You Can Teach Hitting

San Francisco manager and former baseball star Dusty Baker, along with co-hosts Jeff Mercer and Marv Bittinger, provide a comprehensive clinic on hitting in this three-part series aimed primarily at coaches. We watched the opening volume, A Systematic Approach to Hitting, in which the instructors break down eight important components of hitting, including bat selection, stance and balance, grip, bat angle, stride, and swing. Good video and audio qualities and solid instruction outweigh the program's sometimes extraneous diversions and overall sense of being too busy (the camera cuts back and forth between instruction and jawing coaches too much). Vols. 2 & 3 are called, respectively, Ten Common Hitting Mistakes and How to Correct Them and Twenty Hitting Drills. For those who are looking for something more in depth than the fine Hit Like a Pro With Matt Williams (reviewed in our May 1992 issue) or Professional Sports Training for Kids: Hitting With Ken Griffey, Jr. (reviewed in our March 1991 issue), this series is recommended. (Available from most distributors.)