'The Science of Hitting' is a baseball, sports classic

“The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams and John Underwood falls into the category of books that I should have read in the ninth grade.

Originally published in 1971, the 97-page book is a baseball classic and is No. 86 on Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 Sports Books of All Time.

The book is billed as “the classic guide to the ‘single most difficult thing to do in sport’ by the greatest hitter of all time,” and you’ll be hard pressed to find a better book on how to hit a baseball.

Williams, who died in July 2002, was the last professional player to bat .400 in the majors, won the American League batting title six times and was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. Most baseball insiders viewed Williams as the leading expert on how to hit a baseball.

The book’s co-author, John Underwood, was a long time senior writer at Sports Illustrated and is generally thought to be one of America’s best sports writers. Some of his other books include “Manning,” “The Death of an American Game” and “Spoiled Sport.”

In “The Science of Hitting,” Williams offers an easy to read, point-by-point guide to batting, and he does so with plain language and detailed drawings. At just 97 pages the book is a quick read, but is full of baseball wisdom that could help players – and coaches – at all levels of the game. Topics covered in the book include Williams’ famous “Three Rules to Hit By,” how to swing properly, the secrets to hip and wrist action, pitch selection, bunting and how to hit to the opposite field.

The portions of the book that I enjoyed the most were the parts in which Williams discussed the mental aspects of the game. Williams preached that hitting a baseball was “50 percent above the neck” and emphasized the importance of being observant before, during and after games. Williams devotes a significant portion of the book to helping players understand how to think like a pitcher, how to properly guess at pitches and how to properly adjust to different ball parks and game conditions.

Williams also spends a number of pages dispelling many of the hitting myths that many of us have either heard or were taught by well-meaning coaches. Williams also concedes that each player is different and talks about how to tailor your approach at the plate to your own style of play.

It should also be said that young pitchers in the audience would benefit from the book because it includes much discussion on techniques that pro pitchers use to strike out big league hitters. In many respects, the book is not only a must-read for hitters, but also for aspiring pitchers.

In the end, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone in the reading audience who enjoys the finer points of baseball. I especially recommend the book to all young baseball players out there as well as youth baseball coaches. You can’t go wrong if you apply the principles that Williams sets down in this baseball classic.