WarHorse
Star Player
On a small bat (34" long) that weighs more than the handle, the torque of the bat is going to be enough to bend the handle, even if just a little bit, which will bring the bat around faster as the bat is straightened out. Flex happens when swinging anything, from a wooden stick, to a lead pipe, due to the rotational motion of the bat and the force of the end of the bat.
The stiffer the material, the less it will flex. For people who swing quickly, this flex is minimized due to a straighter swing (the bat is never pulled, it usually remains straight). For a slower, more powerful hitter, the bat is pulled a bit until the arms are straightened out, in which case the energy stored in the flex of the bat carries the bat's momentum forward, giving the barrel of the bat a speed boost. The speed of the handle doesn't matter, it's the barrel that does. If you put a lot of strength into a swing and rely more on strength than speed, bat flex will greatly help you. If you keep a fluid motion in swing, a stiffer bat will help you.
Another way to think about it is to ignore the term flex, and think of elasticity. Some handles are a bit more elastic than others. The J3A vs AM really prove that. Some people love the J3A, some love the AM, but it's hard to find a lot of people who love them both equally. One usually works a lot better than the other. In Brads case, I'd bet he probably puts a bit more upper body muscle into his swing and gets more benefit from the elasticity of the J4's handle.
So that begs the question, Brad, when you swing do you feel like you put more of your torso into the swing?
And for all you nay sayers, I have a much harder time with the J3 than the AM due to the fact that I can feel the bats motion and I don't like it. The flex doesn't occur as noticeably as something like a golf club, but you're full of **** if you think it only occurs on "mis hits"
The stiffer the material, the less it will flex. For people who swing quickly, this flex is minimized due to a straighter swing (the bat is never pulled, it usually remains straight). For a slower, more powerful hitter, the bat is pulled a bit until the arms are straightened out, in which case the energy stored in the flex of the bat carries the bat's momentum forward, giving the barrel of the bat a speed boost. The speed of the handle doesn't matter, it's the barrel that does. If you put a lot of strength into a swing and rely more on strength than speed, bat flex will greatly help you. If you keep a fluid motion in swing, a stiffer bat will help you.
Another way to think about it is to ignore the term flex, and think of elasticity. Some handles are a bit more elastic than others. The J3A vs AM really prove that. Some people love the J3A, some love the AM, but it's hard to find a lot of people who love them both equally. One usually works a lot better than the other. In Brads case, I'd bet he probably puts a bit more upper body muscle into his swing and gets more benefit from the elasticity of the J4's handle.
So that begs the question, Brad, when you swing do you feel like you put more of your torso into the swing?
And for all you nay sayers, I have a much harder time with the J3 than the AM due to the fact that I can feel the bats motion and I don't like it. The flex doesn't occur as noticeably as something like a golf club, but you're full of **** if you think it only occurs on "mis hits"