Rod Carew's Art and Science of Hitting

Rating:
Summary: Line Drive Hitting and Contact
Review: I was a borderline .300 hitter until I read this book. Now, I hit over .400, rarely strike out and have become a line drive hitter. I read the triumvirate of hitting books-Carew's, Ted Williams The Science of Hitting, Charley Lau's The Art of Hitting .300 and settled on Carew's method. The same basic principles in hitting are set out in all three books, but Carew's method is great for players without power or the ability to dominate pitchers. Ted's view is from a power perspective of dominating the pitcher. For most guys, domination of the pitcher is not possible. Carew's is from using the proper techniques and ajustments for the situation you find yourself in. In the amatuer league I play in, the adjustments make a big difference. As a manager, I teach Carew's Flex Stance and bat/hands techniques to low average hitters for an almost instant improvement in hitting.

Rating:
Summary: Line Drive Hitting and Contact
Review: I was a borderline .300 hitter until I read this book. Now, I hit over .400, rarely strike out and have become a line drive hitter. I read the triumvirate of hitting books-Carew's, Ted Williams The Science of Hitting, Charley Lau's The Art of Hitting .300 and settled on Carew's method. The same basic principles in hitting are set out in all three books, but Carew's method is great for players without power or the ability to dominate pitchers. Ted's view is from a power perspective of dominating the pitcher. For most guys, domination of the pitcher is not possible. Carew's is from using the proper techniques and ajustments for the situation you find yourself in. In the amatuer league I play in, the adjustments make a big difference. As a manager, I teach Carew's Flex Stance and bat/hands techniques to low average hitters for an almost instant improvement in hitting.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Contact, No Punch
Review: Rod Carew's book is my second favorite treatise on hitting. The seminal treatment of the subject is, of course, Williams' "The Science of Hitting." Like Williams, Carew's book offers valuable insight into the mental and mechanical processes necessary for great hitting. Unlike Williams, Carew concentrates almost solely on his opinion, and approach, toward hitting. Williams' surveys the styles of the great hitters of the game and uses them to back up his theories on hitting. Rather than pedantic, his book encourages the hitter to stick with what works and use it to fashion an approach that achieves the same results of all great hitters' styles. Carew preaches pure contact and a very specific approach. He abhors power at the expense of contact. To believe his theory is to suppose that Williams could have hit .450 consistently if he avoided pulling the ball. It is at that point that books diverge. Williams contends that pulling the ball for extra bases is an important piece of the approach puzzle. Pulling the ball improves one's average by forcing the pitcher to the outside of the plate. The Carew book is a great one for teaching contact, and should be read by serious young hitters (I'm speaking of the wonkish, future-Wade-Boggs-Don-Mattingly types), but it isn't complete without the Williams book. And the Williams book is the one that a hitter will want to keep for life and refer back to. It's message is that elegant.

Rating:
Summary: Solid Contact, No Punch
Review: Rod Carew's book is my second favorite treatise on hitting. The seminal treatment of the subject is, of course, Williams' "The Science of Hitting." Like Williams, Carew's book offers valuable insight into the mental and mechanical processes necessary for great hitting. Unlike Williams, Carew concentrates almost solely on his opinion, and approach, toward hitting. Williams' surveys the styles of the great hitters of the game and uses them to back up his theories on hitting. Rather than pedantic, his book encourages the hitter to stick with what works and use it to fashion an approach that achieves the same results of all great hitters' styles. Carew preaches pure contact and a very specific approach. He abhors power at the expense of contact. To believe his theory is to suppose that Williams could have hit .450 consistently if he avoided pulling the ball. It is at that point that books diverge. Williams contends that pulling the ball for extra bases is an important piece of the approach puzzle. Pulling the ball improves one's average by forcing the pitcher to the outside of the plate. The Carew book is a great one for teaching contact, and should be read by serious young hitters (I'm speaking of the wonkish, future-Wade-Boggs-Don-Mattingly types), but it isn't complete without the Williams book. And the Williams book is the one that a hitter will want to keep for life and refer back to. It's message is that elegant.