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Online now: 2 members: TABLE SETTER 11, blue4242; 100 anonymousDiscussion: Slower bat speed - use bigger bat ???
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| July 3, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | Slower bat speed - use bigger bat ??? Hitting question: since my bat speed is slowing down should I use a bigger bat. I swing a 27 now so should I move to 28 or 29oz to make up for my slower bat speed? |
| July 3, 2010 Dbax Men's 65 2100 posts | That would make your bat speed even slower. Move to a lighter bat. |
| July 3, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | That's what I thought but I was told that with a slower bat speed you need more mass to get hit the ball better. It did not make sense to me so I wanted to ask you guys. |
| July 3, 2010 einstein Men's 50 3112 posts | I heard you're supposed to swing the heaviest bat you can without diminishing bat speed, significantly yet, a heavier, more endloaded bat will carry through the ball with less recoil than a lighter one, so sometimes you can hit the ball farther with slower bat speed to the ball. |
| July 3, 2010 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | madsenior,you should swing the heaviest bat that you loose less bat speed after contact with the ball. ray demarini did a bat test and dry swung these bats all about the same speed,(90 mph)the bats were 26-29 oz. for bat speed after contact is what he found did best with 26 ~ 65 mph 27 ~58 mph 28 ~ 53 mph 29 ~ 50 mph these speeds are approx as i haven't look at the vid in a while and am working off memory,but are close.the more speed you can maintain thru your follow thru(after ball contact) the better(harder ) the hit. |
| July 3, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | Thanks for the advice guys. I am ordered a new bat in a 27 which I feel is the best size. |
| July 4, 2010 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | to help yourself you should try mike macenko's bat speed drill.its a great tool to increase bat speed,along with the demarini chute. |
| July 4, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | Where do I find that drill? |
| July 4, 2010 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | mike has a web site with it on,but consists of 3 bats to swing. 1 gamer 1 bat approx 8 oz heavier,can use a bat weight also. 1 light one(can use a broom stick). he does 10 swings each 2-3 rotations,start with light bat first to warm up. |
| July 5, 2010 titanhd Men's 60 638 posts | madsenior.speed swing drill can be found at www.houseofswing.com You may also want to consider using endloaded bats rather than one that is balanced. |
| July 5, 2010 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | thanks titanhd,i couldn't remember big mike's web site. |
| July 5, 2010 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | Houseofswing.com or Bigcat844.com |
| July 6, 2010 TerryT 4 posts | Maddog: Are you saying that the chart shows bat speed AFTER contact with the ball (follow through)? |
| July 6, 2010 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | TerryT,yes, it is approx tho as i haven't looked at the video in a while.he showed with a radar gun what was happening before and after contact of the ball. he could dry swing a bat any where's from 90 to almost a 100 mph,but when he made contact his bat speed dramatically dropped. |
| July 6, 2010 TerryT 4 posts | Maddog: So, theoretically, I should choose a 26 oz vs a 27 oz in order to insure that my post-contact speed is higher, therefore improving the quality of the contact? I know that 1 oz sounds immaterial, but I'm not that big of a guy and need all the physics I can get on my side. |
| July 6, 2010 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | that table was for ray demarini,he was about 5'7",not sure of weight,but he was not big(prolly 175-190 lbs max).you will need to test different weights of bats to find what one works best for you.you need the bat that lets you power thru the ball without loosing bat speed(it is impossible to loose bat speed,but the one that you loose less with). in bp i have hit all weights(23-30 oz) and feel compy with a 26 oz endload. |
| July 6, 2010 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | Last year I bought a Swingspeed Radar, thinking that I could accurately measure my bat speed and batted ball speed. I am able to measure my bat speed but am unable to measure my bbs. I swing a 29 or 30 endload and find that my bat speed with these is usually between 75 and 86 mph. I have a balanced 28 that I am able to obtain a 94-96 mph bat speed. I don't however feel, however, that I can get as much distance with the 28 as I can with the 29 or 30. My thinking on this is that the heavier bat has more momentum than a lighter bat. I keep saying that I will experiment more with my Swingspeed Radar, trying to measure my bbs. Only then will I be 100% convinced. Good luck! fwiw, I'm almost 6' and 200 lbs and I don't work out ;). |
| July 6, 2010 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | bruce,trying to find out can be a pain i guess.how about aiming the radar just in front of the tee(a foot or so)to see if you can do it that way.i don't know how demarini did it,with his.i think he has 2 that he was working with.what your really trying to measure is the bat speed,but i guess BBS would do also.just take the highest BBS for each bat,and use the one with the highest BBS,makes sense to me anyways. |
| July 6, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | I found a baseball coach that is helping with my bat speed and swing. I also got the new 27oz bat today (the white Veteran) so I hope to be good to go. Thanks for all your help. |
| July 6, 2010 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | I tried aiming it on the path the ball makes, it still measures the bat speed. I tried block the line of sight from the unit to my swing and still no luck. I'll work on it some more later. |
| July 6, 2010 TerryT 4 posts | Maddog: So, theoretically, I should choose a 26 oz vs a 27 oz in order to insure that my post-contact speed is higher, therefore improving the quality of the contact? I know that 1 oz sounds immaterial, but I'm not that big of a guy and need all the physics I can get on my side. |
| July 6, 2010 crusher Men's 75 524 posts | madsenior, Why are you mad? Bat Oz's ?? I have used a 26 oz 1997 model Demarini (may be best bat ever). Also used the 28 oz Miken and 30 oz Miken. I find the main thing for ball speed and distance is timing your swing at your max bat speed to meet the ball at that instant in time, and, it must be a smooth swing with follow through. Your form will put more balls out of the park than oz,s of the bat when you stay in the 26 to 30 oz range. Hope you find the perfect swing and bat for yourself. |
| July 7, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | My new bat is a 27 and one of the things this coach had me do is to line up my little knuckles. This has picked up my bat speed some and I seem to have more whip in my swing. |
| July 7, 2010 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | I just found this on ehow.com: Step 1 Study the mechanics of a good swing. According to Hall of Famer Tony Gwyn, "bat speed comes from being in the correct position and using the correct swing." Video tape yourself during batting practice and have someone who knows hitting study it with you. Step 2 Practice hitting with a fungo bat. The fungo is smaller and lighter than a regular bat and will teach you how to generate good bat speed. Hit whiffle balls, tennis balls, or socks to avoid breaking the fungo bat. Step 3 Swing a coat hanger. Straighten a coat hanger out and practice swinging with it every day. The lightness of the hanger will help you create a whip-like swing and increase the quickness of your hands. Step 4 Swing as many times as you can in 60 seconds. Have someone watch you during this drill to ensure that you maintain correct form. Step 5 Use a heavier bat during the off-season. Try hitting at the batting cages with a slightly heavier (a few ounces) bat. This will increase your strength and bat speed. Continue using your regular bat and video tape yourself periodically to avoid bad habits. Step 6 Hit soft toss with a weighted bat. Try hitting several balls with a weighted donut on your bat. Follow up by hitting balls without the weight. Step 7 Take extra batting practice. The more you practice hitting, the more consistent your swing will become. If you practice hitting with correct form, you cannot help but increase your bat speed. Read more: How to Improve Bat Speed in Baseball | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2078379_improve-bat-speed-baseball.html#ixzz0t23QncjW |
| July 7, 2010 TerryT 4 posts | I've recently started playing softball and started joining forums, such as this, to learn. The study behind and seriousness of this sport is unexpected and compelling. Thanks for sharing advise and the great game. |
| July 8, 2010 Enviro-Vac Men's 65 489 posts | TerryT -right on! Even though the Forum goes a little South now and then It is compelling. |
| July 9, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | One other thing I got from the coach at MSU.... Using a work out cord that hooks on the fence. I then put one hand behind my back and pull the cord as I am swinging a bat. This has already helped my swing. Wanted to past this on in hopes it might help you guys. |
| July 13, 2010 Webbie25 Men's 70 2413 posts | All these points and tests are valid and accurate, but sometimes you can get too analytical, and when you get in the actual game situation, you are thinking about technical points too much. Maybe I am wrong, but I have always felt my power comes because my bat speed is accelerating at contact, and my legs are driving hard. When my legs are tired, I do not hit well. Swinging a heavier bat in practice sometimes will help me with bat speed. Bicycling keeps my legs strong. To me, the biggest factor is to know MYSELF. I know what I can do and what I cannot do on the field. The trick is to know where you are physically and mentally when you step on the field. There are some tourneys that I am just a bit off timing wise, or not feeling 100% and the power stroke is not there on a consistent basis. I adjust and get the base hits. Then there are the days the fences look 200 feet away (fewer and fewer, I'm afraid)and I just concentrate on hitting the ball hard, knowing if I get it up in the air, it is gone. Knowing when these factors are in play, and adjusting to them is important. I'm sure there are some, like me, that can overthink things if they let themselves. KISS-keep it simple, stupid (meaning me). Also, I think the bat mass/bat speed effect is skewed by the high tech trampoline effect. Use a bat that is comfortable to YOU, and gives you maximum bat speed. |
| July 18, 2010 madsenior 54 posts | After working on this for the past month there is one point that stands out. Using a lighter bat for 'on deck' swings has really helped. I am using my Grand DD's old fastpitch bat. It only weights 23oz and swinging before I bat seems to be helping my game swing. |
