Lets talk bat weight...

[westtexas]

What do you guys swing. In USSSA I swing a 27 or 28 endloaded bat but in seniors I swing a 30 EL. I just like the heavier bat with the higher pitches in senior.

 

[Playr4]

I swing a 28 ounce balance. I play the outfield. If I get tired. Will swing the 27 ounce I have, just in case. Would love to swing and end load, just cant get use to it. I play a little USSSA one day a week. Still use the weight in both. Arc doesn't seem to matter.

 

[dynatone]

I swing 27 EL now but have also used 28 balanced, regardless of Senior or Young Guys . . . . i was exclusively balanced but somehow picked up an EL or 2 senior bats last summer . . how did that happen?

 

[Ballisttic]

What weight/endload you feel comfortable/confident with is all you got to worry about because weight/endload don't matter, its all mental.

 

[THESHOE]

27 or 28 EL depending on brand and model.

Few reasons behind this like variances in the load, and the fact that for some reason some 2pc bats like Miken/Worth seem to feel very very light.

Maybe it's less mass at the barrel, I don't know?

My two gamers right now are;

28oz Freak 12

27oz 2015 CL22

They feel pretty much the same to me, minus a bit more of handle flex in the Freak. Weight wise I switch in between without noticing anything.

1pc bats always seem heftier, so those I tend to go for 26.5-27oz and yet they end up feeling like a 28oz Miken Freak 12 to me.

Weird huh?

 

[MPT23]

28el..........

 

[MarlSrSoftball]

30 oz Freak 52 is my gamer but trying to drop down to my 28.5 JH Ligit HD52. Swung 29 and 30's last 20 yrs all endloaded. Tried for last 6-7 yrs to drop down but always ended up with my 30's when season started.

 

[ABLXTRA]

I swing a 26oz F12 or a 26oz OG Z2K bal in GSL/USSSA

swing either a 27oz OG UII or a 28oz OG UII for senior .

depends on how I feel . If my hands seem a bit slow I will swing the bal Z if my hands are quick I swing the F12.

 

[jeanne5]

Bat Speed

I wonder if those players swinging 28-30 oz bats ever check their bat speed with a radar device. Then compare results to speeds with a lower weight bat.

 

[OhtoNC1]

29-30 el for all my bats.

 

[Playr4]

I wonder if those players swinging 28-30 oz bats ever check their bat speed with a radar device. Then compare results to speeds with a lower weight bat.

About the same. Maybe a little faster with the heavier bat, since more mass is going through zone. EL bat help speeds things up too, with some weight at the end.

Bat Weight and Batted Ball Velocity

To see the effects of bat weight and bat speed, here is a summary of an experiment that I found summarized in a 1980 high-school textbook, Physics of Sports developed by Florida State University.[6] For this experiment, the ball mass, pitch speed, and bat swing speed were all kept constant. Only the bat mass was changed. The data shows that a heavier bat produces a faster batted ball speed. This makes intuitive sense since a heavier bat brings more momentum into the collision. Doubling the mass of the bat results in an increase of almost 12mph. So, using a heavier bat should result in faster hit balls, which means the hit ball will travel farther. If a player can maintain the same bat swing speed with a heavier bat, the heavier bat will produce higher batted ball velocity and an increase in distance.
But, any player who has experimented swinging bats with widely different weights knows that it is easier to swing a light bat than a heavier bat. Put another way, it takes more effort to swing a heavy bat with the same speed as it does a lighter bat, and most players cannot swing a heavy bat as quickly as they can a bat which is half the weight. So, we need to see how the batted ball speed depends on bat swing speed

 

[bigbrave41]

Bat SPEED is the key factor in swinging the bat ! However with that said as long as the bat speed is the same if you can maintain the same bat speed swinging a 28 oz bat that you can swinging a 27 0z bat then you should use the 28 oz bat. If your bat speed is faster swinging a 27 0z bat then you should use the 27 0z bat. Increasing bat speed is more important than increasing weight.

 

[BruceinGa]

I swing 29el's. Have swung 28el and 30el's but prefer 29, be it Combats or Dudleys.

 

[ABLXTRA]

this is the key to your whole heavier bat over lighter bat :
If a player can maintain the same bat swing speed with a heavier bat, the heavier bat will produce higher batted ball velocity and an increase in distance.you should use the heavier bat

 

[stork]

All the old guys still swinging the heavier weights though lighter than we swung back in the beginning. Meanwhile all the youngsters and their light sabers.
I am old but just not quite enough yet (2+ more years), but I am swinging 27EL-28BA/EL...and just picked up a cheap nice 30fl Plague to bp with to get some heavy work in. Plan on staying heavier as long as possible.

 

[ABLXTRA]

here you go I still have this 35oz I still swing in BP

 

[stork]

No thanks, I am covered with a lighter bat...it's my old 34oz Easton something. It just says Easton.

 

[ABLXTRA]

actually hits the 52/275 trump stote very well . I can only get about 10-12 good swings in a bucket of 30 before the swing goes away with the 35 oz

 

[stork]

Might be worth a try. I kinda would like a 34-36oz composite cuz this thing is not a the greatest feel. But it is the first softball bat I ever bought and was my gamer for a spell.

 

[ABLXTRA]

Yes I have swung that bat it was a 32 oz , all those old aluminium bats hit like fence poles compared to days bats

 

[Playr4]

this is the key to your whole heavier bat over lighter bat :
If a player can maintain the same bat swing speed with a heavier bat, the heavier bat will produce higher batted ball velocity and an increase in distance.you should use the heavier bat

Agree what he says

 

[MarlSrSoftball]

I wonder if those players swinging 28-30 oz bats ever check their bat speed with a radar device. Then compare results to speeds with a lower weight bat.

Don't have to. That's all I know is I get better distance with my 30's than I do with my 27's and 28's.

 

[westtexas]

Don't have to. That's all I know is I get better distance with my 30's than I do with my 27's and 28's.

I feel the same way....Its funny when we all started and swung metal fence posts we swung 34X38 bats...now the kids all want 26 ounce...

 

[ABLXTRA]

I can swing a heavier bat . It takes more effort to create the same bat speed of a heavier bat than it does a light bat. I can swing a 26 oz bat at 85% to keep mechanics consistent where I would have to swing 95-100% to get the same bat speed of a 28 oz but loose my mechanics .


I have played 8 games in a day (24-32 AB ) that's not including running the bases and playing short stop it takes its toll so the light bat is good for me

IF it was league 1 night a week I would use a heavier bat.

I play 5 nights a week and you don't feel the same every night . I don't want to guess on what oz bat to use so I carry only 1 size ,except my UII they are so balanced not much difference in the 27 or 28

 

[BruceinGa]

Don't have to. That's all I know is I get better distance with my 30's than I do with my 27's and 28's.

same for me. I have measured my bat speed and a lighter balanced bat is quicker. What I haven't been able to do is measure bat speed after contact with the ball.

 

[Mont 25]

I swing 30 ounce end-loaded bats. It's been very difficult for me to adjust to the lighter bats. I am a stronger, big guy and my swing speed remains the same with a 30 ounce bat. I get much better performance with heavier bats and my batting average has been higher when I've used them. This is not necessarily mean that everyone needs to use a 30 ounce bat; they work best for me.