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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| rustybucket |
Posted - 06/15/2011 : 08:25:04
Before you start telling me I'm crazy, please hear me out...
Some bio, kid is 7yrs old, 50lbs soaking wet and a pez dispenser short of 4' tall. We'll be buying a travelball bat later this summer and before we spent $400 I wanted to make sure we get the right size... So I have picked up a few cheaper eastons to swing in the cage and get a feel for what he can handle. I've also got a radar gun so I've been clocking his bat speed.
Let me also say that we've spent the entire year working on sound fundamental rotational swing mechanics. He started this year with a raw, out of the box swing, he was dragging his bat, lunging, rolling his wrists, releasing the bat early with one hand, not completing his swing...etc. We've solved most of those and now are short to the ball and long through it.
So we started with 28/18, which is what he used in rec ball this past year. Highest bat speed was 42mph, with an average of around 40mph.
So I picked up a 29/19, thinking this might be it... top bat speed 42mph, with an average of around 40mph... hmm...
So 1 inch and 1 ounce made no difference in bat speed. He still hit the ball very well and the only difference I could see was maybe more of the balls were hit a bit harder, but this was just perception, don't have any way of knowing for sure...
So, yesterday I picked up a 30/20....
(as an aside, if you would have asked me at the beginning of the season if I would have even been considering a bat this large I would have told you that you were crazy) So we get home, warm up and he gets a few practice swings in then I pull out the radar gun.... 41mph top bat speed and average of around 39mph...
So, 2 extra inches and 2 ounces and we only lost 1mph of bat speed... hmmm... surely he won't be able to get around on the ball I say...
NOT. We fire up the pitching machine and he commences to popping off hot line drives. I don't have any way of backing this up, but I would swear that he was hitting the ball harder with the 30" than any other size.
I will admit that the bat looks LARGE in his hands, it looks oversized. But man, he can really get around on the ball and make very good contact....
So.... do I stop here? Do I try a 31" and see what happens? I was really expecting a big drop off with the 30" and I was looking forward to telling him that I was right. Well, that didn't work out so well... lol. He was right (he's been telling me he could swing a 30").
We also have a 29" wood bat that he uses occasionally in the cage and he does well with it also. I have no idea the weight of it but I would say it's at least 26oz maybe closer to 29oz.
Also as a side note, we have a 26" 13oz T-Ball bat and I clocked him on it and it was actually slower than the other bats at top of 39mph and average of 37mph.
This is not accurate science b/c it doesn't take into effect the pendulum motion of the bat, but the rough momentum of the bats would be something like this
p(momentum) = m(mass) * v(velocity)
28/18
756 = 18oz * 42mph
29/19
798 = 19oz * 42mph
30/20
820 = 20oz * 41mph
The 30" swung at 41mph has quite a bit more momentum than the 28" or the 29" swung at 42mph.
So... what would you do? How do you choose bat size? |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gbo |
Posted - 06/22/2011 : 21:29:48
thanks alot rusty, really apprciate the tips!!! (im a football/basketball guy dont know 2 much bout this game lol)
quote:
Originally posted by rustybucket
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
should I start piching to him myself 1st or take him to the cage?
I always try to focus on the technique they will see in a game. That being said I ALWAYS do quite a bit of work off a Tee no matter what age. Also soft-toss and quick toss from close distance to work on mechanics.
If he's going to be in coach pitch I would try to mimic that during your hitting sessions. So try to throw the same velocity as the coach, if the coach throws overhand you should do the same, you should also try to throw from the same distance as the coach does.
But to answer your question, first use the Tee, then back off to live pitch.
To teach hitting mechanics you do it from a Tee or stationary ball. To teach timing you use a live ball situation such as machine, coach or kid pitch. IMO too many people try to teach mechanics in a live pitch situation, it's just not productive.
|
| rustybucket |
Posted - 06/22/2011 : 12:15:47
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
should I start piching to him myself 1st or take him to the cage?
I always try to focus on the technique they will see in a game. That being said I ALWAYS do quite a bit of work off a Tee no matter what age. Also soft-toss and quick toss from close distance to work on mechanics.
If he's going to be in coach pitch I would try to mimic that during your hitting sessions. So try to throw the same velocity as the coach, if the coach throws overhand you should do the same, you should also try to throw from the same distance as the coach does.
But to answer your question, first use the Tee, then back off to live pitch.
To teach hitting mechanics you do it from a Tee or stationary ball. To teach timing you use a live ball situation such as machine, coach or kid pitch. IMO too many people try to teach mechanics in a live pitch situation, it's just not productive.
|
| TOPDOG |
Posted - 06/22/2011 : 09:25:36
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
should I start piching to him myself 1st or take him to the cage?
quote:
Originally posted by TOPDOG
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
my son is 4 and an average size kid, h just finished t-ball and im about to get him ready for coach pitch next spring, Could someone recommend a good bat to start him with when i start taking him to the cage.
the new worth 26/16 big barrell 1.15, they run about $69 bucks and if you save your reciept you can get a replacement with in a year if it dents.i have a 4yr old thats hitting ropes with it now, he will be five in november, also the cf4 or cfx 27/15 has great pop, but a little more pricey at @$130
teamsports in macon ga. has them
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| rustybucket |
Posted - 06/22/2011 : 08:00:15
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
where can i find the
the new worth 26/16 big barrell 1.15
The Combat Bam Bam might also be worth looking into. It's probably close to the same price. You can see it on the combat site. |
| gbo |
Posted - 06/21/2011 : 19:54:58
where can i find the
the new worth 26/16 big barrell 1.15
quote:
Originally posted by TOPDOG
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
my son is 4 and an average size kid, h just finished t-ball and im about to get him ready for coach pitch next spring, Could someone recommend a good bat to start him with when i start taking him to the cage.
the new worth 26/16 big barrell 1.15, they run about $69 bucks and if you save your reciept you can get a replacement with in a year if it dents.i have a 4yr old thats hitting ropes with it now, he will be five in november, also the cf4 or cfx 27/15 has great pop, but a little more pricey at @$130
|
| gbo |
Posted - 06/21/2011 : 19:28:00
should I start piching to him myself 1st or take him to the cage?
quote:
Originally posted by TOPDOG
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
my son is 4 and an average size kid, h just finished t-ball and im about to get him ready for coach pitch next spring, Could someone recommend a good bat to start him with when i start taking him to the cage.
the new worth 26/16 big barrell 1.15, they run about $69 bucks and if you save your reciept you can get a replacement with in a year if it dents.i have a 4yr old thats hitting ropes with it now, he will be five in november, also the cf4 or cfx 27/15 has great pop, but a little more pricey at @$130
|
| coachdan06 |
Posted - 06/20/2011 : 17:01:01
Gents , to reply , I agree with what you say also that there are many other reasons kids will quit by age 11 or 12
Didnt + Dont mean they should be discouraged , I was remarking about the parents and coaches who encourage expinsive bats which wont make any differences in their future
So Im hooking up with with BBallman here , stay with the bats that are affordable and keep it a game for everyone Parents included 
Best To All |
| bballman |
Posted - 06/20/2011 : 14:09:45
At 7 years old, don't spend $200-$300 on a bat. Just go out and get him a $30 bat and let him have fun.
First of all, at 7, it really doesn't matter how far he hits it and there is not near enough bat speed to make a difference. If he is hitting "ropes" with the "cheap" bats you are using to test how he handles each size bat, just let him use that cheap bat for everything.
What matters at that age is learning the fundamentals, correct mechanics and getting out on the field and having fun.
Just my opinion, but you really don't need to be buying your 7 year old a $200-$300 bat. |
| rustybucket |
Posted - 06/20/2011 : 12:00:37
quote:
Dont so obsessive about bats at the pre-pubescent age
Not sure that I'm obsessed but if I did I didn't mean to. It's just that with spending $200 - $400 I would like to purchase the best size for him.
Bats don't come with a size guide like shoes and shirts do. It's not as simple as just 'trying it on'. It depends much upon a kids skill and his swing mechanics. I just posted this in hopes of getting some other opinions and how other parents/coaches went about sizing bats. It seems that most people are set in their ways, which is fine. I'm sure those opinions are based upon hard experience and their own 'feel' for what is right and what is wrong in bat selection.
Right now I'm more interested in proper swing mechanics than anything, I don't want anything in his hands that would promote a hand/arm dominant linear swing. When he falls back on a long swing I want him to 'feel' how slow he is to the ball, I want him to be penalized for falling back on bad habits. With a 26" -13 bat he can revert back to all kinds of bad habits and get away with it (until we look at the video footage of course ;))
That being said anything in the 28" - 30" range 'tells on him'. Especially the wood bat!! I explain to him this is the bat 'talking to him' and telling him what went wrong. If he hits the wood on the handle, he was late and likely long with his swing. If he hits it on the end of the bat he was usually around the ball and had stopped his swing early or had swept the plate. For explaining the 'sweet spot' there's nothing better than wood in my opinion. The 7" sweet spot on his rec ball bat doesn't really tell the 'truth', the 3" sweet spot on his wood bat does! 
We're on vacation for a few weeks and have a soccer camp after that so it's going to be a month before we can make it to a field. But when we do I'll be happy to report the results.
As for getting him in front of live pitching, as I said before we won't see live pitchers for 3 or 4 more years (depending on which league we play) and I don't want to expose him to that until we're about 1yr out from live pitch.
As for coachdan06's response, I think that's a pretty lame and negative approach. "Don't worry bout nothin b/c half of them will quit" It may be true, but if I approached my practices (or my kid) with the mindset that 50% of the boys weren't going to be here later on I'd have a tough time getting motivated. Not to mention projecting a positive attitude. A coach/parent can't control who drops out and why, so, really why even worry about it or concern yourself with it?
As for 'hitting ropes' when discussing speed all things are relative. You saying a 12 yr old is 'hitting ropes' is pretty laughable compared to a MLB 'rope'. And for your 2 reasons of kids quitting, I'd say you're missing quite a few like 'family circumstances' and 'failure of past coaches (or all coaches)', failure of past coaches to teach core mechanics. As for the size thing, we are not even close to the biggest player on our team but he consistently is one of the top hitters on his teams. I'm not trying to defend I'm just trying to say that your two reasons for a kid to quit are pretty lame. There are tons of kids who make it to higher levels who have never been the 'stud' on their team and never will be the 'stud'. If all the kids quit who weren't 'studs' there would only be one or two players on every team.
Anyways, I'm off my soapbox.
|
| baseball papa |
Posted - 06/20/2011 : 11:16:03
coachdan06: I agree that many of the kids that are doing well now will not continue to do well at the next level. I disagree with what appears to be a perception that what is happening on the smaller fields will not necessarily transfer over onto the bigger fields as I have seen several 10 to 12 year old's making a huge splash on the 15-16 year old showcase East Cobb fields so some do make it. As a coach, if you are indeed a coach I would think that you would want to encourage the kids instead of discouraging the kids. If we take the attitude that we are wasting our time how will the game ever prosper. I feel sure that you are not advocating that 50% of the 10 year old kids playing now should just give up as they have no chance of making it at 11. We should let them enjoy the little fields now and worry about the big fields when we get to the big fields. They are not all going the major league's but they are all making memories that will be able to enjoy with their children and grandchildren and they have the opportunity to enjoy each game they play as they play it and hopefully some will realize that they have been blessed with a real talent and pursue it with hard work and vigor and let the chips fall where they may. And by the way I have a 2 year old that can hammer the whiffle ball not because we expect him to make it on the bigger fields, but just because he seems to get great joy out of hammering the whiffle ball. |
| coachdan06 |
Posted - 06/18/2011 : 01:22:21
Too Results Driven ? You Bet !!
Gents take no offense but I read comments on this thread about 4 and 5 year olds "hitting ropes" -- And I shudder.
Please know that well over 50% of the kids playing ball at or under the age of 10 will NOT be playing at 11 and above. For various reasons.
Here are the biggest 2 - Big kid now on little filed is the slow kid later on the big field , no one can use him. And - Johnny right now has a blast at the game , but later it just aint cool or fun anymore due again to various reasons, many times being he isnt a "stud" anymore like he was at 7, 8, 10 or whatever - the other kids will clearly pass him by and many of you will experience this believe it or not.
Dont so obsessive about bats at the pre-pubescent age , Ol Dan can promise you nature and the future will take its own stubborn course -- over which you will have no control
My Best To All !
quote:
Originally posted by TBBFAN
I think people get too result driven with kids that age.
|
| TBBFAN |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 22:43:32
Personally, I still think a 16-17 ounce bat is too light for most 7u/8u players. Those bats are so light that they can swing with a hands dominant swing and still get decent results, which isn’t optimal for development long term. I think people get too result driven with kids that age. If they are hitting the ball hard, then they assume it’s a good thing. I disagree, because you can have a horrible swing with those 16 or 17 ounce rocket launchers but still hit the ball a relatively long distance. Using a slightly heavier bat will force them to learn to use their hips and legs more effectively, and their batspeed won’t be much less than with the lighter bats based on my experience.
Sure, you can get a bat that is too heavy, but the results from that are pretty obvious.
|
| TOPDOG |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 15:33:58
quote:
Originally posted by rustybucket
@TOPDOG -> So in your opinion the extra power/momentum gained from a heavier bat is not very important? So how do you size the bat, just the lightest shortest that will cover the plate? Or do you just do it by 'feel'?
Is there a way to measure quickness to the ball? If everything he's hitting is coming back up the middle or being pulled (except outside pitches) it would seem to me that he's being quick 'enough' to the ball?
Last night in the cage he picked up the 29" wood bat. He stroked the first 13 in a row without missing a ball, all fair, no fouls. I was pretty stunned. He hasn't hit with that bat for a week or so. We're in a cage so it's tough to tell the actual distance the ball would travel but a couple of them looked (to me) like they had 200'+ written all over them.
After he finished with the wood bat the first words out of his mouth were, 'Man, wood feels great!!'
I was smiling ear-to-ear!! "I agree 100%, wood does feel great!!"
The more I see him swing it I do believe the 30" is a tad too much right now. He misses more balls with it; however, the balls he does connect with really do git. I do think that at the moment he is swinging the 29" better than the 28". The contact consistency is virtually the same between the two but the 29" swing does have a little more power to it.
rusty bucket,
you need to get out of the cage and hurry to the field, i dont care what the ball looks like in the cage, its not carrying 200'in the air on the field. from the kids i have worked with at the 7/8 yr old age i suggest the lighter and shorter the better . nothing below a 26/16 . to measure quickness find an accurate 9 yr old that can bring it between 55 and 60 from 40' with a 45 mph change up. let him see both pitches 8 or ten times and if he can rip the fatball back up the middle he has a short quick swing. |
| rustybucket |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 14:23:04
@TOPDOG -> So in your opinion the extra power/momentum gained from a heavier bat is not very important? So how do you size the bat, just the lightest shortest that will cover the plate? Or do you just do it by 'feel'?
Is there a way to measure quickness to the ball? If everything he's hitting is coming back up the middle or being pulled (except outside pitches) it would seem to me that he's being quick 'enough' to the ball?
Last night in the cage he picked up the 29" wood bat. He stroked the first 13 in a row without missing a ball, all fair, no fouls. I was pretty stunned. He hasn't hit with that bat for a week or so. We're in a cage so it's tough to tell the actual distance the ball would travel but a couple of them looked (to me) like they had 200'+ written all over them.
After he finished with the wood bat the first words out of his mouth were, 'Man, wood feels great!!'
I was smiling ear-to-ear!! "I agree 100%, wood does feel great!!"
The more I see him swing it I do believe the 30" is a tad too much right now. He misses more balls with it; however, the balls he does connect with really do git. I do think that at the moment he is swinging the 29" better than the 28". The contact consistency is virtually the same between the two but the 29" swing does have a little more power to it.
|
| TOPDOG |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 11:36:33
quote:
Originally posted by rustybucket
quote:
Originally posted by christheump
I think sometimes the ego's of some fathers get in the way a what is the right bat for their kid. I cant tell you how many dads I have seen thump their chest over their kid swinging the heaviest/longest bat on the team, only to stand there and watch them with their slow long swings with pitch after pitch blowing right by them. I am of the school of bat speed is tops.
I would agree with you, but at the same time I've watched kids with 27" 15oz bats with those same long swings. A long swing is a long swing is a long swing, no matter if the bat's heavy or light, the kid will consistently be late and foul or miss. The lighter bats mask flaws in the hitters swing.
Personally I don't care if he's swinging a 25" or a 35", I just want what's best for him. That's my 'chest-thumping' ego, put what's right in his hands! As I said in the beginning I didn't even think I would even be considering bats as big as we're trying out.
In my opinion, if the kids mechanics are poor, and he's swinging long or dragging his bat it will be magnified with a heavier bat. If the swing mechanics are correct a little heavier bat should have little/no effect.
Now for those of you talking about linear, hand/arms, shoulder closed, swing down swings then YES bat weight and length play a much more major role in this type of swing. An ounce will make a huge difference in getting the bat moving b/c it's all up to the arms/shoulders to do this. It's VERY important when discussing bat sizing to consider the type of swing being used by the hitter.
In a rotational swing it's the body that makes the bat's first move, the arms/hands don't move at all.
As for the dad asking about the coach-pitch bat... The key for you is to start developing proper mechanics and try to keep bad habits from forming. It's tough when they're that young... if even possible. I took basically a hands-off approach until this year (7yr old). Of course we practiced and got lots of swings in the backyard and I instructed on the little things but as far as actual hitting mechanics we didn't really start until this year, when the effects of the long swing sweeping the plate and lunging put him at a distinct disadvantage on the faster speeds of the pitching machine this year.
For coach pitch you will need to find out the bat regulations in your league. Some leagues allow large barrel bats up to like 2 3/4, others only allow 2 1/4. After you know these regs you can better shop for a bat. Personally I'm a Combat fan but at that level there are several good bats to choose from.
swinging a long bat for their size is like you or i trying to swing a broom stick short to the ball, it just dont work effectively, all you need is enough bat to cover the plate and go short to it and follow through it, you'll see the difference. |
| TOPDOG |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 11:09:57
quote:
Originally posted by gbo
my son is 4 and an average size kid, h just finished t-ball and im about to get him ready for coach pitch next spring, Could someone recommend a good bat to start him with when i start taking him to the cage.
the new worth 26/16 big barrell 1.15, they run about $69 bucks and if you save your reciept you can get a replacement with in a year if it dents.i have a 4yr old thats hitting ropes with it now, he will be five in november, also the cf4 or cfx 27/15 has great pop, but a little more pricey at @$130 |
| rustybucket |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 09:08:53
quote:
Originally posted by christheump
I think sometimes the ego's of some fathers get in the way a what is the right bat for their kid. I cant tell you how many dads I have seen thump their chest over their kid swinging the heaviest/longest bat on the team, only to stand there and watch them with their slow long swings with pitch after pitch blowing right by them. I am of the school of bat speed is tops.
I would agree with you, but at the same time I've watched kids with 27" 15oz bats with those same long swings. A long swing is a long swing is a long swing, no matter if the bat's heavy or light, the kid will consistently be late and foul or miss. The lighter bats mask flaws in the hitters swing.
Personally I don't care if he's swinging a 25" or a 35", I just want what's best for him. That's my 'chest-thumping' ego, put what's right in his hands! As I said in the beginning I didn't even think I would even be considering bats as big as we're trying out.
In my opinion, if the kids mechanics are poor, and he's swinging long or dragging his bat it will be magnified with a heavier bat. If the swing mechanics are correct a little heavier bat should have little/no effect.
Now for those of you talking about linear, hand/arms, shoulder closed, swing down swings then YES bat weight and length play a much more major role in this type of swing. An ounce will make a huge difference in getting the bat moving b/c it's all up to the arms/shoulders to do this. It's VERY important when discussing bat sizing to consider the type of swing being used by the hitter.
In a rotational swing it's the body that makes the bat's first move, the arms/hands don't move at all.
As for the dad asking about the coach-pitch bat... The key for you is to start developing proper mechanics and try to keep bad habits from forming. It's tough when they're that young... if even possible. I took basically a hands-off approach until this year (7yr old). Of course we practiced and got lots of swings in the backyard and I instructed on the little things but as far as actual hitting mechanics we didn't really start until this year, when the effects of the long swing sweeping the plate and lunging put him at a distinct disadvantage on the faster speeds of the pitching machine this year.
For coach pitch you will need to find out the bat regulations in your league. Some leagues allow large barrel bats up to like 2 3/4, others only allow 2 1/4. After you know these regs you can better shop for a bat. Personally I'm a Combat fan but at that level there are several good bats to choose from. |
| gbo |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 07:13:19
my son is 4 and an average size kid, h just finished t-ball and im about to get him ready for coach pitch next spring, Could someone recommend a good bat to start him with when i start taking him to the cage. |
| CoachDad |
Posted - 06/17/2011 : 01:02:02
Just a thought... perhaps the swing speed (i.e. top velocity) is the same, but the speed in which the swing is started is slower or faster depending on the weight/length of the bat. I'm also of the "quick hands in the zone" camp. |
| allaboutbaseball |
Posted - 06/16/2011 : 19:58:57
My son at 8u was a strong hitter with a 28-18. At 9, I also went to a bat store, and put swing speed analyzer on him. He is good size 9u kid at 85 lbs. He swung a 28-18 at 52mph. He swung a 29-19 at 52. He swung a 30-20 at 52-53 mph. I personally had a hard time believing it - but decided that if I was going to believe in technology (swing speed), I should buy the 30-20 bat.
It looked great in the batting cages. But once we got into real kids pitching - he did not have the same pop. When he came up against hard throwing 9u kids (kids throwing 50mph+), everything he hit was foul to the right side or weak grounders to 1rst/2nd. Even against slower throwers, he was not hitting with the same power he used to. He then borrowed a teammates 29-19, and his power came back. let me just say he is now using the 29-19 consistently! |
| christheump |
Posted - 06/16/2011 : 16:06:50
I think sometimes the ego's of some fathers get in the way a what is the right bat for their kid. I cant tell you how many dads I have seen thump their chest over their kid swinging the heaviest/longest bat on the team, only to stand there and watch them with their slow long swings with pitch after pitch blowing right by them. I am of the school of bat speed is tops. |
| WestCoastGuru |
Posted - 06/16/2011 : 14:21:46
This is just my opinion....it seems a bit much for any kid under the age of 8 yrs old to be swinging anything heavier than a 17 oz bat. Even if an 8 year old is swinging anything more than 18 oz, I would be willing to bet that they are still playing coach pitch!!!
I prefer bat speed, compact linear swings than that ov a heavier bat and rotational hitting.
|
| rustybucket |
Posted - 06/15/2011 : 16:33:28
quote:
Originally posted by SPTitans
If you decide to use that long of bat be careful that it does not affect his swing. He may be hitting bombs but that doesn’t mean he has a good swing. I had a tballer that used a 31” based upon the recommendation of somebody. Hit a bunch of homeruns. He ended up with a very long swing. When he moved to kid pitch he couldn’t get the bat around. We spent months getting a tight/compact swing. The length concerns me more than the weight.
Very good point, and you are exactly correct.
He had quite a long swing at the beginning of this year and we've pretty much got that worked out. He still occasionally lapses back into it but he can at least feel it now and knows when he does it. He will tell me after the swing, 'I let it get away from me that time'. Usually when this happens he either misses the ball, fouls it off or hits the handle, all due to being late. The key to stopping a long swing is putting a blocker just off the back of their rear foot. If you block them it forces them to be short to the ball or they will hit the blocker.
Many times with kids, this young especially, you have to give them a feedback other than just a verbal and showing them. Those are important too, but a physical feedback. By placing the blocker and telling them if they hit it they've been long (wrong) they begin to 'feel' what it's like to be right (short), the blocker forces them to be short. Also a good key is to have them key the bat off the meat of their back shoulder. If the bat is attached there it's virtually impossible to be long.
Sometimes if a player is long to and short through, I'll block the back and put a heavy bag off the front foot. This basically forces them to be short to and long through as they freeze when hitting the heavy bag. If they've already rolled their wrists you will know instantly on impact. |
| SPTitans |
Posted - 06/15/2011 : 12:09:26
If you decide to use that long of bat be careful that it does not affect his swing. He may be hitting bombs but that doesn’t mean he has a good swing. I had a tballer that used a 31” based upon the recommendation of somebody. Hit a bunch of homeruns. He ended up with a very long swing. When he moved to kid pitch he couldn’t get the bat around. We spent months getting a tight/compact swing. The length concerns me more than the weight. |
| TBBFAN |
Posted - 06/15/2011 : 11:31:32
It all depends on your son’s ability to swing that bat. I would actually encourage you to use a bat that large if he can swing it. I’m not a fan of very light bats, because I think they hurt swing development at that age. In my opinion, light bats encourage a hand dominant swing. Since you mentioned rotational hitting mechanics, then I’m sure you want to stay away from a hand/arm dominant swing.
In regards to your experiment, I’ve done similar tests with my players and the results were about the same as yours. The kids can usually swing the slightly heavier bat just as fast as the lighter ones. I think the heavier bats force them to recruit more muscles to engage in the swing, which is a good thing.
Fifteen years ago, every kid that age was swinging 20 ounce bats because you couldn’t find bats much lighter than that. Yet, those kids did just fine with the heavier bats.
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