Bat size

[Westwind]

Anyways, my point is height and weight aren't the only thing to go by. Try a few bats and see what she likes the best, because she'll probably hit the best with the one she likes the feel of the best, regardless of whether anyone else thinks it's a fit for her.

I agree 100% with this, to me the ideal next step is trying as many bats as you can that you think are close to the right size. I prefer front toss that simulates live pitching as close as possible. (Machine is good but they can get away with committing early.) Look at trajectory, distance and whether she’s on time and is hitting to all fields.

 

[MikeP]

My standard bat sizing post:

1) Measure the width of her shoulders and multiply times two. This will be very close to the correct length. Adjust weight of bat from there. This works great and no one does it. Some would rather look at some dumb chart on a bat marketing site that is from 1989.

2) An inch too long is more detrimental than an ounce too heavy.

3) Never, ever buy a bat "she can grow in to". Don't do it.

4) I get argument on this one but I say avoid -11 once they are older than 10u/12u. Try to stay with -10.

5) It is a complete fallacy that an inch of bat length translates to added plate coverage. Don't fall into that trap.

6) Not all college players swing 34's. A lot swing 33's. Really think about whether a youth player needs a 33 or 34. See #1 above.

7) In your daughters case, because she grew rapidly, don't be in too big of a hurry. One inch and one ounce at a time.

8) Parents can ruin swings by increasing bat length and weight too fast.

9) Some kids like and perform well with a heavier feel. You just have to be really careful with that. I'm not 100% convinced that low drop bats correlate directly to power hitting. All the algebra in the world has yet to convince me of that lol.

10) It doesn't matter one bit if your kid can hit a 250' home run against bad pitching. What matters is whether she can hit the ball hard on Sunday in the championship game against the best pitcher she faces all weekend.

I have made mistakes #2,3,&5. Don't do it!

 

[ANNASDAD]

My standard bat sizing post:

1) Measure the width of her shoulders and multiply times two. This will be very close to the correct length. Adjust weight of bat from there. This works great and no one does it. Some would rather look at some dumb chart on a bat marketing site that is from 1989.

2) An inch too long is more detrimental than an ounce too heavy.

3) Never, ever buy a bat "she can grow in to". Don't do it.

4) I get argument on this one but I say avoid -11 once they are older than 10u/12u. Try to stay with -10.

5) It is a complete fallacy that an inch of bat length translates to added plate coverage. Don't fall into that trap.

6) Not all college players swing 34's. A lot swing 33's. Really think about whether a youth player needs a 33 or 34. See #1 above.

7) In your daughters case, because she grew rapidly, don't be in too big of a hurry. One inch and one ounce at a time.

8) Parents can ruin swings by increasing bat length and weight too fast.

9) Some kids like and perform well with a heavier feel. You just have to be really careful with that. I'm not 100% convinced that low drop bats correlate directly to power hitting. All the algebra in the world has yet to convince me of that lol.

10) It doesn't matter one bit if your kid can hit a 250' home run against bad pitching. What matters is whether she can hit the ball hard on Sunday in the championship game against the best pitcher she faces all weekend.

This should be a sticky! Great post Ww!

 

[Rolling Hard]

She is 5’7 98lbs with ok strength and is 14. Any tips or suggestions

bananas and cheeseburgers! LOL

 

[uncdrew]

5) It is a complete fallacy that an inch of bat length translates to added plate coverage. Don't fall into that trap.

I will cover the plate more with a 32 inch bat than I will with a 3 inch bat. Help me understand your point above (please).

 

[_MIA_]

I will cover the plate more with a 32 inch bat than I will with a 3 inch bat. Help me understand your point above (please).

His point was probably that if you cannot hit an outside pitch it is more than likely mechanical and adding an inch in bat length won't fix that..

 

[Westwind]

What Pattar said

There is more than an inch of adjustment in a good swing, right? Or really more than 4 inches, right?

I’m not saying every high schooler should swing a 30” but I will say there are WAAAY more high schoolers that should be swinging 32’s than 34’s. My evidence? The fact that most college players are swinging 33’s and -10 34’s. The difference between a good hs sophomore and a good college sophomore in the category of strength alone is night and day.

It is my opinion that most youth players leave the game because they can’t hit well enough. It is also my opinion that most youth players aren’t hitting well because they are swinging a bat that is too big or because they don’t practice well.

It isn’t because they don’t have a super duper batting coach. It isn’t because their dad mom or coach doesn’t spend enough time mincing cues or video in the Tech Hitting forum. It’s the two things I said above.

 

[julray]

Point 3, best advice ever given when deciding a new bat. Also when performing front toss, mix it up, this will give you better indication then throwing a big fat meatball every time. Most kids can drop a bat that's heavy for them on a pitch low and down the middle and tag it. What about high inside though?

Personal experience, if you have two bats that are the same in length but similar in weight and can't decide. I'm going with the lighter bat specifically for those Sunday games. I've seen 18u players still using the CF8 -11 and still crushing the ball. Barrel it up with today's tech and materials, won't make a difference if it's drop -11 or drop 9. Most important thing is control, JMHO

 

[Westwind]

I was able to ask my older dd who played at a mid-major for two years before a career ending injury how many players swung 34’s on her team. She said “not very many-three or four maybe?” That was a 20+ roster, some of those players are of legal drinking age and have been strength training daily for at least four years.....

 

[DrRiello]

She is 5’7 98lbs with ok strength and is 14. Any tips or suggestions

bananas and cheeseburgers! LOL

Lmao.



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