Finding The Right Youth Baseball Bat

Finding the right baseball bat for your children can be a bit overwhelming

. As someone who has been a baseball coach for many years, I've noticed a change in what parents look for in their youth's bat. "Golfer" syndrome has become the driving force when purchasing baseball bats.

Golfers syndrome is when golfers think by purchasing the newest clubs, they're going to improve. Many golfers don't get to practice too often for many reasons, so they believe spending hundreds of dollars on each club will solve their problems.

Unfortunately, youth baseball players have caught on to this syndrome. The technology can definitely help, but it's not the answer. Players have become too used to relying on technology and it gives them an excuse to become lazy and they forget the real way - practice, practice and practice! In the early 90's there were several studies that said lighter is better for baseball bats. Following these studies, it's been impossible to find a bat with a differential smaller than -8 when shopping for youth bats.

These studies just focused on the bat and the ball. They ignored that every batter is different and ignored human kinesiology. This is not a linear relationship, although some studies believe it is. If a batter hits with a bat weighing 20 oz's, then drops down to a bat weighing 19 oz's, this doesn't mean they're able to show 5% faster! At the same time, the batter loses 5% in mass behind the bat and they're not able to compensate by swinging harder.

In all my years of coaching, I rarely notice a difference in the bats used. There's maybe a 5% difference between the old and new bats. The difference between bats that are 1-2 years apart is such a small fraction of a difference.

The best way to choose the right bat for your child is by finding him the heaviest bat he can use, without slowing down his swing speed. You want to make sure he's still got the speed on his swing, but the weight will create more power. Little League rules require all bats are less than 2 inch diameter. An average 10 year old should fit in the range of 29-32 and -7 to -10oz from the length chosen. My 12 year old uses a 32/25.

When teenagers are getting ready to move onto the next level and play college ball, all bats are going to be similar. They all go through a test, which must meet the BESR guidelines. BESR tests all bats at the college level in order to determine the speed of the ball when it's released off the bat. Since they're all created similar, there aren't going to me many advantages with bats at this level.

In conclusion, we know there are many bats out there. You're better off spending the money on batting lessons, rather than an advanced bat. If your child knows how to hit the ball, the bat won't matter as much as their form.

by: Garret Cohn

POST COMMENT

Different Kinds Of Little League Bats And Baseball Bats The Baseball Rules You Should Know Improve Performance With Good Baseball Bats And Easton Baseball Bats Buy The Best Baseball Bats And Easton Baseball Bats The Sense To Start Taking Part In Fall Baseball Without Delay The Multiple Functions Of The Baseball Caps Why Are Baseball Caps Popular Ways To Become A Better Baseball Player baseball's regular season Have You Got My Collectible Baseball Cards Baseball Cards Prices - How To Put The Right Price Tag On Your Baseball Cards Collection Baseball batting technique thrown out! Ever hear of squish the bug? Baseball Bats Through Time