Thread: Are there any "absolutes" with bat length?

Took my girl to the cage to try out a bunch of different bats to see what she liked to swing. She could definitely tell where there balance points were, and was very consistent about preferring bats with a more even distribution. She was swinging a 30"/-11 all of last year, and towards the end of the season was swinging very fast. Figured we would end up with a 31"/-10.

What's killing me is she really liked the 32" -10....this is a 5'0" 75# 10 year old. I kept trying to trick her in between pitches with a 31"/10 and she still preferred the 32".

She doesn't like to crowd the plate or cast her arms out. Am I crazy, or is that just a little big?

The only absolute in bats is that almost everyone on dfp will suggest a lot bigger bats then everyone in real world is using.

My biggest 12u's (dd and 2 other girls/ between 5'6-5'10 probably 120-150#) are swing 32s and 33s -10.

Your dd will need a brett helmer long haul bomber bat by the time she's 14

Have her hold that bat at the end of the handle with one hand. Then have her hold that bat, wit the one had at the end, up even with her shoulder pointed straight away from her. If she can hold that for 60 seconds without shaking she is strong enough to bat with it. Otherwise I would suggest a 31 drop 11 or 12 bat. You made a comment about her bat speed being fast....That is a GREAT thing. She needs good bat speed. Everyone wants a heavier bat cause it will drive the ball more...and I agree it does...However it will slow them down and cause their back shoulder to drop. It will cause more problems them add benefit at her age. m2c

Thanks for the input. I'll probably sneak out to the store tomorrow morning and exchange it.

Would be pretty cool if there was more of a real world reference for bat/kid size then the standard charts. Seems like all the rec ball kids fit in them pretty well, but the tournament girls are all over the board.

I have 3 general bat sizing rules. 1) A hitter shouldn't swing a bat they don't like, regardless of whether the dislike pertains to balance, length, weight, grip, color, graphics etc. 2) If a hitter has developed a technically sound swing, there is no need to swing a -11 or -12 drop bat. 3) Never use a bat that you couldn't eat in one sitting if it were food.

Remembering that the hitter in question is a 75 pound 10-year old, I like a -10 or -11 drop, but unless she has a model swing thread type swing, common sense and bat rule #3 suggest that a 32/22 is too much club. IMO, at that age and size I wouldn't go longer than 30" for fear of retarding proper swing development.