How To Find Right Size Softball Bat

The question almost how to option the right softball bat can be one of the most important, and difficult decisions you can brand equally a hitter. Ultimately when picking a softball bat, it will come downward to comfort and experience. There are guidelines for heights and weights and sure drib sizes merely information technology really depends on what you experience comfortable with.

Opt-In | Hitting Clinic

Complimentary i Hour Coaching Clinic w/ MLB Hitting Omnibus Picket Clinic At present

Ultimately, yous want the bat in your hands that feels the almost comfy at the plate and then you lot tin unlock your ability on GAMEDAY.

Explaining "Drop"

When purchasing or discussing how to pick the right softball bat, you will frequently hear the phrase "it is a drib…" this phrase describes the divergence between the length of the bat and its weight. Dissimilar leagues and governing bodies in softball have regulations for what drop bats tin be used. There are five major governing bodies for fastpitch softball. They are The states Softball, United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), Independent Softball Association (ISA), National Softball Association (NSA), and the International Softball Federation (ISF). The ASA has the nearly strict guidelines for bats, so if the bat is ASA certified than it likely will be expert to get in the league yous play in.

Explaining Bat Technology

For softball, there are two main technologies that the consumer gets to pick from, composite and alloy. Blended bats are made from layers of metal — mostly carbon fiber — that can exist distributed through the bat giving information technology either a balanced or end loaded feel. Composite bats can aid eliminate the stinging awareness caused by miss-hits and typically accept larger sugariness spots than alloy bats.

Alloy bats, also known equally aluminum bats, are more common in youth softball and players at the Little League level. Aluminum bats have been used for years equally they are a combination– not layers– of two plus metals. If you lot've e'er heard the sound of solid contact with an aluminum bat, you lot'll notice the loud "Ping" noise that you won't notice as much with a composite softball bat.

Youth Softball Bats

For youth softball, the guidelines to picking a length and weight of bat are shockingly like to picking the right baseball bat. Still, in that location are more suggestions for softball with what drop bat y'all should be using. According to nigh research that you'll discover online, almost bat companies volition suggest that ages 8 and under use a -12 to -14 bat, a -12 to -10 for ages 8-14, and for 14 and over an -11 to -8.

So for youth softball bats nosotros should be looking at -12 down to a -14 bat. Examining this nautical chart should be a helpful tool in selecting a proper length for a bat.

If y'all have you hitters that need to pick the right softball bat, you should likely pick a bat that is either 26 or 27 inches. Going by the guidelines above, that would exist anywhere between 12 and xv ounces. Like selecting baseball bats, you lot want the bat to come up to simply about hip height, no farther, for the hitter. This will give you the most command of the bat during your swing.

A bully guideline for selecting the right softball bat is to take the bat and put the knob in the middle of your chest, and if y'all can grab the barrel with your hand, then y'all take found a expert length. At the stop of the solar day, your bat option comes down to experience and strength. It'due south important as a hitter to e'er feel explosive and have good bat speed, it's up to the hitter to figure out a happy medium on the weight and size of their bat.

Teen and Adult Bats

Softball has two principal types of weighted bats in balanced and end-loaded. For more power, hitters will tend to use end-loaded bats because of the style they create whip through the strike zone. The whip that is created will help hit the ball with more force when solid contact is made. These bats will feel a footling heavier, as the extra weight is often in the barrel or near the cease of the bat.

The counterbalanced bat will not feel as heavy due to the weight being distributed evenly throughout the bat. Which bat is meliorate? That all depends on feel. As a hitter, information technology is completely up to you to chose the type of bat that helps you feel the almost comfortable, and most importantly, has no adverse effects on the mechanics of your swing.

Should I Swap Bats Depending on the Velocity of Pitching?

One question that we get asked a lot at The Vault is about faster pitching. We've seen it at local softball fields for years. The double-decker or parent tells their hitters to option up a lighter bat when they see a pitcher with college velocity. This is not the arroyo that we teach hither at The Hitting Vault.

When we meet higher velocity from opposing pitchers, our focus should change to our load and get together phase of our swing. For higher velocity pitching, we get-go our load earlier, and in dissimilarity with slower pitching, nosotros'll slow things down and start our load a little later.

Our suggestion would be to starting time enquire your coach or league what certified bats they utilise, whether it is USSSA, or ASA, etc, but leaning towards purchasing an ASA certified bat would be the safest bet out of all of them. For ASA certified bats that you can use, click hither.

Regarding NCAA bats, they have their own set of certifications that they impose on their bats. While the rules are very similar, in that location are no guarantees that ASA bats are qualified for NCAA play.

Recap

Once you get a sense of your strength, skill level, and mechanics at the plate, picking a softball bat becomes much easier. Through the years you will have the chance to try different bat technologies as well and you'll begin building that experience for the bat that suits your mode almost.

There is no correct answer in picking the right softball bat, at the end of the day it comes down to experience and what enables you to practice the most damage at the plate!

Last Words of communication from The Vault Staff on selecting the best fastpitch softball bat…

"A $400 bat with a twoscore cent swing is no better than a $x bat from Goodwill. Focus on your mechanics get-go, and the results will come!"