Wood bat practice

[Greenmonsters]

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?

As a kid yeah, recently no, but I see no major issue if you start small and test a protype first. Get a beat up old wooden log and a 1/2" drill bit and an extender if necessary. Weigh the bat, drill out say 3 inches and weigh it again to calculate the weight/inch you dropped and then figure out if you need to go deeper or slightly wider to get the desired weight. Partially or completely fill the void w/ that expandable foam stuff and YOU or some other big stud hit some balls to ensure that it will hold up. Once thing to realize, regardless if its hollowed out or not, is that you may break a wooden bat or two if the girls hit a pitch near the handle (whether its hollowe out or not)!

 

[Cannonball]

Starting somewhere around the age of 12/13, my dd started hitting with wood. She started with a 32" composite wooden bat. Then, she progressed to a 33". By the time she was 14, she was hitting with a 33" composite wooden bat (Louisville Slugger) where I went as far as to tape the end of the bat for additional weight. This process, imo, forced her to not only understand connection but demonstrated to her how weak she became whenever she allowed her arms to extend prematurely. In fact, I posted video on several sites of her swings with this 33" Louisville Slugger bat. If I get a chance tomorrow, I'll see if I can find that video and post it. For her, she carries that bat with her everywhere. Of course my dd is a little stronger than some and a little bigger. I'd take that in to consideration. BTW, her 18U team practiced for the past 3 years with wood as they grew up.

 

[softballphreak]

I kind of like the idea of working them with wooden baseball bats. I do think you should try to get bats that fit them, though. I would let them use baseballs, also; both for fielding and hitting. I think they would benefit greatly by finding out how the bat, itself, makes a big difference. An end-weighted bat has its pluses.

Give it a try and keep us up on the results. Each kid doesn't have to have their own wooden bat. The guy that bought everyone in the bar a beer figured that out. He bought one beer and gave each person a straw.

 

[Mike]

The kids who swing 31's will be easy, the most extra weight will be 2 to 3 oz. The kids who swing 32's I will have to "modify" them a bit because the biggest drop I can find in that size is a -3. So if I am reading correctly people have less of a problem with a few extra oz than they do an inch smaller bat??? if they had to choose of course.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

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?

As an example, this Mizuno weighted traning bat is 32" & 33 oz.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Because you change the swing plane and it is the same reason we don't let them swing with weights on bats. I will give you more specifics when I get a chance.

As an FYI … if the objective is to get the barrel as close to 90-degrees to the body as possible, then the answer is to avoid using the arms to power the swing … which is why some people use weighted training bats in the first place … to encourage “swinging with the body” as opposed to “swinging with the arms”. Turning the arms off is the answer to a well-controlled swing plane, which is why it is so important to learn how to use the lower body in capturing transition of the barrel.

 

[obbay]

I use wooden bats off and on with my DDs (their regular bats are -8's and -9's). I try to get my players to practice dryswings with wooden bats too. I think the idea of training with wooden bats is a good one, but as is true with many training techniques, you have to find the ones that are helpful to the individual. some kids can hit heavy balls, some kids hurt their wrists. some kids can train with wooden bats right away while others need to ease into it. Kids who are used to swinging -12 bats are going to need a LOT of supervision. my opinion - I think that all players can benefit from dry swings and supervised tee work with wooden bats.

with wood bats you have to hit the ball correctly to hit well. there is instant feedback.

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

Starting somewhere around the age of 12/13, my dd started hitting with wood. She started with a 32" composite wooden bat. Then, she progressed to a 33". By the time she was 14, she was hitting with a 33" composite wooden bat (Louisville Slugger) where I went as far as to tape the end of the bat for additional weight. This process, imo, forced her to not only understand connection but demonstrated to her how weak she became whenever she allowed her arms to extend prematurely. In fact, I posted video on several sites of her swings with this 33" Louisville Slugger bat. If I get a chance tomorrow, I'll see if I can find that video and post it. For her, she carries that bat with her everywhere. Of course my dd is a little stronger than some and a little bigger. I'd take that in to consideration. BTW, her 18U team practiced for the past 3 years with wood as they grew up.

Very nice CB!

Regarding the bold above ... that's the difference between "hitting with the body" with a F = M x A of the 'body+barrel' versus simply "hitting with the barrel" and hitting with considerably less mass. That's the reason someone with a good connected swing, that uses their 'body' can drive the snot out of the ball.

 

[PEPPERS]

At one of the hitting stations at Alabama Softball I noticed they were doing front toss with baseballs and the players were using wooden bats with a small diameter barrel.

 

[Mike]

The bold above is my main reason along with narrowing there vision and better pitch selection. I am beginning to not worry as much about a few extra ounces, as long as we are careful at first.