Lau's Laws on Hitting: The Art of Hitting .400 for the Next Generation; Follow Lau's Laws and Improve Your Hitting!

A few years ago my son was about to start his first season of T-Ball and I found myself in a conversation about hitting with Dan Evans, a former General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then, a year or so later I found myself confirming the information Dan & I had discussed in a subsequent conversation with Kevin Malone, who succeeded Dan as the Dodgers General Manager. Dan recommended to me these three books to read in order: 1. Charlie Lau Jr's "Lau's Laws on Hitting" 2. Charlie Lau Sr's "The Art of Hitting .300" 3. Ted Williams "The Science of Hitting". If you are a parent or coach who is serious about teaching his/her child or players how to hit you *MUST* read these books. The first book in the sequence is Charlie Jr's book "Lau's Laws on Hitting". It explains the mechanics of the lead arm extension hitting technique his father created in a very clear and easy to follow way. If this is the only book on hitting you read there is no doubt you will be able to provide your child/player with a solid foundation from which they will experience great success. Once you know what to look for it's easy to identify a swing based on the Lau technique - the same technique that is currently used by over 70% of all major leaguers today. This technique teaches how to create the most efficient & powerful swing a batter can create and then to control the release of that power into the point of contact... in otherwords, how to hit the $*#^ out of the ball. As of this review, my 9-year old son has been using this technique for the last 3-years and recently wanted to test his skills by going into a 70mph batting cage (which is a typical speed most 13-14 year olds practice on) and was successful in ripping a few off the back netting directly above the throwing arm... in otherwords, timed perfectly. Through the first few games of our season he was 14-for-20 with 5-triples & 4 doubles (short hopping the fence a half dozen times) and my son is one of the smaller kids on the team! Jr's book does a great job of asking and answering the following: *What is the difference and significance of static and dynamic balance? *Why does the batter's weight HAVE to shift back before going forward? *What is the significance of having the toes on the rear foot pointing down while swinging? *Why do we want to create backspin vs. topspin? These are just a small sampling of the many questions associated with the technique that Jr. answers in a way everybody can easily understand. Jr's book is a short cut to his father's hitting technique and as such should be read before Sr's book. Reading Jr's book more quickly puts the pieces in place to build a smooth yet powerful and efficient swing based on this technique. Sr's book on the other hand, "The Art of Hitting .300", is more comprehensive and technical exploring more of the technique and in greater detail... a pleasure to read. Jr's book is all you'll need to learn and teach the technique but to really understand

Charlie Lau, Jr. takes up whether his famous father left. His instructions are great, as are most of the illustrations and photos. The book gives you a very good guide as to the types of swings you should have to be successful in hitting. I would not calls his techniques "Lau's laws" because by nature, the choices and styles of most people vary, if only slightly. However, the regimen outlined in the book is excellent and a must read for every serious coach and student of the game. He needs to mention that baseball, though mental enough, involves many nuances which we cannot control. I don't believe any one person revolutionized baseball more than the VCR did years ago. Highly recommend this book!!

I have been a high school baseball coach for the last 15 years. In the early 90's, I tried to use Lau, sr.'s mechanics, but I didn't fully understand the "why" of Lau, sr. Charley Lau, jr. "filled in the gaps" for me. When I first read Lau, jr.'s theories on hitting a baseball with backspin vs. topspin, I thought that there would be no way that high school kids could be taught this. He proved me wrong. Employing his drills to the max to accomplish this, my team last season went from hitting 0 home runs and .280 in a summer league to 35 home runs and .350 during the spring season (2001) smashing our way to the regional finals. We actually had to get away from intrasquad scrimmages because our infielders were not getting enough work. Our hitters were constantly driving the ball to the outfield either over the fence or in the gaps as Lau, jr. claims you will do in his book. Our players and I swear by the techniques Lau, jr. stresses in this book. It is by far the best book on hitting that I have ever read and that includes The Art of Hitting by Ted Williams.

Lau's Laws On Hitting is the first book in twenty years to finally give you the truth on what it takes to build the most dynamic swing. All I've seen out there in the past are recycled and generic jargon. Charley Jr., clearly has taken his fathers' already legendary aspects on hitting to the highest of heights. Lau junior dispels the myths and shows you step by step how to build your swing and he also warns you on how much bad and incorrect information is out there. The apple has definately not fallen to far from the tree.

OK, I'm now a father of two boys, one 2.5 years old, and the other three weeks old. I know it may sound a little over zealous, but I have only a few short years to teach them the proper foundations of hitting, the foundations I never had as a young (and somewhat unsuccessful) hitter. The mental approach to the plate, the proper technique and WHY it works, situational hitting, practice drills, and simple confidence. Mr. Lau's book provides all of this and much more. He takes an engineering (some say unorthodoxed) approach that all can easily understand. I get the impression Mr. Lau believes anyone can be a successful hitter by applying his father's (and Charley Jr's expanded) method. Need proof? Just check out Alex Rodriguez and Mark McGuire, each who are under the Lau's Laws influence. Why are there bigger hits now days? Look at the tachnique.First off, the book clearly accounts what the Lau method has provided for the success of pro and young players, and George Brett is the poster child for the technique (according to this book). Need I say more. The book covers everything from selecting your bat to deciding whether or not to take the first pitch. No more freebies for the pitcher from me!Don't worry, I won't drill my young bucks to death. The youngest one still has to learn how to hold his head up (I've about perfected his grip though)! I'm not hoping for MLB material either. I do want them to be able to enjoy the sensation of a great hit. Heck they'll probably take up trombone. I firmly believe teaching the Lau method will give them the best chance at developing a successful hitting habit. I've got to learn it first, and I can't wait to start. Perhaps it will also help me stay out of their coaches way. Who knows, maybe I will carry a few more softballs over the fence too!You could watch baseball all your life, and miss out on many of Mr. Lau's secrets. That was the case for me. I strongly recommend this book to any player (baseball or softball), father, mother, or coach.Save a spot for my two boys at your hitting school Mr. Lau!