Some other questions about bats

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Mar 30, 2011
34
0
Ok so I'm curious, lets say you have 2 bats one is 31-20 and the other is 33-20

First question, would the longer length affect the bat speed even if its the same weight?

Now lets change it to a 31-20 and a 31-18. Although higher bad speed is generated on the lighter one, in my mind it still has less mass which means less inertia.

My second question is, do higher bat speeds with a lighter bat trump lower bat speeds with a heavier bat (with the 2oz difference I'm referencing).

My last question is why is it thought that the lower the drop vs. length rate the better.
 
Mar 30, 2011
34
0
Great read, basically what I got is 2 oz wont make much of a difference. I didn't however, see any reference to length in the equations.
 
Mar 3, 2011
79
0
Ohio
Proud papa, my DD's batting coach told us that bat speed means very little because the power of the hit is really coming from the ball. That's why composite bats are the current technology in bats because they use the force of the ball. Our batting coach always stressed the quality of the contact is far more important than the speed of the bat. Now this may be because he was instructing young HS students and the contact should be what they focus on, I don't know for sure.
 
Oct 13, 2010
666
0
Georgia
Proud papa, my DD's batting coach told us that bat speed means very little because the power of the hit is really coming from the ball. That's why composite bats are the current technology in bats because they use the force of the ball. Our batting coach always stressed the quality of the contact is far more important than the speed of the bat. Now this may be because he was instructing young HS students and the contact should be what they focus on, I don't know for sure.

While it is true that hitting the ball on the 'sweet spot' is important, bat speed is critical. If you don't believe that, then just ask your self why a bunt (0mph batspeed) will NEVER go as far as a ball that is hit by a swinging bat, even if not hit exactly on the sweet spot.

A ball pitched at 60mph, hit by a bat swung at 60mph, will go much further than by a bat swung at 40mph. I think it has to do in part with deflection. IOW, the ball will try to stop the bat at contact, but the faster the bat is swung, the more momentum it has, and the less the ball will be able to slow it's progress.

Weight will also add to the momentum of the bat. As far as which one makes more of a difference, I don't know. I'll leave that to the scientists. But for our purposes, the heaviest bat you can swing with your fastest bat speed will give the best power.

Proud Papa, as for the length issue, it is more of an issue of weight placement. Your example of a 31-20 vs. 33-20, the 33-20 will move the bats center of gravity further from the hands, making it feal heavier. It may be harder to controll.

And by the way, 2 oz. will make a big difference in softball bat tearms.
 
Last edited:
May 8, 2009
174
18
Florida
I'll jump in on this one. It is linked as you all know. A longer bat will decrease bat speed given all other variables are the same. Same goes with heavier bat same length. For quetion one - if the center of mass on the longer bat is further out from the knob then it will be harder to swing that bat - the result is slower bat speed. However, as the center of mass moves toward the handle, it will be increasing easier to swing, but the energy transfered to the ball will also decrease (picture a bat with ALL of the weight in the knob).

For question 2 - the equation is momentum - mass times velocity. The heavier bat will swing slower but the increased mass will offset that. Opposite with a lighter bat - faster velocity but lower mass. The lighter just gives more time to react.

ITC - the reason better bats perform as they do is not a result of the ball, but a result of what they don't do to the ball - deformation, heat and noise. The bat effectively gives and returns to its shape (trampoline effect) throwing that energy into the collision.
 
Last edited:
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
While it is true that hitting the ball on the 'sweet spot' is important, bat speed is critical. If you don't believe that, then just ask your self why a bunt (0mph batspeed) will NEVER go as far as a ball that is hit by a swinging bat, even if not hit exactly on the sweet spot.

A ball pitched at 60mph, hit by a bat swung at 60mph, will go much further than by a bat swung at 40mph. I think it has to do in part with deflection. IOW, the ball will try to stop the bat at contact, but the faster the bat is swung, the more momentum it has, and the less the ball will be able to slow it's progress.

Weight will also add to the momentum of the bat. As far as which one makes more of a difference, I don't know. I'll leave that to the scientists. But for our purposes, the heaviest bat you can swing with your fastest bat speed will give the best power.

Proud Papa, as for the length issue, it is more of an issue of weight placement. Your example of a 31-20 vs. 33-20, the 33-20 will move the bats center of gravity further from the hands, making it feal heavier. It may be harder to controll.

And by the way, 2 oz. will make a big difference in softball bat tearms.

So basically

E=MC2
 
Mar 30, 2011
34
0
Well I saw the longer bat in action at my daughters last game. A gal on her team who is a great hitter (when she connects) has always struggled at getting around on the pitches. I noticed when her bat was leaning against the fence how much longer it was then all the other players. When I took a peek at it I noticed it was a 33-21. Keep in mind this girl is maybe 5ft but my guess is 85lbs. She did get a hold of one finally and just crushed it to the center field fence. I guess I would rather my DD get a hold of more with less distance then to be making contact only 25% of the time but crushing them. I'm going to keep her with a 31-20 for now.
 
Apr 1, 2010
1,675
0
Ok, I'm a little nutty, but I've added a 30-18 to the 30-20 in my daughter's bat bag. The lighter bat is for really fast pitchers and for when she's tired.

I watched her battle a real fireball pitcher last fall and she fouled off about half a dozen pitches down the first base side before finally hitting one fair down the line. --Was still an out, but did move the runner, coaches were pleased. :)

I don't know if two ounces less would have given her the bat speed to send that hit past the first baseman, but maybe. And it might be a psychological help. Confidence matters.
 
Oct 13, 2010
666
0
Georgia
Confidence makes a big difference, as in "I'm going to hit the ball", verses "She's too fast for me". Using a lighter bat may help reverse these two thoughts. But the reason for the confidence would probably come from the fact that they know they can swing the lighter bat quicker.

Ted Williams said he always used a 33 oz. bat, and drove the manufacturer crazy sending bats back if they were too heavy. He kept a scale in the clubhouse or took them to the post office to weigh them. The rep came to him one time with 6 bats, one was 1/2 oz heavier than the others. He laid them out on the bed and told TW to pick which one was heavier, and he did, every time. TW was a whole lot stronger than our DDs, so if 1/2 oz made that much difference to him, just imagine how much difference 2oz makes to our girls.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,477
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top