Science and bat weights

[Spackler]

Where the hell is the scientific experiment to shut everyone up bout bat weights?! Baseball pros would use the info too meaning there's money behind it and info isn't just for a bunch of softball geeks like y'all! ....perfect for a nerdy college engineering project cause nobody cares how far your dumb 200lb car on bicycle tires can go on a gallon of gas!

Break out the swinging robot that hits balls off a tee....

1. Measure the distance different weights hit with same speed
2. How much extra bat speed is needed for a lighter bat to hit same distance as a heavier bat

Publish results!

Maybe if you weren't so lazy you'd do it okey:

 

[chrometip78]

Everybody references the available study incorrectly anyway and you expect better of us? Silly Spackler....

 

[Dakota Deerwood]

Swing what feels comfortable... other than that, who gives a duck?

 

[GrinningBear]

The simplified formula displayed at the Hillerich and Bradsby (Louisville Slugger) factory/museum is D=MV (2) <<<That's supposed to be squared.

Distance = mass x velocity squared.

 

[Redfuzzbutt]

Distance = mass x velocity squared.

But we aren't looking for distance. The question is what creates the most velocity. I suppose I could google it but it's a lot more fun to stumble in the dark and discuss it here.
....
Just spent the last 30 minutes reading articles I found off of google. I'm happily confused now. Happy enough that regardless of what the correct equation and whether a light quick bat or a slower heavy bat is best for velocity, I'll keep swinging what is in my bag.

 

[Joker]

The simplified formula displayed at the Hillerich and Bradsby (Louisville Slugger) factory/museum is D=MV (2) <<<That's supposed to be squared.

Distance = mass x velocity squared.

but there are many other factors that come into play. things like spin, angle, etc.

 

[fierce_gt]

the problem is that the science is actually a LOT more complicated than anybody is willing to admit.

there's the raw physics of the bat's mass travelling at a certain velocity. and there's the physics of the bat's 'trampoline' effect. but there's also the kinesiology of the human body and how it affects the bat through contact.

the truth is, an hour or two of simply swinging the bats in BP will tell you a heck of a lot more than months or research and calculations would PREDICT. why spend that much effort for just a predictions when it's so easy to simply test it yourself and find the answer.

BTW, pros, and some higher level amateurs, get 'fitted' for bats. they swing them, and have the bat speeds and BBS measured. then with the help of a pro trainer, they discuss the feel, how confident they are with each, and weight the options to select the best weight, not only for hitting the ball hard, but also for consistency and confidence. I'm not sure exactly where I saw this, but I feel like it was some kids science show like 10yrs ago. definitely wasn't recent.

 

[Qoheleth52]

Then there's the whole "what best fits the robot's swing" argument. And robots are known to shave...

 

[rhound50]

The simplified formula displayed at the Hillerich and Bradsby (Louisville Slugger) factory/museum is D=MV (2) <<<That's supposed to be squared.

Distance = mass x velocity squared.

Not even close to this simple. The bat isn't all moving at the same speed, the amount of momentum transferred between bat and ball can be different depending on a number of factors. This calculation has far more variables than anyone has suggested. Simple conservation of momentum formulas work well in theoretical physics and really poorly in real world application.

but there are many other factors that come into play. things like spin, angle, etc.

These will all be similar with bats I would assume. It's seems unlikely that a 26oz bat is gonna produce significantly more or less spin than a 30oz. Really exit speed should be enough but as I said before that calculation can be quite hard on it's own.

 

[Fuzz]

http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/bats/batw8.html

This explains it the most to me. Back 8-10yrs ago they measured your batted ball speed with a radar i believe. We swung the heaviest bat until our speed after contact fell lower. In baseball they wanted us swinging the heaviest bat we could control.

Me I'd pick a spot out past the infield say 200ft then hit 5 balls each with each wt of the same bat. Then use the speed = distance ÷ time formula to keep it simple. You would need line drives on a similar path

 

[Space_cadet]

http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/bats/batw8.html

This explains it the most to me. Back 8-10yrs ago they measured your batted ball speed with a radar i believe. We swung the heaviest bat until our speed after contact fell lower. In baseball they wanted us swinging the heaviest bat we could control.

Me I'd pick a spot out past the infield say 200ft then hit 5 balls each with each wt of the same bat. Then use the speed = distance ÷ time formula to keep it simple. You would need line drives on a similar path

so by this system for slow pitch (weight/115 + 24). my optimal bat weight should be 26. which is spot on. all my bats are 26oz.

 

[Redman]

With that formula I think everyone under 345lbs should be swinging a 26

 

[zuke 37]

what's the weight to bat speed ratio to a non robot swinger:

that's the point, non robot: if you take 2 non robot men 6' 185lbs one age 18 the other age 40 the older man will be stronger, but will have less nurons then the 18 year old kid, nurons will wither with age and that has more bearing on bat speed
then stragnth does but because the older man is stronger and more experianed, he will hit the ball better then the kis even though the kis will have more bat speed now i hope that clears that up one and for all/

 

[Joker]

Not even close to this simple. The bat isn't all moving at the same speed, the amount of momentum transferred between bat and ball can be different depending on a number of factors. This calculation has far more variables than anyone has suggested. Simple conservation of momentum formulas work well in theoretical physics and really poorly in real world application.


These will all be similar with bats I would assume. It's seems unlikely that a 26oz bat is gonna produce significantly more or less spin than a 30oz. Really exit speed should be enough but as I said before that calculation can be quite hard on it's own.

you listed the etc. in the response above here

 

[SDMike]

what's the weight to bat speed ratio to a non robot swinger:

that's the point, non robot: if you take 2 non robot men 6' 185lbs one age 18 the other age 40 the older man will be stronger, but will have less nurons then the 18 year old kid, nurons will wither with age and that has more bearing on bat speed
then stragnth does but because the older man is stronger and more experianed, he will hit the ball better then the kis even though the kis will have more bat speed now i hope that clears that up one and for all/

 

[B~TOWN]

With that formula I think everyone under 345lbs should be swinging a 26

as they should it's pretty simple really unless your using the weight of the bat to follow through . it's all about sustained bat speed during collision with the ball .

 

[obagain]

the problem is that the science is actually a LOT more complicated than anybody is willing to admit.

there's the raw physics of the bat's mass travelling at a certain velocity. and there's the physics of the bat's 'trampoline' effect. but there's also the kinesiology of the human body and how it affects the bat through contact.

the truth is, an hour or two of simply swinging the bats in BP will tell you a heck of a lot more than months or research and calculations would PREDICT. why spend that much effort for just a predictions when it's so easy to simply test it yourself and find the answer.

BTW, pros, and some higher level amateurs, get 'fitted' for bats. they swing them, and have the bat speeds and BBS measured. then with the help of a pro trainer, they discuss the feel, how confident they are with each, and weight the options to select the best weight, not only for hitting the ball hard, but also for consistency and confidence. I'm not sure exactly where I saw this, but I feel like it was some kids science show like 10yrs ago. definitely wasn't recent.

That is why tools like the zep are great.
They tell you bat speed before and after contact, you don't have to guess.
In about half an hour you will know what the best weight for your swing is.

 

[Spackler]

Then there's the whole "what best fits the robot's swing" argument. And robots are known to shave...

little bastards..... scrap the whole thing then

 

[chrometip78]

I love the correlation between gut weight and bat weight. It's more about timing and mechanics.

 

[kokamojo15]

So what ur telling me is I need science to hit dingers!!

 

[chrometip78]

 

[J2U]

too many variables. If everything in the process was linear then maybe, but trying to get any kind of reliable/consistent results when dealing with the various arcs of pitches, swing plane, and contact point on ball...= cannot repeat results. Add in temperature, wind, elevation, etc plus inconsistencies between softball manufactures, seams of different balls... Speaking of which I heard the NCAA is looking at changing the seams on baseballs as a way to bring more home runs back and increase scoring. Actually all the bbcor and changes to baseball bats shows how the technology & technique is more important than the bat weight imo.

 

[BraveSox]

No we need science to tell us how we hit the dingers

So what ur telling me is I need science to hit dingers!!