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"BATTING WITH TED WILLIAMS"
Plus:
"THE SCIENCE OF HITTING"
with Ted Williams
Who is better qualified than Ted Williams to make a film on hitting? Williams, one of the greatest hitters of all time with a .344 lifetime average and 521 home runs, actually made two films on batting after he retired as an active player. His first was made in 1966 and titled "Batting With Ted Williams". While managing the Texas Rangers in 1972, Ted helped make another film - this one patterned after his book, "The Science Of Hitting". Now, both of these vintage instructional films are available for the first time ever on one 53-minute COLOR video from Rare Sportsfilms!
"Batting With Ted Williams" begins with the July 25, 1966 Baseball Hall-Of-Fame inductions at Cooperstown, New York, during which both Casey Stengel and Ted were inducted. You'll hear Ted's induction speech and then see brief clips of Ted in action playing for the Boston Red Sox. The rest of the film is instructional and was shot in Fenway Park with Ted miked and in uniform at home plate. During the film, Ted talks about and demonstrates the fundamentals of good hitting. How to select a bat of the correct length and weight, knowing the strike zone, the importance of quick hands and wrists, and how to gain strength in hands and wrists are some of the topics Williams talks about. Ted defines a good swing and the dangers of unnecessary motion or a "hitch", as well as proper stride, stance and weight distribution. Williams shows the disadvantages of crowding the plate and tells how to solve this problem. Throughout the film, excellent slow-motion shots show Ted's perfect swing, as he demonstrates the basics of good batting.
The second film on this video is based on Ted's own book "The Science Of Hitting", and was made during Ted's stint as manager of the Texas Rangers. The film begins with an introduction of Ted and recognition of his greatness as a player who hit .388 in 1957 at the age of 39, and .316 his last season, which culminated with Ted hitting a home run in his last at-bat in the major leagues! Except for the scenes of star players throughout the film, most of the instructional segments are shot in Arlington Stadium, the old home of the Rangers in Texas. In this ballpark setting, Ted talks more about the basics of good hitting: how to select a bat, each hitters' own individual hitting style, the strike zone, stance, stride and hip movement. With Harmon Killebrew of the visiting Minnesota Twins, Ted shows how Harmon's hip action gives him his batting power. Throughout the film Ted uses film clips of star players of the day to illustrate good batting form: Al Kaline, Billy Williams, Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Bobby Murcer and Pete Rose. Ted also comments on the styles of some of the all-time greats, such as Tris Speaker, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Slow-motion and stop-motion film throughout compliment Ted's talk and analyze his own swing. Ted explains two things which he says have been taught wrong to young hitters. Ted endorses a good, level swing with a slight uppercut and analyzes why this is best. He also talks about the importance of getting "a good ball to hit". Later, Ted is shown on the Ranger bench talking to two of his Ranger players about hitting and what a good hitter thinks about at the plate.
You can get your own copy of both of these classic instructional batting films, now available for the first time on one video, for only $29.95 plus $5.00 shipping (Illinois residents must add $2.00 sales tax).
"RARE SPORTSFILMS N",
1126 Tennyson Lane,
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 527-8890
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