A thought on bat weight and early bat manipulation

[clemenslee1]

Hi guys, With all the talk about Early bat manipulation, TTB etc. We often look to MLB players to see what they do. If they are manipulating the bat early or whatever. Is it maybe that they can do those things because of their sheer size and strength. Therefore the bat weights other than some like Ruth that used a Heavy bat, is really not a factor. Which frees them up mechanically. Put it this way. I can put a t-ball bat in my 8yr old hands and her mechanics suddenly make a huge (What I consider huge) leap for the better. Put her normal bat in her hands and things start to suffer. Just a thought I had.

 

[wheresmycar]

For young hitters, I believe the lighter the bat, the better. When I was coaching 8 and 10u rec, i encouraged all of my parents of new players needing bats to look at drop 13 bats.

Both of my DDs used a Demarini Bustos -13 in 8u. My second DD got her first composite 2nd year of 8u, a -11 CF8, but that was her 4th or 5th year playing.

 

[clemenslee1]

For young hitters, I believe the lighter the bat, the better. When I was coaching 8 and 10u rec, i encouraged all of my parents of new players needing bats to look at drop 13 bats.

Both of my DDs used a Demarini Bustos -13 in 8u. My second DD got her first composite 2nd year of 8u, a -11 CF8, but that was her 4th or 5th year playing.

My DD is 2nd yr 8u and uses a -11

 

[efastball]

"maybe that they can do those things because of their sheer size and strength. "

Early bat speed has zero to do with strength. It's a simple technique.

99% of kids have bat drag. So Dads focus on everything but fixing bat drag. Bats, drills, workouts, running, pep talks, whatever.

If you have have bat drag, it makes no difference what bat you use. Light or heavy won't fix it. A new $499 drop 50 bat won't fix it. There is an urgent need to fix this. It's a fatal flaw that usually causes your kid to end their softball prematurely.

When you have finished softball, you will realize that Time is your enemy.

[thanks for listening to my rant]

 

[clemenslee1]

"maybe that they can do those things because of their sheer size and strength. "

Early bat speed has zero to do with strength. It's a simple technique.

99% of kids have bat drag. So Dads focus on everything but fixing bat drag. Bats, drills, workouts, running, pep talks, whatever.

If you have have bat drag, it makes no difference what bat you use. Light or heavy won't fix it. A new $499 drop 50 bat won't fix it. There is an urgent need to fix this. It's a fatal flaw that will cause your kid to end their softball prematurely.

When you have finished softball, you will realize that Time is your enemy.

[thanks for listening to my rant]

The point I'm making is that because of their size and strength they are not dealing with the weight of the bat. I'm not talking about bat drag etc.

 

[efastball]

Any 8 yr old should be able to handle a bat of 19 oz or smaller, if they have early bat speed.

TTB is a technique that assists with turning extra bat weight around. You are using your entire body to turn the bat, not just your arms/hands, as with bat drag.

 

[clemenslee1]

Any 8 yr old should be able to handle a bat of 19 oz or smaller, if they have early bat speed.

TTB is a technique that assists with turning extra bat weight around. You are using your entire body to turn the bat, not just your arms/hands, as with bat drag.

Agree we don't just use arms and hands to swing a bat.

I don't disagree that a 8yr old can swing a 19oz or smaller bat. I just wonder what a bat in the hands of MLB player feels like. I'm not and never have been in that type of physical condition.

 

[_MIA_]

Agree we don't just use arms and hands to swing a bat.

I don't disagree that a 8yr old can swing a 19oz or smaller bat. I just wonder what a bat in the hands of MLB player feels like. I'm not and never have been in that type of physical condition.

To be honest when I would go from an aluminum bat in college ball to a wood bat in summer ball, which was probably at least a 4 or 5 oz difference, the weight didn't feel any different. What felt different was when you got jammed

 

[clemenslee1]

To be honest when I would go from an aluminum bat in college ball to a wood bat in summer ball, which was probably at least a 4 or 5 oz difference, the weight didn't feel any different. What felt different was when you got jammed

And that's my point, they are not dealing with the weight of the bat. I'm not saying that a female athlete cannot handle a bat, but and maybe I'm wrong they are not going to handle it the same as a MLB player.

 

[_MIA_]

And that's my point, they are not dealing with the weight of the bat. I'm not saying that a female athlete cannot handle a bat, but and maybe I'm wrong they are not going to handle it the same as a MLB player.

Who knows..probably not something I would worry about though