Wood bat practice

[PEPPERS]

Mike check for PM.

 

[PEPPERS]

An article from 1995 reference baseball and practicing with wood bats and an increase in BA – HR etc. This brings up a question wood bats are -3 or 32 length bat = 29 ounce bat. Softball bats are example -8 or -10 or 32 length = 24 or 22 ounce. The article is impressive in the data it provides on the advantages of practicing with a wood bat for this baseball team.

Would swinging wood bats for girls; do you thing the extra weight would be more harmful than the benefit of using the wood bats?

If you used wood would you hit from tee, soft-toss, front-toss only or use a machine also?



Training With Wood Builds Bat Speed by Coach Jim Cassalino | Learn at BaseballTips.com

Training With Wood Builds Bat Speed

After the 1995 fall season, one dozen wooden bats were purchased to conduct an experiment. The premise for this experiment was that if the players on the Kean College baseball team would train by swinging wood all winter long, then their average and power numbers would increase. For the spring season, the results were significant. The team batting average increased 37 points, from .299 to .336, and the home runs increased by 18, from 26 to 44. The team scored 110 additional runs compared to the previous season and were ranked sixth in the nation in Division Ill with 9.6 runs per game average. Our slugging percentage also increased from .443 to .526.

From one season to the next, it is difficult to compare team numbers because there are different players on the team, but all the returning players increased their average and power numbers.

The background for this experiment came about when a player from the 1994 team worked out on his own all winter with a wooden bat. In his junior year, he hit .339 with only two home runs. His senior year average was .384 with 11 home runs, 37 R.B.I.s and a slugging percentage of .783, which was a tremendous improvement in his numbers. If it worked for one player, the entire team could benefit from this training.

While growing up playing baseball, my bat was the thick-handled Jackie Robinson or Nellie Fox bat. This bat was used to get "good wood" even when I was jammed on an inside pitch. It would have been helpful to learn that it was more important to generate bat speed in the swing than to swing this heavy club.

Swinging wood for a period of time will build bat speed in the swing. Using a wood bat requires hitting the ball correctly for the ball to jump off the bat. The only way the ball jumps off the bat is if the bat is swung quickly, and the ball is hit on the "sweet" part of the bat. Most wood bats are top heavy and with repeated swinging, you will build bat speed. You'll notice a considerable difference after training with wood for a concentrated period of time and then swinging an aluminum bat. The bat will feel very light, and most players will have increased their bat speed.

To ensure that the wood bats would last, all the bats were taped with duct tape from the handle to about 12 inches from the end of the barrel. The duct tape was covered with athletic tape to reinforce the bats. With constant use, including preseason indoor practices by 16 position players, most of the bats lasted through the season. The bats still cracked while the hitters were learning the proper way to swing the bat. Additional duct and athletic tape was applied until the bat handle broke off. At the end of the indoor practice, six of the original 12 bats survived the pounding of thousands of swings and are ready for next season. The cost of this experiment was approximately $20 per wood bat for a total of $240.00.

Due to the success of this experiment, at the beginning of the '96 fall season, wood bats were used exclusively. The players will continue to train with wood until ten days prior to the spring Florida trip, and then they will be allowed to swing the aluminum bats. In addition to training with wood, an extensive total body weight lifting program must also be implemented to supplement this program for significant bat speed improvement.

 

[Mike]

Good article peppers, never got a pm I am assuming that was it.
So far so good, I have had a couple kids do a little hitting with the wood bats. I never told them the weight difference (wood is 3 to 4 oz heavier on average) and both said the wood bat felt lighter than there composites, maybe its how they are balanced? There swings (to the naked eye) look mechanically good. They were initially worried about stinging hands if contact wasnt good but they didnt have any problem with it. Bottom line is they both think the bats are cool and the ball sounds cool coming off of it and are excited about using wood over the winter, (who would have thought at u-14 they would be excited about a $24 dollar bat). Time will tell and I will keep a close eye but I am not worried about the extra weight.

 

[PEPPERS]

Sorry Mike. I did PM you a copy of this article, don't know what happen.

I ordered thE Bamboo bat and plan to do softtoss and tee work hitting baseball for winter work.
it runs -8 to -10, has small barrel. I saw a D1 teaming doing front toss using baseballs with this bat.

This article got me to wondering myself about the usefulness about practice with wood,
the metal wood bats are also great but about as heavey as the wood bats.

BamBooBat HBBBST Soft Toss Training Bat

MetalWood Bats Home

 

[Mike]

Did some hitting outside with the wood bats tonite off tees and me pitching and I gotta say we love it so far. It adds a whole other element of fun. I dont see any issues with the extra weight yet.

 

[softballphreak]

What benefits do you believe you are getting? How does it compare with their regular bats?

 

[PEPPERS]

The metal bats have a much larger sweet spot than the wood. The wood bats to get solid contact you have to be more preciece at contact to get the feel of a solid hit. The wood bats the hitter gets the feed back when balls are not squared up properly vs the metal bats where off center hits the feed bask is not as good. We use baseballs when hitting with the wood.

IMO.

 

[Mike]

What peppers said. A kid can make up for a poor swing with a composite bat but not with wood, the ball just doesnt go anywhere. Bat speed or lack of is noticed more. I wouldnt underestimate the fun factor either, its something different and they seem more engaged.

 

[PEPPERS]

I rememeber as a kid thoes great hits with a wood bat just felt so good!

 

[softballphreak]

I rememeber as a kid thoes great hits with a wood bat just felt so good!

Yep! I remember how good it felt when I thought I had just the right size bat; the end load throwing itself to the ball. That Click!!