Youth Baseball Bats - How Do I Choose the Right One?

Youth Baseball Bats - How Do I Choose the Right One?
By guest author: Jeff Heitz

When purchasing a youth baseball bat, there are a number of important things that need to be taken into consideration. The bat's weight, length and barrel width are very important and must be selected based on your league requirements. Some leagues will only allow a 2 ¼" barrel and this will change how you choose the proper bat verses leagues that allow 2 ¾" barrels. Wood bats are still available and make an excellent choice for all of your cage work as it helps to develop a proper swing and gain an understanding of the sweet spots on wood verses aluminum or alloy bats.

The most popular choice for youth baseball bats are aluminum or alloy. The technological advancements in these bats have come a long way and they keep improving from year to year. A basic rule for selecting the right bat is to choose the lightest bat for its length in order to fully maximize your swing power. In a lot of cases, lighter youth baseball bats are just as costly as some of the heavier ones, but with so many quality suppliers, you are sure to find one that will satisfy your budget.

When choosing a longer bat, you are insuring more plate coverage; but it might cause the bat to be too heavy and slow down or alter the mechanics of the proper swing. Not a good idea! Shorter, lighter bats will cause the player to crowd the plate a little more but will definitely create more bat speed. Bat speed is essential and choosing the right bat is very important. It would be best to have a bat that is a little too light than to choose one that is too heavy.

Barrel size has become the talk of the dugout. A larger barrel will produce more power and have a bigger sweet spot allowing the hitter to drive balls that would otherwise be harmless outs. Choosing the proper youth baseball bat is an imperfect science. If you are playing in a league that will allow 2 ¾" barrels, I would always recommend choosing bat speed over any other factor. Players come in all shapes and sizes and all have different strength levels...this complicates the process when choosing. Before purchasing, you might talk to your coach or a youth baseball bat representative and get information based on your players age and size and what the general trend is.

The rules for Little League Baseball differ from most all other youth organizations on their bat requirements. A 2 ¼" barrel and a maximum length of 33 inches is all that is allowed. Little League bats are required to have a taped handle up to 10 inches. Youth bats are measured in inches for the length and ounces for the weight. Negative or minus numbers are used to determine the bats weight. For example if a bat is 29" long and has a -10 rating the bat will weigh 19 ounces. The bat would be referred as a minus ten negative ten or a drop ten bat. The higher the negative number the lighter the bat is for its length.

For more detailed information on choosing the right baseball or softball bat visit http://youthbaseballbats.ws

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Heitz

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Big Barrel Bats

Big Barrel Bats
By guest author: Glenn Downer

If you are looking for a new baseball bat to replace your old one, you might want to consider one of the big barrel bats. These bats are fast becoming more popular among baseball players in recent years, and you can easily buy one from your local sports shop, or from an online store. However, you should not head out right away to buy your big barrel bat, without finding out more about it first.

Baseball is a very popular sport in the United States, and as a result of its high demand, manufacturers are constantly coming up with new designs and styles. In the olden days, the hitters had only the choice of using the wooden types. They were heavy and clumsy.

Then came the year 1970 when a man named Worth started the ball rolling on the use of aluminum baseball bats, which are light in nature, and hard and strong when alloyed. Aluminum bats have been in high demand until the contemporary designed composites came into the market. These bats, which are manufactured from composite materials, are popular due to their durability and potency.

If you were to compare the big barrels bats with the other bats that are used by players, you will find that they actually have thicker composites, and that is probably the reason why they are better for hitting hardballs, rather than softballs.

However, these big barrel baseball bats do not make it easy for bat rolling, a process to make the new bats hotter, so as to add on to the speed of the baseball when hit.

A new bat is placed between two rollers and then pressure is applied to the bat as it passes through them. What this process will achieve ultimately is the flexibility of the fibers, which then leads to a better trampoline effect.

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