we get it modern hitters are "dead from the neck up" <3

[Guy Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It was great to read Ted's thoughts on hitting and pitching and how he coached the Senators. Wish I read it as a kid but I can see where this is the bible for the launch angle gurus. They just took Ted's techniques to the extreme

[Seng Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be passionate about the game. Be so passionate that you try to figure out every single details you can find, just to make your hitting fractionally better, and the days pile one on another to make a career.