Wood bat practice

[Mike]

I should clarify its not about swinging a heavier bat in which I do agree with you Amy, its just that is a byproduct of wood, you just cant get them in as big of a drop. You can get wood in a 2-1/4 inch barrel just like any other bat though. My whole reason is a smaller sweet spot, my wifes grandpa used to say when hunting, "aim small miss small'. I know you can probably tape the barrel and see where the ball is contacting the bat but the problem is you can miss by 3 inches and still get a solid hit, its a placebo effect to the kids. With wood you make solid contact or you dont. They will be forced to select pitches they can handle. I believe in my way of thinking but you bring up solid concerns about the weight issue.

I will look into chris's suggestion about the cheap metal bats. At least they can be sized correctly.

Do boys cheap metal bats have smaller sweet spots than girls metal bats?

 

[undergroundga]

I have read in a couple other places on the internet that many people in the baseball community think metal bats are destroying the swing in baseball. Several of the sites recommend the use of wood bats in practice and only useing the metal bats during the game.
If I remember correctly the wood bats force you to make more solid contact and provide better feedback.
I am no expert just repeating what I have read elsewhere, on baseball sites. If this is true for baseball and we are trying to get our girls to use baseball swings shouldn't it be true for softball?
I do think the weight would be an issue, but I would be willing to bet that you can get a wood bat to have more of a drop. Just ask Sammy Sosa.

 

[Mike]

How much weight is to much? I was just looking again and the 2 models I am looking at are a -6 to -8 and the other is -8. The kids who normally swing 31/21's I will get them a 30" in wood, the kids who swing 32/22's I will get 31" in wood. That puts the overall weight difference from 1 to 3 oz. Doesnt seem like to much to me, what do you think?

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I should clarify its not about swinging a heavier bat in which I do agree with you Amy, its just that is a byproduct of wood, you just cant get them in as big of a drop. You can get wood in a 2-1/4 inch barrel just like any other bat though. My whole reason is a smaller sweet spot, my wifes grandpa used to say when hunting, "aim small miss small'. I know you can probably tape the barrel and see where the ball is contacting the bat but the problem is you can miss by 3 inches and still get a solid hit, its a placebo effect to the kids. With wood you make solid contact or you dont. They will be forced to select pitches they can handle. I believe in my way of thinking but you bring up solid concerns about the weight issue.

I will look into chris's suggestion about the cheap metal bats. At least they can be sized correctly.

Do boys cheap metal bats have smaller sweet spots than girls metal bats?

I deliberately buy my son mid performance bats (mostly Reflex and Omaha). That way he's not swinging a log, but he has to work for hits.

I stay away from the fancy, $300 bats because I see lots of guys swinging them at the cages, impressing their buddies and girlfriends, and getting away with (and reinforcing) terrible swings.

This year I'm looking for a bat for my daughter and I'm debating whether to buy a Worth Toxic because I'm concerned it will be too hot and will give her cheap hits.

P.S. Last I checked, Easton's Magnum BB bat is a -8. The sweet spot is probably a bit smaller.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I have read in a couple other places on the internet that many people in the baseball community think metal bats are destroying the swing in baseball. Several of the sites recommend the use of wood bats in practice and only useing the metal bats during the game.
If I remember correctly the wood bats force you to make more solid contact and provide better feedback.
I am no expert just repeating what I have read elsewhere, on baseball sites. If this is true for baseball and we are trying to get our girls to use baseball swings shouldn't it be true for softball?

This is true, but the issue is the weight of wood and the (negative) effect it can have on the hitter's swing. I'm a huge fan of wood for HS and college baseball players.

14U female softball players are right on the borderline.

P.S. There is HUGE variation in wood bats, so if you're just buying off of length you could either do great or have a real problem. I was in the other store hefting wood bats and thinking about buying a wood bat for my 6th grade son (I decided not to). I hefted two different bats of the same length and one was a -5 and the next bat, which was the same exact length and model, had to have been a +5. This might not be an issue with the certified drop wood bats that I have seen, but I'd still be cautious.

 

[TigerJeff]

Mike,

I would stick to your original plan with wood bats. The worry that you have with bat weight is easy to fix. Think Sammy Sosa and Albert Belle! That's right cork it! It is very easy to do (if you aren't trying to cheat). All you need is a drill, wood glue and some old tennis balls.
I have (as well as many college coaches) used wood bats for drills for exactly reasons you listed. All of my buddies that had the weight concern thanked me for the cork suggestion. It works. If you have a scale, you can be precise on how much weight you take off.

 

[undergroundga]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Mike,

I would stick to your original plan with wood bats. The worry that you have with bat weight is easy to fix. Think Sammy Sosa and Albert Belle! That's right cork it! It is very easy to do (if you aren't trying to cheat). All you need is a drill, wood glue and some old tennis balls.
I have (as well as many college coaches) used wood bats for drills for exactly reasons you listed. All of my buddies that had the weight concern thanked me for the cork suggestion. It works. If you have a scale, you can be precise on how much weight you take off.

I have done this, too.

I turned a regular T141 into an infield fungo.

You don't need to cork it, just leave the bat hollow or throw a dowel in the end so nothing gets into the hole.

What works best is a forstner bit. The only thing is I haven't found a really long one. I've thought about doing a pilot hole with a forstner bit and then finishing it with a longer spiral bit.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Practicing w/ a different length bat makes absolutely no sense to me. Hollowing out or corking the bat to adjust the wt addresses the drop issue and allows the girls to swing the same LENGTH bat as their gamers.

 

[Mike]

I'm not in love with the idea of using a different length, I didnt think of hollowing it out to drop the weight. That said I'm not in love with the idea of hollowing it out either, have you done it?