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How to Choose A BatOver the past year I've collected a lot of my reader's questions about how to choose a bat and put my answers to their questions so that it might help you when you need help choosing a bat. There are many questions that concern choosing a bat for baseball, fastpitch softball or men's, women's, or co-ed slo-pitch softball. They range from how to choose a bat for a 5 year old to a 55 year old, in all sizes and shapes and at all skill levels, in all areas and temperatures, by specific brands and choice of swing styles to the amount to spend and many others. Read them all and they should give you enough information to answer any questions you have. If not, feel free to contact me at the end of the page. Or better yet, sign up for my free newsletter where we talk about all aspects of hitting.
How to Choose a Bat - Oct 24 01:09:18 2007
A: While the bats might look the same, your league will judge them very differently, making the baseball bat illegal in the softball league for sure and maybe even the other way around. You need to have the words "Approved by (insert the approving organization here)" on the bat. This can be organizations like ASA for softball, some baseball organizations, etc. The leagues will specify what it needs to have on the bats to make them legal in their league. Normally baseball bats are a little larger in the barrel than softball rules allow, even if it's just 1/8".
A: While I admire the gesture, there are too many factors to get it right. If you want my best guess so that you can buy it from a sports store where they will take a return on it if he wants something else, then I would say 34" 26 oz. bat. Again, I wouldn't do it if they won't let him return it. A: The answer your end loaded bat question. These are bats that are manufactured with the weight out at the end of the bat. They are designed that way to take advantage of the rotational force when you're "weed whacking" it whips more into the swing. Evenly loaded bats don't do this as the weight is distributed evenly. You'll notice this when you're gripping for a bunt. The way I do that is to find the balance point of the bat as to where to grip the top hand on the bat. With the endloaded bat the balance point will be further up the barrel. A: There's nothing on the surface that shouts out at me that this is the wrong bat, but she should be able to hold it out a little longer. Maybe just reps off a tee will make it feel more comfortable, or maybe it needs a tweak or two from a hitting coach. A: I'm going to let this website help you http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/compalum.html As it is written on the Physics and Acoustics of Baseball & Softball Bats by Daniel A. Russell of the Science & Mathematics Department, Kettering University, Flint, MI under the title "Are Composite Bats better than Aluminum Bats?" It also covers double wall bats, which are just bats with a wall within a wall of the bat.
A: Eventually as you grow you should be swinging longer bats, so now may be a good time, but maybe you can wait until spring if you are hitting well with your 29. A: Have you seen her swing the friend's bat? Does it look good? I personally wouldn't have a problem recommending that bat if she could swing it well. A lot of coaches would probably say the bat is a little big for her, but again I would say it depends on her swing more than anything else. A: There are really so many variables when you choose a bat, that I'd hate to give you one at the moment. I'd rather see her borrow a team bat or from a teammate until she knows what feels comfortable. If she's a quick learner, what would feel right to her now should feel different in a few months, so that's why I'd hate to suggest something right away. After she gets a little better, her learning curve will slow down so you can get the right bat for her. A: What I know about Miken's are they have a very good reputation in the community around here. So unsure, what else you're asking with it. I know some fastpitch players that are starting to use Miken slowpitch bats for their game to good success.
A: There are still too many variables to make an informed decision, like is it for slo-pitch or fastpitch, how long have you been playing, what is your preferred swing style, what are others in your league using, etc. A good tip can be that a number of the bats will be going on sale at Big 5 and Sports Authority as it's the off season, so what you might have gotten for $100, may now be $50. Or you might get a model that's getting upgraded, but you can get last year's model for $100 that was a $189 - $249 bat. I'd go with what feels the best when you swing it, especially if others in your league are using it.
A: Here are a couple of suggestions I have for you on how to choose a bat. One is that if they have a 2nd hand sporting goods store (we have ones called "Play it Again, Sports") then you may just find the same bat as you were used to. The other is to go to http://buysoftball360.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=14 and see what bat the big boppers use. It appears at this writing, the Miken is in first, followed by DeMarini, then Easton, and Worth. I am an average player. 5'-10" 185 lbs and play summer weekend and spring league softball. The summer league uses Clinchers and the spring league uses Dudley balls. I need this bat to perform well with both scenarios. I am currently using a Miken Maniac Titan model MSMC-2 34" 28oz , but I am not hitting it very well. I was able to narrow my search to the following three bats but I am open to additional suggestions. Can you advise which one of the bats is most forgiving and best for the weekend warrior !! - DeMarini Juggernaut - Easton Stealth CNT + - Easton Synergy Flex CNT - Combat Antivirus - Open for your suggestions !! Thanks again for your help. A: Thanks for valuing my opinion, but I'm going to have to admit, I'm more into the mechanics of the swing and feel the bat that feels the best for you probably has the best chance of having the most hits and home runs in it. If you look at softball360.com you see the biggest boppers in the world and they swing what ever their sponsor pays them to swing with. I really don't think they would perform much differently if they traded bats. In fact, from week to week, a different bat comes in first, just by how the hitter's hitting in that contest. Sorry I can't be of more help, or maybe I have been.
A: I don't have enough information to give you a good answer. Probably the best guide at that age is to see what the majority of her teammates are using as there are too many factors to know everything from afar. Things, like years of play, swing type, how influenced she is by "cool" looking bats, how much she practices, what temperatures the games are played in when the season starts and ends, et al. A: You're exactly right, the end loaded bats were designed with the rotational swing in mind, whereas the really lightweight evenly distributed bats are for the linear swing (the -11's, -12's, -13's). A: Yes, a baseball bat would give you an advantage in playing with it in a softball game due to it's dimensions, which is why it's illegal to use one playing softball (the answer to your first question). There was an interesting league I played in years and years ago that allowed them, but it was called overhand softball and it was played on a Pony League field, 75 foot bases, lead offs like real baseball, all types of bats were legal, the pitch was from a windup or the stretch (with all the inherent balk rules from baseball), stealing, overhand pitching using a softball. It was fun, but that was the only place I've seen baseball bats used in conjunction with a game called softball. Plus all bats used in softball must be stamped with a "softball approved bat" label. A: They sound fine to me. The fact that you felt like you had to ask for an opinion tells me that you're either not hitting, or not hitting as well as you'd like, so you're checking to see if it's the bat. If that's true, then what it also tells me that you're not going up to the plate with confidence, which is a mental thing, not a physical thing (such as the bat). Work on enough practice swings to get the confidence back and step up to bat thinking "I worry about the pitcher having to face me" :) A: Most of the team's bats are probably slo-pitch bats, normally with men in mind, so what you may want to do is go to the fastpitch bats for girls and women and see what you find there. It's not illegal to do this, by the way. The lightest men's bat is 25 or 26 ounces in a 34" bat. You can find 34"-24 or even 23 and 22 ounce bats on the fastpitch side. And where you can hardly ever find a 32 or 33" slo-pitch bat, you can easily find them on the fastpitch side (plus, some of them come in pink, just to tork off the macho men on your team or in the league :) How to Choose a Bat - May 30 18:05:07 2007
A: They are right, swinging a lighter bat does generate more bat speed, which in turn helps it go farther. The good news about the upper body strength, is that the real key is using proper mechanics (which we teach on the website), and a large part of that is using the lower part of the body to generate our power. How to Choose a Bat - May 20 20:24:58 2007
A: They have bats that are -13 which means, for a 30 inch bat it would weigh 17 ounces. That actually may be too light for her as many bat manufacturers are making heavier bats more common. They are doing this realizing that many batters are increasing their bat speed with hitting mechanics, not just bat weight alone. A: All of the bats need to say Little League approved for an official Little League Tournament. Definitely no big barrel bats. Many bats also have all the divisions they support on the bat itself. Otherwise it should be spelled out in the tournament rules with the packet you'd get. I don't know of a website that does have everything you're looking for.
A: Since she's hitting well, I wouldn't want to change anything with her bat. What's probably happening is one of two things. Either she's seeing more changeups than she's ever been used to at the higher level or maybe she's a higher level than the bulk of the JV kids and is struggling with their slower pitching than her varsity pitchers and/or elite team players. She does need to crush those pitches before she's considered a great hitter though, so she'll just need to keep practicing timing. Going into the cages from fast to slow and back again, and hit them all with authority. A: The DeMarini is fine. They were a company that was bought out by Wilson, which makes fine softball bats. The DeMarini name stands for a pursuit of excellence in softball hitting, instilled by their founder, Ray DeMarini, who died in the last few years and sold the company to Wilson prior to his death. It's hard to say the exact measurements. Before you choose a bat I'd have her swing some of her teammate’s bats and you should be able to tell which looks the best or she can tell you which feels the best. Probably in the 27 to 30" range. A: Let me make one thing clear. She can never swing the bat too fast. That's always a good thing. That having been said, if you can swing a heavier bat at the same swing speed, that's even better. It sounds like she is in the 30"ish bat length and anywhere from 18 - 22 ounces. Whatever feels best to her. A: There are a lot of considerations before picking the right bat, such as age, size, years played, type of hitter (power hitter, line drive hitter, or base hitter), and bat speed. There are others too. The best way is to swing the bats (in a perfect world even practice or use them in a game) to see which one feels the best to you and which produces the best results. Borrow some from your teammates. If the bat wars come to your area (check their website) they'll let you try a number of the latest bats. www.batwars.com They have different times and places devoted specifically to fastpitch softball, baseball and Slo-Pitch Softball. A: There are a number of factors to consider. At that age there are 25 and 26" bats, that are 2 - 3 ounces lighter that shouldn't cost too much either ($10 - $25) and since kids feel like the coaches are all knowledgeable, that may be all she needs, since it's mostly in her head. If she's convinced that she can hit with her current bat, she probably could, but if it isn't too much, sometimes the aggravation isn't worth the effort in fighting a coach who's already made up their minds as to what's needed. How to Choose a Bat - Apr 07 18:08:07 2007
A: The short answer is a qualified "Yes, if you can swing it quickly". Since the formula talks about mass times velocity squared we see that the velocity is the most important ingredient, so it might appear that the answer would be no, but if you can swing the bat with the same velocity, then the heavier bat (the one with more mass) would make it go farther, but only then. So keep focusing on velocity first. A: I'm not quite sure if you're writing to ask about a new bat or what to do with this new one you just wrote about. As far as the Demarini goes, you've already told me it is lighter, so that isn't the issue. It may have to do with the extra length and possibly the weight is more out toward the barrel, so it feels like it's heavier. That will take just getting used to, so I'd get her some lessons so her swing is mechanically sound and she should be able to swing that one just fine. Hope that is what you were looking for. Let me know if it wasn't. A: I've actually never heard that one and like a lot of tales like this, there's probably an element of truth to it and also exceptions to the rule. Having coached at that level I know girls with long legs and some with long torsos, so just on that alone I think you'd have a problem, but if we look at the waist as being the mid point, a girl 5'4" would be 64 inches tall and thus use a 32" bat, which would be about right, but this breaks down for any tall girls, as the longest bat allowed is only 34" and a 4'10" girl would be using a bat many 10 year olds use. A better way is seeing what they can swing comfortably. Some coaches prefer that girls use shorter bats, based on their opinion they can control them better. Other coaches (of which I would be one) tend to like to have the batters use as long a bat as they can swing well, so they get that extra plate coverage and the longer bat creates more whip to generate a stronger swing/hit. A: You have an interesting dilemma, as there are 2 swing types, one actually wants you to dip your shoulder, so it may not be the bat's fault, but swing style. With the style I just mentioned (Rotational), there is a tendency to use a heavier bat as well. But it sounds like they've been taught the traditional softball swing (Linear) where a lighter bat it in order. But don't forget, they've both grown over that year, so what may have been "too heavy" before, may be just right now. I would concentrate on getting good coaching first, then see what bat suits them. I have a video that you might want to get that shows how to hit each style the best they can, so you could decide what was best for them. Plus it will help them have better swings and thus help you determine A: There are so many factors that I can't cover them all. I'd say, unless all the girls coming to tryouts have their own bats, I'd have her use the team's bats and just have her try a few and see which feels the best and she can swing the quickest. If you feel she has to have one, I'd find it the same way. Go to the sporting goods store, swing a few that look the coolest and see which feels the best and she can swing the quickest. There are no requirements of any kind that the bat manufacturers would try to make an illegal bat. You may need to check in her league if it has to have an official stamp on it (normally for softball it will say ASA approved). Also your league may not let you use little league (baseball) bats. A: I'm sorry I won't have specifics for you as there are many factors involved, but generally the less expensive bats are less prone to denting from the cold as they are made out of more readily avaiable materials and aren't stretched as much leaving thinner walls. But then they tend to be a little heavier as well (-9 to -11 range). So this could be his winter bat and then his practice (cage bat) when it warms up. A: Let me answer your question this way. My 10 year old who is 5' tall and weighs 85 lbs swings a 31" 22 oz bat. If you'll notice on my pages there is the talk about 2 types of swings. The lighter bats are made for the "linear" swing, where the heavier bats that are even end loaded are made for the "rotational" swing. You need to pick the swing first, master the swing so there aren't remnants of the other swing in the swing you've chosen, then pick the bat. A: I too haven't kept up on the adult level baseball, as I coach a few adults, but mostly 18 & under. But the same things hold true I'm sure. That is, generally the more expensive the bat the better it is, as it's using all the latest technology and that's what is driving up the price. There is a caveat to expensive bats and that is they are susceptible to denting in cold weather if that's a potential issue for you. If you can hold out a little bit, the best way is to go, is to go to a few practices and even games and see what the better hitters are using, it normally is the bat of choice for a reason. Also, the major brands are normally competitive with one another so the old names still apply, Louisville Slugger, Easton, Worth, with a few new ones thrown in. A: For a 5 year old I'd get the lightest bat out there. There are a number of new pink bats that are about 25 inches and 15 ounces for less than $30. There's no need to invest in a really expensive bat at this time. There's plenty of time for that :) I'd just make it as fun as possible. A bat like I recommended should help do that. I have been reading about slow pitch bats, thinking that maybe a better bat would also be a benefit. Nina doesn't think that a $300 bat would make that much of a difference, so our compromise is to ask you for advice. One thing I've read is "broken" bat after 800 swings. How does an aluminum bat break when you hit a softball? Is the more expensive bat better than one that is correct lenth and weight or comfortable feel? Last season some of the bats we used felt like hitting a brick instead of a soft ball, what does that indicate? Why would someone bother to count how many swings you get from a bat? It seems that if you buy a bat it should be counted in years not swings. We hope you are doing well, we haven't seen any new tips lately. Thanks for your advice and continued tips. A: Thanks for writing again. I'm a few days from a new newsletter. It's mostly all written. The $300 bats are for the people who can tell the difference and notice the difference in their batting averages or in the distance that they hit the ball. Without proper mechanics, a good eye, or the ability to pull the trigger at the right time, your wife is right, there isn't enough of a difference to justify that expense. You can find some stuff on sale in the $80 range that would be quite good. (Send me the other $220 :) Seriously, the more expensive bats are the ones that wear out with the number of swings, since the walls of the bat are generally thinner to get the lighter weight and the "trampoline effect" and thus they can dent, especially in the colder temperatures and they lose their pop after so many swings (it looks like you found a source that said it was 800). Since it's metal there is no aging, it's just wear and tear (metal fatigue) due to use. I generally don't count swings, I just feel that the bat is not responding like it used to.
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