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| SOFTBALL LINKS |
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Choose Your Weapon Wisely
by Dave
Thursday, July 07, 2005
 There is no way in this small space to create a perfect guide to selecting a bat. But if you are relatively new to softball bats, here are some general principles. The general characteristics of bats are: weight, length and ... cost. Well, there's more to it than that but I want to make one point crystal clear. There is no such thing as a really good bat this is very cheap. If you don't want to spend money for a decent bat, you won't get one. I know. I made this mistake.
I purchased a clearance bat online for .., never mind. I'm embarrassed to admit how cheap it was. The bat I bought did not have that characteristic PING we often associate with metallic bats. Instead it was more or less of a dud which made a thud when making contact. Good bats make good sound like a finely tuned violin. The best bats are like the best golf clubs, they add distance to the struck ball because they bounce back against the ball when the two come into contact. More expensive bats are made of better materials and made in a better fashion so they sound and feel right, and they drive the ball.
If you are paying less than $50 for a new bat, you are most likely getting a cheap bat. $50 and up is a good rule of thumb. If your daughter is playing 12U, you are going to have to go for around $100. As she grows up, you'll be spending more. A good bat for a girl playing high school varsity ball is going to cost you around $300.
As far as the total weight of the bat goes, your daughter must be able to stand holding the bat in her stronger hand straight out to her side in a 90 degree angle for 20-30 seconds without feeling the weight of the bat pulling her down. If she cannot do this, the bat is too heavy for her. If you think maybe she'll grow into it, think again. Not only will she not grow into it, it will likely cause her to strike out a lot and maybe even learn to hate the game. If you fear paying a lot for a bat and having her outgrow it in only one year, don't buy a bat. Instead let her use the team's bats so she can get to know which ones she prefers. Then break out your wallet and buy her one. Don't buy something for the future. The future is now.
After price and total weight, the next consideration is weight distribution but this is often a function of price. I thought my daughter was doing really well with her new bargain basement bat until I noticed that it was changing her swing because it was weighted poorly. She was dropping her hands and the barrel head not because the total weight was wrong but because the distribution of weight throughout the bat was very poor. She actually began dropping the barrel head below her hands which makes it impossible to hit the ball well. When you have a bat which is the correct weight for your daughter and the weight is distributed properly, she will enjoy much greater success. If you thought you purchased a decent bat of the correct weight and you see your daughter dropping her hands and/or the barrel head, you may have purchased a bad bat. Compare the weight distribution of her bat with that of her teammates' bats. Take both bats in your hands and wave them up and down. Now switch hands since one hand is stronger than the other. Do this several times to see if you notice a real difference. If one "just feel betters," you have determined the one with better distribution. In my experience, more expensive bats generally not only have better sound and hit the ball further, they also have better weight distribution. Within a given brand of bats, you will see a fairly broad spectrum of prices. Check out the full spectrum and see if you agree on the price vs. distribution theory.
Length is maybe the most personal choice you make once you establish the correct weight of your softball bat. A good sporting goods store will have a broad selection of bats of given brands and types in various lengths. You have to at least in part gauge where your daughter stands in the batters box to determine the proper length. Also you have to consider how strong her wrists are. Remember, a bat is really a lever and even though you have the right weight and the bat you have chosen has good weight distribution, you need to have the correct length for her to be able to roll her wrists properly. Also you need to make sure the bat allows your daughter to hit the ball in the "sweet spot" as frequently as possible. If she constantly nubs the ball off the end of the bat in practice, I tend to blame it on the bat being too short. If a longer bat makes her swing seem wrong but is needed in order for her to make good contact, consider dropping the weight one ounce.
As far as particular manufacturers go, there are several which are good. I like Easton softball bats. I grew up on wood bats and never used an aluminum bat until I played softball as an adult. There were a bunch of different brands available to me but I always found Easton bats to be best so I'm not about to change my mind now. Easton provides a good guide to determining the right length to weight ration based on the size of your child. Click here for the guide.
As a final consideration, read lots of bat labels. The best ones will have guides rating the materials, explaining weight and length ratios and other considerations. They will tell you how strong the materials are. Take the time to do a study of this information. If you are spending a lot of money, you want to get educated on the various products available and spend your money wisely.
To sum up, if you want a good bat, be prepared to spend time and money. Judge the weight for your daughter for right now, this season. Length may not be as important as weight but it is certainly not unimportant. Weight distribution, although probably more a factor of price, must be considered. Remember that the first real fun you get out of baseball and softball is hitting. The choice of a good bat may make all the difference to whether your child learns to love the game or not.Labels: hitting
 
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