bat weight?

[Michael N]

My personal opinion is that your DD should be swinging as heavy a bat as she can hit with . As my DD has been working with her batting coach improving her form the heavier bat doesn't seem to be a big deal for her to swing . My DD is 5'3 and 125 pounds and when she was using her Rocket Tech 31/22 she was absolutely hammering the ball in the cage . Unfortunately its not nearly as sexy as her 31/21 CF5 Demarini sent her to replace her cracked CF4 so it sits in the bag getting ignored . As soon as we go outdoors I am gonna make her use the Rocket Tech again just to see how much further she can hit with it as thats probably the only way I can get her to ignore the fact that it looks like the graphics were designed by a 13 year old boy

 

[RubberBiscuit]

DD here got her first TB grand slam this last weekend on her new RT. I don't believe there will be any other bat for her any more (yeah! I am done buying a CF every year!)

Well part of that reason I am done buying bats every year is that DD here is 16 and she is as big and strong as I think she will get in life and will not need to step up size of bat with physical growth any more (I think). She has a 34 RT.

The real point I want to make is this one supporting some of the messages above. => Swing mechanics are a HUGE factor to the bat length/weight you should get. At the end of the season last year I was very nervous about DD stepping up to the 34 RT which was heavier (proportionally) than her previous 33 CF's. Well after some absolutely amazing winter swing training by the new TB team coaches and then seeing my DD use that big RT this last weekend like she did, I am convinced it's the swing mechanics that decide length/weight.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Congrats with the new RT bat ... and on the grand slam.

I wouldn't be so certain that this will be her last bat however. Unlike the CF bats I have, I've gone through several RTs ... some that didn't even make it though an entire season. It's a fine bat, but not the most durable from my experience anyway. I have multiple cracked RTs at various spots around the house that I used to use to perform practice dry swings with ... but have since gravitated to heavier wooden bats. Great bat ... but you may find yourself needing a replacement at some point in the future.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

A cracked metal bat?!?!

Yikes, somebody must be hitting the cover off teh ball by you

Do you have any pictures of where this happens on the bat and to see what it looks like?

 

[Fastpitch Mom]

Just Bats . com solves your availability issue. I have bought a few bats from them and the service is good. Figure out what you need, and if Dick's doesn't have it. Order it on line.

This is the plan, once we figure out which bat is the right one for her.

-

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

A cracked metal bat?!?!

Yikes, somebody must be hitting the cover off teh ball by you

Do you have any pictures of where this happens on the bat and to see what it looks like?

Not "a" cracked metal bat ... but "multiple" cracked metal bats.

I've also had RT bats that didn't pass the umpire's ring test. Prior to cracking it wasn't uncommon for a RT to dimple, or basically deform/dent somewhat ... become less cylindrical.

I like the bat ... but if you use it heavily enough you'll go through them.

 

[Bouldersdad]

If you rotate the R/T after every contact like it is supposed to be done the life span will increase dramatically . If you keep hitting the same spot over and over yes it will turn into a brick bat. Any high quality multi wall will do that. we started using the R/T when the grandady of all R/Ts were on the market The 04. Despite a little pin issues mine would never use anything but the 04/05 R/T Thru all her years of travel an school ball.

Congrats on your dd,s success and im glad to see you have discovered the proper hand path to make a great bat like the R/T work.


Tim

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Bouldersdad ... we found that you basically have to rotate the RT ... it dents/deforms/wrinkles, and if you don't rotate it the deformation process speeds up. One of the advantages of this bat is that it teaches a hitter to continually rotate their barrel.

I'm only speculating with the following ... I question if Anderson made a change in the design somewhere around 2005. I remember the rattle issue, but the RTs I had afterward didn't hold up quite so well. It isn't like I cracked one or two either ... and it isn't like I don't like the barrel ... I do, which is why I kept purchasing them despite the lack of durability.

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Any issue using the R/T with pitching machines that use the hard, dimpled balls?

 

[Greenmonsters]

Any issue using the R/T with pitching machines that use the hard, dimpled balls?

Just the same issues you face w/ any bat - they all have a limited number of hits in them before breaking or going dead. If DD is in love w/ her gamer, pick up a used model of the same bat and use it for BP to save the gamer. Once they get bigger and stronger, IMO its not realistic to get more than a year out of a bat if its used for games and practices.