Should I switch to a 12 inch barrel?

Slayerfan84

Slayerfan84

New Member
I have a 18' Cartel and a Twisted Mistress. Both 13 inch barrels. Both 28 ounces. I only play league right now and they are double headers. One night I'll go 8 for 8 or 6 for 8 and the next night I play go 3 for 8, with at least half of those mi****s being off the endcap.

With so many mi****s being off the endcap, would I be more naturally suited for a 12 inch barrel?

Or can this all be corrected with some bp with a 13 inch barrel bat?

Also, I am a swing hard kind of guy. I don't have a very easy swing. I swing pretty aggressive.

Thanks for any help
 
Slayerfan84

Slayerfan84

New Member
Dogue said:
The endcap is in the same place on a 12" barrel....just saying
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I have read on this forum 12 inch barrels are better for those who tend to hit the ball toward the end of the bat.

A major player I messaged actually suggested I might need to swing a heavier bat. I was surprised because all I swing are 28s. I mean going to a 30 to me is a drastic change.
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
Mostly the 12" barrel benefits people who have no problem finding the sweet spot. It's advantage is having more of the mass of the bat towards the end of the bat. Kind of helps you carry more speed through impact, because of the mass being placed there. That being said, it probably won't help you. If you're endcapping a lot of balls then you're probably pulling off of the ball. Bailing out instead of bringing your weight forward. Be mindful of where you step before impact and if you're bailing out.....KNOCK IT OFF!!! Stride to the pitch. Not away from the plate.
 
jbo911

jbo911

Super Moderator
Staff member
Slayerfan84 said:
I have read on this forum 12 inch barrels are better for those who tend to hit the ball toward the end of the bat.

A major player I messaged actually suggested I might need to swing a heavier bat. I was surprised because all I swing are 28s. I mean going to a 30 to me is a drastic change.
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That answer is like telling you to put on a platform shoe on your right foot because you want to know how to drive faster. It does nothing for the problem. Your problem is timing and bp is the only answer.
 
TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
swingnmiss said:
Mostly the 12" barrel benefits people who have no problem finding the sweet spot. It's advantage is having more of the mass of the bat towards the end of the bat. Kind of helps you carry more speed through impact, because of the mass being placed there. That being said, it probably won't help you. If you're endcapping a lot of balls then you're probably pulling off of the ball. Bailing out instead of bringing your weight forward. Be mindful of where you step before impact and if you're bailing out.....KNOCK IT OFF!!! Stride to the pitch. Not away from the plate.
Click to expand...

I agree that getting a 12" barrel bat won't solve your problem. That said, you might buy one anyway just to try it and see what you think. Bats with 12" barrels definitely do have the sweetspot a bit closer to the end of the bat. If you feel you hit a lot of balls toward the end you may see some benefit to a shorter barrel.

One thing you might try is swinging something more endloaded. Especially if you feel you're bringing the balanced bats through the zone too quickly.
 
Redsfan

Redsfan

Well-Known Member
If you are hitting the endcap you might be standing too far from the plate or just swinging at outside pitches you should let go. Without seeing you swing all we can do is guess.
 
Normy

Normy

Well-Known Member
May want to try closing off your stance a bit too. Like others have said, hard telling without a video.
 
Slayerfan84

Slayerfan84

New Member
Rooster210 said:
are you pulling the ball often? if so, you might just be swinging early. wait a lil bit and see if that helps
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I pull the ball often. I also have been standing off the plate more to avoid yanking it foul. If I stand close to the plate I tend to bite on those 2inches or more inside pitchers. When I do, they go foul. I need to find that happy medium off the plate for my stance.
 
Hiltz

Hiltz

Built for comfort
Slayerfan84 said:
I pull the ball often. I also have been standing off the plate more to avoid yanking it foul. If I stand close to the plate I tend to bite on those 2inches or more inside pitchers. When I do, they go foul. I need to find that happy medium off the plate for my stance.
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It sounds like you're out in front and swinging too early and/or pulling off the ball. Moving off the plate to compensate is a Band-Aid and you're going to get eaten up by good pitchers. I'm guessing a lot of the balls that you're endcapping are on the outside part of the plate. If that's the case, pitchers will catch on and feed you a steady diet of outside corner nibblers.

Get a tee and a bucket of balls and set it up to simulate an inside pitch. Work on striding straight forward (not away from the plate), letting the bat head lag behind your hands, and try to hit the balls straight up the middle/LC gap. It'll feel like you're jammed up at first but it will force you to stop pulling off. Once you get the hang of it, set the tee up for an outside corner pitch and work on driving the ball to RC.
 
Slayerfan84

Slayerfan84

New Member
Hiltz said:
It sounds like you're out in front and swinging too early and/or pulling off the ball. Moving off the plate to compensate is a Band-Aid and you're going to get eaten up by good pitchers. I'm guessing a lot of the balls that you're endcapping are on the outside part of the plate. If that's the case, pitchers will catch on and feed you a steady diet of outside corner nibblers.

Get a tee and a bucket of balls and set it up to simulate an inside pitch. Work on striding straight forward (not away from the plate), letting the bat head lag behind your hands, and try to hit the balls straight up the middle/LC gap. It'll feel like you're jammed up at first but it will force you to stop pulling off. Once you get the hang of it, set the tee up for an outside corner pitch and work on driving the ball to RC.
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This is probably the best advice I've ever received. Thank you
 
Paulypal

Paulypal

Addicted to Softballfans
Not that I play slow pitch but hitting off the end cap has zero to do with the barrel length. In fact it has nothing to do with the bat at all. Its all swing timing/mechanics.
 
Slayerfan84

Slayerfan84

New Member
TWmccoy said:
I agree that getting a 12" barrel bat won't solve your problem. That said, you might buy one anyway just to try it and see what you think. Bats with 12" barrels definitely do have the sweetspot a bit closer to the end of the bat. If you feel you hit a lot of balls toward the end you may see some benefit to a shorter barrel.

One thing you might try is swinging something more endloaded. Especially if you feel you're bringing the balanced bats through the zone too quickly.
Click to expand...
I understand your point but a 28 oz reissue Cartel and a 28 oz Mistress are decently endloaded right? Those are the two I swing.
 
Slayerfan84

Slayerfan84

New Member
Hiltz said:
It sounds like you're out in front and swinging too early and/or pulling off the ball. Moving off the plate to compensate is a Band-Aid and you're going to get eaten up by good pitchers. I'm guessing a lot of the balls that you're endcapping are on the outside part of the plate. If that's the case, pitchers will catch on and feed you a steady diet of outside corner nibblers.

Get a tee and a bucket of balls and set it up to simulate an inside pitch. Work on striding straight forward (not away from the plate), letting the bat head lag behind your hands, and try to hit the balls straight up the middle/LC gap. It'll feel like you're jammed up at first but it will force you to stop pulling off. Once you get the hang of it, set the tee up for an outside corner pitch and work on driving the ball to RC.
Click to expand...
I took your advice and on Saturday using 28s and a 30 oz, hit 160 balls off a tee. It felt great and I set up the tee like how you explained.

My problem was I played 3 games the very next day and was garbage at the plate. Chest and arms were still sore from the prior days 160 balls so my swing was weak. Couldn't whip my 28s through the zone as quick.

But, I think the work was good for bat speed and swing mechanics.
 
Redsfan

Redsfan

Well-Known Member
Sounds like you wore yourself out. Unless your in pretty good shape 160 swings is alot. Especially the day before 3 games. You should do that kind of work 2-3 days before games to give your body recovery time.
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
Slayerfan84 said:
I took your advice and on Saturday using 28s and a 30 oz, hit 160 balls off a tee. It felt great and I set up the tee like how you explained.

My problem was I played 3 games the very next day and was garbage at the plate. Chest and arms were still sore from the prior days 160 balls so my swing was weak. Couldn't whip my 28s through the zone as quick.

But, I think the work was good for bat speed and swing mechanics.
Click to expand...

Dang dude..............That's just too much. I'd never even hit 100 in one session. My mechanics turn to crap, and those last 75 would me just ingraining those ****ty mechanics and making me worse.
 
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