Bat testing

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Is there any raw data that shows when a bat drops below 220 that it hits out of regulation? I remember an old article that tested shaved and rolled bats that eventually a bat performance decreases. I think compression testing is stupid. If the bat has the stamp it's good for the life of the bat.

I'm not sure what the "magic number" is for a bat to start losing performance. Probably depends on the brand/model of bat. I've definitely swung bats that have had that happen though. The bat gets so mushy that the ball comes off irregularly and not as hard as it once did. There definitely is such a thing as a bat being too soft to adequately propel a ball.

If I had to guess I'd say its under 200.
 

jstn8887

Addicted to Softballfans
Here in North Texas, pretty much every park has a compression tester for USSSA. Most of the time, bats are only tested if you hit a pitcher who is "defenseless" or hit a homerun over the limit. If the bat fails, you can have it sent in to the manufacturer if it's under warranty or surrender the bat to be destroyed. If the bat is not under warranty, they keep and destroy it.
 

sscroggin

Yada Yada Yada
Compression testing was originally done to try and find shaved bats. That is no longer the case. Now it’s just deeming bats with a couple hundred hits on them as illegal.

It must be more civilized down in Texas. If a bat was compression tested and failed and the league tried to keep it to destroy it they would have a fist fight on their hands.

I’d be nice if some of these guys on here with those hand radars do some test. But even still there are tons of variables that would be hard to quantify the outcome.
 

belly43

Bored without softball
Do you play for belly's out of in? My Helmer 17 was"barely passing" at the Miken heroes tourney and it wasn't even remotely hot yet. All testers and all 220 bats aren't equal for sure.
I play with Mint in Illinois
 

belly43

Bored without softball
Here in North Texas, pretty much every park has a compression tester for USSSA. Most of the time, bats are only tested if you hit a pitcher who is "defenseless" or hit a homerun over the limit. If the bat fails, you can have it sent in to the manufacturer if it's under warranty or surrender the bat to be destroyed. If the bat is not under warranty, they keep and destroy it.
Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen if you take the bat and destroy it if it doesn’t have a warranty?
 

jbo911

Super Moderator
Staff member
I'd bet it's in the league rules you have to agree to to play. That's what should be in your association by laws when you sanction. It probably is, but isn't enforced because local guys don't want to lose tourney money.

It was initially touted as bring a too to detect shaved and rolled bats, but then they realized it found overly broken in bats too. I think that's what sparked the brainstorm of compression limits.
 

sscroggin

Yada Yada Yada
I'd bet it's in the league rules you have to agree to to play. That's what should be in your association by laws when you sanction. It probably is, but isn't enforced because local guys don't want to lose tourney money.

It was initially touted as bring a too to detect shaved and rolled bats, but then they realized it found overly broken in bats too. I think that's what sparked the brainstorm of compression limits.

Where is the proof that a bat that is "overly broken in" has a batted ball speed greater than allowed by the association other than the eye test? The eye test is just bro science. If a guy is bigger, stronger, and has a faster swing speed, that is why they hit the ball harder.
 

jbo911

Super Moderator
Staff member
Where is the proof that a bat that is "overly broken in" has a batted ball speed greater than allowed by the association other than the eye test? The eye test is just bro science. If a guy is bigger, stronger, and has a faster swing speed, that is why they hit the ball harder.
Have the associations ever provided you with proof of anything?
 

Country469

Well-Known Member
the compression limit is due to mathmatics

its this, and its all for liability now

if bat a hit ball a over x mph = it meant it was over the 1.2 bpf and thus they get caught with pants down.

Its a farce to back up their magic numbers
 

jstn8887

Addicted to Softballfans
I'd bet it's in the league rules you have to agree to to play. That's what should be in your association by laws when you sanction. It probably is, but isn't enforced because local guys don't want to lose tourney money.

It was initially touted as bring a too to detect shaved and rolled bats, but then they realized it found overly broken in bats too. I think that's what sparked the brainstorm of compression limits.
It's actually in the North Texas USSSA supplemental rules or something like that. It's listed with other special rules that are enforced in USSSA in North Texas, but are not National rules, such as 50 minute time limits for games.
 

Hiltz

Built for comfort
Where is the proof that a bat that is "overly broken in" has a batted ball speed greater than allowed by the association other than the eye test? The eye test is just bro science. If a guy is bigger, stronger, and has a faster swing speed, that is why they hit the ball harder.

And if that same guy put down a bat that tested at 275 and picked up one that's failing at 215, he'd probably hit it even harder. ;)

Seriously though, I get your point. There's nothing saying the 220 pass/fail mark matches up with the 1.20bpf pass/fail mark. It's just USSSA backpedaling.
 
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