Baseball players looking to improve their swing and fans of America's pastime alike can dig into a book by Newtown's own Chris Petersen much like they or their favorite hitters dig into the batter's box. Petersen this year completed The Tao of Hitting — Finding Your Path At The Plate, which applies Taoist principles to the art of swinging the bat.

The book started as a thesis paper for Petersen's master's degree in education. "I found similarities in Taoism and how it was used in martial arts and saw an opportunity to use it in baseball. After reading Japan's all-time leading home-run hitter, Sadaharu Oh's, A Zen Way Of Baseball, I saw that the comparison was real. After completion of my thesis, my professor encouraged me to publish it," Petersen said.

It took Petersen 30 years to complete the book as he added chapters and experiences along the way. When Petersen's father, a writer, passed away a few years ago, he was determined to finish.

"One of my best friends, Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, helped me along the way with his talks on hitting and was a sounding board. He also wrote the introduction for me. My daughter Kate did all the drawings in the book which is cool," said Petersen, who published through Amazon this past January.

Among the excerpts from the book, from Bill Masse, advisor to the general manager and advance scout for the San Diego Padres: "This book will make you apply your natural abilities, both physically and mentally, into your baseball swing. If you love hitting, love a unique way to look at hitting, then The Tao of Hitting is a must read."

"Like all great teachers, Chris Petersen is a great listener and lifelong learner. All who read The Tao of Hitting will become beneficiaries of Petey's listening and learning," University of Connecticut Head Baseball Coach Jim Penders was quoted as saying in the book. "I believe the yin and yang should coexist in the batter's box and that is why The Tao of Hitting will be a mandatory text for our team."

Petersen notes in his book that the most recognizable symbol of Taoism is that of yin and yang, which represents the balance between good and bad, male and female, positive and negative. "All life reflects this balance, and the concept of an opposite cannot exist without its counterpart," Petersen wrote. Petersen's book goes on to tell readers that "The Tao of hitting is a philosophy where the ball player creates their own path in finding their natural swing."

In Bagwell's foreword, he writes: "The Tao of Hitting teaches us to rely on what we have, physically and mentally. The Tao is a belief in yourself and what you are doing. Without that we have no chance. ... The Tao of Hitting is a fun and interesting book that makes the reader think. It provides a unique approach to hitting a baseball, which is refreshing and one that deserves consideration and I believe in the major tenets of The Tao of Hitting."

In his book, Petersen writes "the process of finding the natural swing involves working hard not to work hard. Eliminate tension. Eliminating tension is one of the hardest things to do in any sport or physical activity. We often impede our natural fluid movement in athletes by trying too hard."

Petersen and Bagwell were teammates at University of Hartford. Petersen credits his .390 batting average during his senior year, in large part, to the dangerous Bagwell batting behind him, in the cleanup spot in the batting order. "Nobody wanted to pitch to him, so they would go right after me with strike after strike, often good pitches to hit," Petersen wrote in his book. The Tao of Hitting includes an interview with Bagwell, who shares secrets to his success that led to a stellar MLB career. Among Bagwell's thoughts is that children should not specialize in baseball or any other sport.

Sports, and baseball in particular, have been a part of Petersen's life from an early age. His focus turned to baseball and teaching/coaching like a batter turns on a fastball down the middle.

After graduating Manchester High School as a three-sport captain, Petersen attended University of Hartford on a baseball scholarship. At Hartford, he had a successful career, leading the team as a two-year captain culminating in a 29-12 record his senior campaign, helping the team earn the distinction of New England Division I Team of the Year. Among the accolades Petersen received was First Team All-New England Division.

Petersen graduated from University of Hartford with a degree in Organizational Communication in 1989. He also played for the Cotuit Kettleers in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer Collegiate Baseball League in 1986.

Following college, Petersen had stints as the hitting coach at University of Hartford, Sacred Heart University, and the Danbury Westerners in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, and was the head coach at Manchester Community College. Petersen was inducted to the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Petersen coached baseball at the high school level (Danbury High), and youth level (Newtown), where the Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth teams won eight District Championships, four State Championships, participated in three Regional Championship final games, and won a Regional Championship and a trip to the Babe Ruth World Series in 2016.

The baseball enthusiast has master’s degrees in education and administration from Sacred Heart University and a master’s degree in history from Western Connecticut State University. He currently teaches history at Scotts Ridge Middle School in Ridgefield. Petersen and his wife Deborah have five children: Ryan, Todd, Jake, Jack, and Kate. All five children played baseball growing up in Newtown. Todd and Jack continued through high school, where they excelled (Todd was All-State in baseball and Jack All-State in basketball). Both Todd and Jack went on to University of Connecticut and were on the team there.

The Tao of Hitting is available through Amazon.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.