The Lau Legacy

The Lau name is synonymous with legendary hitting instruction. Charley Lau Sr., the greatest pioneer of hitting of all time took the art of teaching to new heights in the 1970's and early 1980's. Lau unlocked the mysteries and myths of hitting by methodically observing, recording, analyzing and cataloging the complex act of hitting a baseball. His 10 absolutes of hitting synthesize the commonalties of all successful hitters. Lau spread his magic over the bats of The Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees and The Chicago White Sox. His most celebrated student, George Brett, is the only player in baseball history to win 3 batting titles in 3 different decades.

He wrote the book How to Hit .300, which supplanted Ted Williams's The Science of Hitting as the "Bible of Batting." Lau emphasized releasing the top hand after making contact with the pitch and following through with only the lower hand on the bat. This allows maximum extension of the arms and lets the bat maintain a flatter plane through the hitting zone. Lau served as batting coach for the Royals from 1971-1978 and taught his hitting style to Hal McRae, Amos Otis, Willie Wilson and George Brett. Other hitters to use Lau's method include Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas and Mark McGwire. While serving as the White Sox hitting coach, he died in Key Biscayne, Florida at the age of 50 after a long bout with cancer.

Next: Charley Lau Jr.