This paper discusses the relationship between teachers' practical teaching ability and students' academic performance. A total of 3,677 students from 18 vocational schools completed a series of questionnaires, including the Student Satisfaction Scale, the Student Academic Performance Scale and a Perceived Teachers' Practical Teaching Ability Scale. The results show that teachers' practical teaching ability positively correlates with students' academic performance. In addition, student satisfaction plays a mediating role between teacher’ practical teaching ability and students' academic performance. The practical implications and research limitations are further discussed.