Another bat weight question - can it be too light?

I go with person I am paying, if I do not like what they are saying I will pay a different person.

I do not know how big you are but I will hurt myself if I swing DD's Bat with 2 hands, way to small for me.

(If that came off as minimizing Rec.coach I apologize, there are a lot of great ones out there.)

FiveFrameSwing said:

Not interested in defying physics. Sir Isaac Newton was spot on with F=MxA. As you improve your mechanics the 'A' will increase ... and hence the 'F' will improve in kind ... all compliments to basic physics.

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Well, as mechanics improve, the Force the hitter applies to the bat increases, thus increasing bat's Acceleration. But as mass of bat increases, so does the Acceleration of bat decrease. Heavier bats WILL decrease bat speed.

Can a bat be too light? Definitely. Too light, and a player will over-swing (swing too fast), and lose control of bat.

Since OP's DD is still playing Rec ball, I feel compelled to ask if they have already moved up into a composite bat?

wheresmycar said:

Well, as mechanics improve, the Force the hitter applies to the bat increases, thus increasing bat's Acceleration. But as mass of bat increases, so does the Acceleration of bat decrease. Heavier bats WILL decrease bat speed.

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Here's the part of the equation that's missing...human adaption to an increased demand.

Initially, swing speed may decrease. However, what I have seen while working with young players, is that they grow - getting stronger and faster - and adapt to the increased weight, resulting in better result. Sometimes it takes a little bit for the adaption to take place, but will happen.

The other thing that sometimes happens (as has already been noted) is that swing mechanics may improve when required to handle a heavier load, recruiting more of the powerful lower body and core muscles to get involved.

I think we can all agree that a bat can be way too light or way to heavy for a player. Either one will be detrimental to the player's performance. Finding the "right" bat involves a lot of variables, and is subject to human preference.

wheresmycar said:

Since OP's DD is still playing Rec ball, I feel compelled to ask if they have already moved up into a composite bat?

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No, she's still using alloy (even in all-stars they use RIF balls in 8U) but the next bat may not be. I've had a hard time finding alloy bats in her size that aren't easily dented, so we may try a used composite bat.

If using RIF ball, you have it right. Do not bother with comp. Bat.

She is denting an aluminum bat hitting RIF balls?

She has to be one strong player.

Although DD is a strong kid, I think she's denting bats because the only ones we find in her size are cheap $25 bats and they aren't holding up to games and lessons and hitting heavy balls and taking BP in the cages.

I just want her to have a bat that will last her through all-stars and into the fall.

Lightning said:

Although DD is a strong kid, I think she's denting bats because the only ones we find in her size are cheap $25 bats and they aren't holding up to games and lessons and hitting heavy balls and taking BP in the cages.

I just want her to have a bat that will last her through all-stars and into the fall.

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Well, if you do not move to composite, there are not many 30" aluminum bats with -10 drop to choose from. I think Easton makes a couple, and they are in the sub $40 price range. So, when your pitching coach says, buy a 30/20, what I think he is really saying is "buy a composite".

I think hitting RIF balls would certainly benefit from the composite technology, so I would not let that deter you, and a good 30" composite bat would probably last through 10u. Although, when she get's 5'2"ish, she may be ready for a 31" bat.

I think it's a good idea to start with used, because if she is denting aluminum bats, she may likely break a composite bat. Something is not right... maybe it's the heavy ball drills, maybe she is hitting something besides softballs (baseballs?). With normal use, denting aluminum bats shouldn't happen often. Weight wise, I would not go heavier than -11.

Eric F said:

Finding the "right" bat involves a lot of variables, and is subject to human preference.

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Absolutely! I know some players will have a lighter bat in their bag to use against faster pitchers because all things being equal the same player will usually generate more bat speed with the lighter bat. I had one player who was a decent gap hitter who loved to swing a lighter bat because she had better bat speed with it and she claimed she could wait an instant longer before committing to the swing and it helped her make more solid contact. I can't argue with her results. Other girls want to swing the heaviest bat they can comfortably swing. One thing that I think is almost universal is that if a kid is hitting well nobody messes with anything. If a kid is struggling, we want to questions her mechanics, her bat, what she ate for lunch, etc...