Rocketech

My DD plays on a 10u club team. She is 11yrs old and is tall for her age (5'2"). At the start of the season she was swinging a 30" RT. At the request of her hitting coach we upgraded to the 31" RT. Both bats are older models (2006). She loves the RT because of the pop when she hits the sweet spot. During practice she absolutely crushes the ball. Coach pitch, soft toss, tee work, etc. However, she is struggling against live pitching in games. The pitching varies from inning to inning, game to game. Against slower pitchers she will use the 31" and the 30" against the "flamethrowers." When I take her to the batting cage (45-50mph) she can use either bat, but it does take her 8-10 pitches to get her timing down. Many girls on her team are swinging much lighter bats ... DeMarini Bustos is very popular. I know she has timing issues, but am wondering if the RT is making the situation worse. Thoughts? Any and all advice is appreciated.

Way2Be,

My DD sounds about the same size and age as yours (5'3" 115 lbs) She loves the RT but I have seen first hand that it caused a lot of bat drag. The 30" which has a posted weight of 21oz is actually 23.3 oz and she also has the 31" RT which says it's 22oz but actually it's almost 24.5 oz. I bet when your DD hits the ball in games it's a soft ground ball or a pop up. (This is what my DD was doing)

I would suggest that if you haven't already get some slow motion video of her and see if she isn't dragging the bat into the zone. If she is dragging the bat then you will have to fix this. In practice and in the cage your DD will see multiple pitches at the same speeded and will be able to adjust her timing to compensate for dragging the bat but in games she will never see enough pitches to adjust and be sucsessfull. (If this is what she is doing then it will take a lot of work to correct her muscle member even if you go and put a lighter bat in her hands.)

I know myself that I would never put a bat in my DD's hands that was rated a 23 or 24 oz bat at her age and size that she is now.

I switched my DD to a 31" 21oz CF 5 insane & continuing to work on her swing. When you pick up the RT 30" and the insane 31" at the same time you can fill the differnce.

Just my 2 cents:

Stick with one bat and do more front toss. Is she getting front toss, prior to games? Whiffle balls are OK for that, but I prefer the TCB balls.

Here is what I understand about RTs and I am a big purchaser of them - 1.1 ounces of that weight is in the knob. The weight of the knob is essentially transparent in the swing. So the RockeTech feels heavier when static (not moving) but because of what the placement of the weight does to the MOI (the effort necessary to turn an object about a given axis) the effort necessary to swing it is the same as a bat that is actually much lighter. This is especially true of a trained hitter that has a mechanically sound hand path.

DD is 13, 5'6 and 110lbs. She swings a 32/23 RT. She has been crushing the ball this season after hitting ultra light (-12/-13) bats the past 2 years.

The older Rocketechs are notorious for weighing more than their advertised weight. My daughter had an 07 31-22 that weighed well over 24 oz, that's a lot especially when you take into account the fact that the RT's are end loaded.

ahiggins -

Similar case here but older DD (16yrs)

We went most all of HS with the RT. She definitely hurt some balls. We came up against a really fast drop-baller. DD struggled getting bat control down to the dropball. I feel it's the weight and a bit of controllability lost with that.

I begrudgingly bought a CF5 Insane (due to previous bad experience with durability).

But I gotta tell ya. With the Insane (same 34") DD here as a sophomore is looking like a big-leaguer. She is a noticeably more dynamic batter with the Insane.

Longest one yet was with the RT but the CF5 is not broken all the way in yet. Living here in the upper Midwest I believe I have found the perfect combo though. RT for slower and colder HS. Then CF5 Insane for late HS playoffs through TB.

I would have her stick with one bat . I don't let my DD switch bats between games or during games . We use one bat for an entire week in practice before she can uswe it on game day . Weight , length and distribution of weight can make a huge difference in her swing . I want the bat to feel like an old friend on game day not something she is trying to get used to .

She was using an 32/23 RT during the colder winter months but she was struggling against faster pitches so she went back to her 31/21 CF5 as soon as the weather warmed up .

The RT is a -9 end loaded bat. I would suggest getting your DD to borrow a -10 Xeno or Stealth (white) from a teammate to see how well she hits it in batting practice. Big hitters with strong wrists can crush it with a RT, but for average hitters a Xeno or Stealth is probably a better option.

AHiggins - I was laughing when I read your post. Do you know how many slow rollers back to the pitcher and weak fly balls I have watched her hit this year? Too many. As much as I love watching her hit with the RT in practice, I am going to have her try the lighter bats mentioned above. Most of the RT reviews I have read all admit that the RT will expose poor swings, since it is heavier and end loaded. Her hitting instructor is pleased with her hands and is impressed with the quickness she moves the bat through the zone, so I don't think bat drag is a problem. Before every game the coaches do soft toss and front toss with whiffle balls and she has no problems. If she can build confidence by getting the bat on the ball against faster pitching I am willing to give a lighter bat a try. This is getting expensive! I guess you can say I am hesitant to move away from the RT because of the investment, but I guess this is what being a softball dad is all about.

One more question ... is there really any drill that is a good substitute for hitting against a pitcher? It seems like the only time she faces pitched balls is on game day. Sometimes I think the soft toss, front toss, machine pitch, coach pitch creates a false sense of security. Thoughts?

I wonder about the weight of the RT sometimes. DD has only face on pitcher with some serious speed and junk that gave her any grief and that was working inside over the winter. I don't think she'd have much trouble hitting her now.

I pitch a modified front toss standing at 6-8ft with a 65-70 degree angle to the batter. Toss the ball to the batters front hip as you step forward, otherwise you might eat it. I have done this for years with warm ups and kids hit great. It beats side toss as the ball is coming from in front. The girls have to get on it quickly and it helps a lot with the inside pitch.

FWIW, DD will rip one low and inside, her favorite pitch.