Mike Epstein on Hitting

Rating:
Summary: Great Primer on Rotational Mechanics
Review: Epstein's book is a wonderful review of "rotational" hitting mechanics. The early chapters focus on mechanics while the later chapters address more specific hitting problems. According to Epstein, hitting well (for power and average), like the great hitters, ie Mays, Aaron, Williams, etc. centers on three critical aspects: 1) hips lead the hands 2) matching the plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch, and 3) hands staying "inside the ball." While the book goes far in describing these factors, it does not cover specific drills or techniques to teach these methods. For these drills you need to purchase Epsteins instructional tapes. (See his website or check ebay...I think they're worth the dough.) Many of Epsteins thoughts will contradict oft repeated instructions given by amatuer (youth) coaches. Epstein, like Williams, recommends things like swinging upward (not level), NOT extending your hands over the plate but rather in front of it, and keeping your weight back, over the back leg, for example. Yet when you carefully watch MLB players in film and photos, you'll recognize these techniques in today's great hitters. This book will help you understand these rotational techniques and their value in generating greater batspeed for more power. I would have rated the book a five star, but it does contain some repetitous material as it seems that the chapters are a collection of Epstein "articles" and thus can become redundant. That notwithstanding, I'd otherwise highly recommend this book for those interested in understanding hitting mechanics. I'd especially recommend it for softball players...the sport is replete with poor hitting instruction. Finally, I would recommend you also read (memorize) Ted William's classic, "THE SCIENCE OF HITTING" for it also contains a wealth of information on good hitting mechanics. (I had one major league scout of 40yrs tell me that "Ted's book is all you need; throw the rest away!") Good Luck!

Rating:
Summary: Great Primer on Rotational Mechanics
Review: Epstein's book is a wonderful review of "rotational" hitting mechanics. The early chapters focus on mechanics while the later chapters address more specific hitting problems. According to Epstein, hitting well (for power and average), like the great hitters, ie Mays, Aaron, Williams, etc. centers on three critical aspects: 1) hips lead the hands 2) matching the plane of the swing to the plane of the pitch, and 3) hands staying "inside the ball." While the book goes far in describing these factors, it does not cover specific drills or techniques to teach these methods. For these drills you need to purchase Epsteins instructional tapes. (See his website or check ebay...I think they're worth the dough.) Many of Epsteins thoughts will contradict oft repeated instructions given by amatuer (youth) coaches. Epstein, like Williams, recommends things like swinging upward (not level), NOT extending your hands over the plate but rather in front of it, and keeping your weight back, over the back leg, for example. Yet when you carefully watch MLB players in film and photos, you'll recognize these techniques in today's great hitters. This book will help you understand these rotational techniques and their value in generating greater batspeed for more power. I would have rated the book a five star, but it does contain some repetitous material as it seems that the chapters are a collection of Epstein "articles" and thus can become redundant. That notwithstanding, I'd otherwise highly recommend this book for those interested in understanding hitting mechanics. I'd especially recommend it for softball players...the sport is replete with poor hitting instruction. Finally, I would recommend you also read (memorize) Ted William's classic, "THE SCIENCE OF HITTING" for it also contains a wealth of information on good hitting mechanics. (I had one major league scout of 40yrs tell me that "Ted's book is all you need; throw the rest away!") Good Luck!