Wanna know the best softball bat? It’s hard to determine it as every player has their preferences. That’s why instead of making a question about the best bat, people try to know how to pick it.
There are many guidelines about them, but this article will synthesize all the basic and advanced information about picking a softball bat.
# Basic Knowledge
Before you understand how to pick a softball bat, you should know principle knowledge about the bat. Let’s check the points below:
- Drop:
When discussing the picking-product method, people often say, “it is a drop…”. This phrase means the difference between the length and weight of the bat.
If you investigate deeply about the bat, you will know many leagues and governing bodies in softball that provide their regulations for the dropped bat you can use. There are five major governing bodies: USA Softball, USSSA, ISA, NSA, and ISF.
- Technology:
Nowadays, two technologies are applied to make softball bats. They are composite and alloy.
These technologies provide different features for bat. Composite one is made of metal layers with mostly carbon fiber that make bat balanced or end-loaded feel. It helps eliminate the sensation caused by hitting inaccuracy and typically making more prominent sweet spots.
Alloy bats – or you can call them “aluminum bats” – are commonly used in youth softball by players at the lower league level. This technology allows us to make the sound of solid contact because it has a combination of two plus metals (not layers). You can quickly get a “ping” noise that the composite one cannot make.
# Advanced Tips To Choose
Now, you can come to the detail part about bat size, for it helps you pick the most suitable bat. Below are the explanation about the length and weight, allowing you to choose the appropriate size.
- Length:
There are three ways to measure the correct length:
- To confirm the bat size is appropriate or not, you can place its knob at the center of your chest. Then, you have to extend the barrel out toward your fingertips. As you can touch the end of the bat by your fingertips, it has a suitable size.
- How do you know the appropriate length? It is an easy move by placing the bottom knob in the center of the chest facing outward. As you can reach out and grab the barrel, the bat has a suitable length.
- You also can place the bag standing vertically against your leg. In this position, if the bat reaches the middle of your hip, its length is suitable.
- Weight:
Choosing weight is based on your preferences. It is up to your strength as you can find the best one by your control. If you are a strong player and want to swing more powerful, why don’t you choose a heavy bat?
Just remember one thing: The more serious the bat is, the more complex and slow your hits.
That’s why a good test is necessary. You can check the suitability by holding the bat with one hand, and your arm extends from your side in 30 seconds. During making it, if the bat doesn’t drop, it is confirmed the suitable weight.
- Drop:
We have explained it above, so now you know which drop is suitable for your softball. A low dot indicates a heavier bat, meaning it’s hard to control the plate.
Therefore, it is advisable to get your length and weight parameters before. You can measure the suitability to fit your needs.
Finally, we hope you can find the right softball bat to enhance your performance. It will be much easier to get a suitable bat if you can apply our tips on choosing the product in reality.
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