On deck weights

[SBFAMILY]

Why Major League Baseball Needs to Change its On-Deck Routines - WSJ.com

Interesting article.. We have been telling kids this for a few years, don't swing a heavy bat or weight on deck.

 

[undergroundga]

Interesting. I have my dd practice with a bat that is 2.5 ozs heavier. No scientific reasoning, her game bat is composite and we all know how expensive those are. I have noticed that as tournaments go on and she doesn't uses composit bat more she tends to wait later to swing and hits more to right side. When we pepper in heavier bat for warmups she sprays ball all over field. Maybe that is scientific. No weights though.

 

[softballphreak]

I would have to ask how long that decrease in bat speed lasts? How many swings with their regular bat before it's back to speed? The psychological effect probably outweighs the physical effect.

"Baseball is 90% mental—the other half is physical," according to Yogi!

 

[RookKev]

Well, here is a view. Pretty good source.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Nice post. Heavy bat and weights proves a point. Not sure many in the baseball world will change.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Undergroundga, Perhaps your daughter is using too light of a game bat. It is very common for me to find young girls that could actually swing a heavier bat. I hope you are enjoying your new world of softball. Amy

 

[softballphreak]

So, in the video the batter lost .7 mph from a 69 mph swing. Doesn't seem to outweigh the confidence factor. Still wonder how many swings it would affect?

 

[RookKev]

I think what I saw was the contact point was so much different. The vibrations that he suffered with the mis-hit were tremendous. I know for my kids, if they get many of those, they start getting afraid of hitting the ball, bcause of the sting being so bad. Now, in the MLB, they know better, but for kids, little things like that play huge roles.

 

[SBFAMILY]

RookKev, that is exactly what I saw. That second swing was not as fast but boy was it ugly. We have seen the same thing in film using a heavy bat or weight. It changes the swing plane then they don't adjust at first.

 

[softballphreak]

We don't use them at all. But the pros are a different animal. What little difference they observed in the baseball test is insignificant.

A weighted bat used as a drill is just like any other drill, it can be overused. Same as a light bat.

Swinging a heavy bat in the on deck circle would, IMO, cause a lighter bat to swing slightly higher in the bat path. Very temporarily.