Bat Length or Bat Weight ????

[coachdan]

With fastpitch bats coming in many different weight from -8,-9,-10,-11-12 and some -13. My question is which is more important the length of the bat or the weight of the bat. I know that the more weight the more mass you have to hit the ball. So my question is :

Given the bat is the same weight. ie ( 21 oz)

Would it be better to hit with a
30 inch -9 = 21 oz
31 inch -10= 21 oz
32 inch -11 = 21oz
33inch -12 = 21oz

LENGTH OR WEIGHT ????

 

[LongBall]

For most players it all comes down to confidence in what you are using.

 

[druer]

Force is a product of both MASS and VELOCITY. So swinging a 100 pound bat at 1 mile an hour isn't going to get the job done. Likewise swinging a 1 ounce bat at 100 miles per hour also won't get the job done. My recommendation in terms of weight/mass is to swing the heaviest in which they can maintain great velocity with also.

Length = The closer their hands are to the bat head the more control they will have. The further away their hands are the less control they will have. If a girl has the size and the ability to control a 33 inch bat that gives her 3" of reach that a girl swinging a 30" bat doesn't have. But if she constantly just misses the ball, tips it, pops it up, puts into the ground etc, then that 3" is useless to her.

So the answer is BOTH/NEITHER are the most important. Each girls body style and swing style will dictate which bat is best for her. My recommendation is always that they try and use other players bats to try the different brands, materials, lengths, weights etc to find the one that she can both control and swing with maximum impact.

LongBall has the Reader's Digest version though --- It ALWAYS comes down to putting the bat in the girls hands that she KNOWS she will get a hit with.

 

[DiamondQueen32]

I have been using a 34" 24oz. bat since I was 14 years old. I am now 19. It all came down to me feeling comfortable swinging that size. It took some getting used to but now I use nothing lighter. My advice to young players is use what you are comfortable using. You can always adjust.

 

[ArmWhip]

One thing that is rarely brought up because it is often not checked out is that the manufacturer's stats for their bats are often very inaccurate. The worst in my daughter's arsenal is her Rocketech, it is a 31-22 however on the scale it weighs 23.6 oz. I also have 2 Worths, a Quad and and LQuad, they are both rated as 32-23 but weigh 24oz.