Looking at moving to a drop 9 bat

[CoreSoftball20]

I have no idea why people say dont do drop9s or 8s.

Kids get stronger...just seems parents want kids to stop at 33/23...haha. You can push past and get better
results if kids can handle the bigger bats as well. Not saying your kid should move up...but dont follow
the thoughts of omg, cant do anything but drop10s. Kids are in the weight rooms training nowadays, getting stronger...than
people want to keep them at bats too light when they could get better power.
But yet when they are young...you try and move them up as quick as possible

I will say, this is prob the reason as many bats break like they do at 33/23s. If a big kid is swinging a lighter bat and it breaks, people
say she is swinging too light of a bat for her strength. But yet when they get to 33/23, people act like girls stop getting stronger.
So you have girls who could handle bigger bats, but hitting bats lighter than they should.

Again, not saying yours should move up...i was just talking in general.

 

[Strike2]

I wouldn't consider the lower drop until you're at a full-sized bat (34"). I'm not sure what the point of a drop 9/8 on a 33" is anyway. If you're that big and strong, grab the 34 and work from there. As others have noted, it's the actual weight of the bat that matters, not what it says on the label. I know from personal experience that 1-2 ounces can make a big difference, and not in a good way.

 

[erniekru]

Probably the single best thing DD did recently was to switch from a 33-10 to a 34-10. Plate coverage is great and the ball just GOES!! She is very strong but not exceptionally tall, 5'7 and 145. She works out a TON.. I'd personally go 34 before 33-9.... Just my $.02

 

[erniekru]

I have no idea why people say dont do drop9s or 8s.

Kids get stronger...just seems parents want kids to stop at 33/23...haha. You can push past and get better
results if kids can handle the bigger bats as well. Not saying your kid should move up...but dont follow
the thoughts of omg, cant do anything but drop10s. Kids are in the weight rooms training nowadays, getting stronger...than
people want to keep them at bats too light when they could get better power.
But yet when they are young...you try and move them up as quick as possible

I will say, this is prob the reason as many bats break like they do at 33/23s. If a big kid is swinging a lighter bat and it breaks, people
say she is swinging too light of a bat for her strength. But yet when they get to 33/23, people act like girls stop getting stronger.
So you have girls who could handle bigger bats, but hitting bats lighter than they should.

Again, not saying yours should move up...i was just talking in general.

So true!

Also, its amazing how the rather smaller boys at 13yo or figure out how to swing the -5 and -3 BBCOR bats but our DD's are stuck at -10!

 

[Westwind]

I think there are some good comments above, especially from Core.

The basis for my advice was merely that once you start going down the low drop path, you limit available bats. Everything is special order.

I also think you give up some adjustability. I think some players are forced commit to pitches too early with heavier bats.

All this happens because a parent actually believes the “force equals mass whatever whatever” will result in farther hit balls. It usually doesn’t and it causes the hitter to go backwards for awhile. Then the player catches up and the parent does it to the player again.

Imho, when a parent says their player is hitting well with a -10, don’t change it.

More hr’s are hit with -10 bats than any other bat. Probably by a factor of 10. Why bother.

I also think parents assume that every bat rack in college ball is littered with low drop bats. They aren’t. And if your kid isn’t years ahead of her age and strength training 3-4x a week with a trainer, they ain’t comparable to a college hitter anyway.

 

[CoreSoftball20]

I agree with you WW...what I mean is when girls are capable of swinging drop8s or 9s. Im not saying
move them up just for the heck of it. But if they can handle it, do it.

More homers are hit with drop10s...because nobody swings anything else...that stat is kinda not even usable
because of the fact nobody allows the girl to swing what she can so its such a low number who swing 8's or 9s. A girl that can handle a drop8 or 9 will hit harder. Thats like saying most homers are hit with Eastons, Demars and LSs...haha.
If you can handle an 8 or 9...you do not lose bat control because the bat fits you.

Again, people dont let it happen to find out how their dd will do because its taboo...thats the problem.
Funny, girls will swing 33/23s at 14...then what, no girl gets stronger? They must stop even though
they weight train and everything else

 

[Westwind]

I agree Core and I’ve actually argued the same, lol!

Heck my youngest swung a -9 since her first year of 10’s (Rocketech) and a Xeno in 14’s. Later… the -8’s. She just liked that feel.

I think what made me start thinking this way was when her college moved her to a 34/24 and her hitting coach started changing some of her mechanics. It seemed like she didn’t swing the bat as hard and she hit the ball even further. But who knows… she started the year with a -9 and ended with a -10. There was also a lot of strength training in that year.

IDK- I used to think I knew something about hitting and bats but sometimes I doubt everything I thought was true, lol

 

[Westwind]

I’ll add that dd doesn’t think her school had any deep thoughts about what bat she was using. When she broke the -9 LXT they handed her a -10 because that’s what they had.

She just broke that one and I guess because of supply chain issues the equipment dude apologized and said he didn’t think he had a new one for her lol. Since they are ordering custom game bats she thought she could live with that, lol

All that to say that while I fussed about every bat she ever swung, maybe it wasn’t necessary too put myself through that.

 

[uncdrew]

Yeah, my 11 year old swings a drop 9. *shrug*

 

[Orange Socks]

DD texted me yesterday that she found a 2018 Ghost 34-9 in the shed at the field. She says she was killing it. Asst coach told her to keep it. We shall see.