Would you rather swing a shorter bat with a lower drop like say 29/20 -9 or a bit longer bat with a higher drop like 30/20 -10. Is there really any difference between the two.
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IMHO drop is less important than swing weight or "moment of inertia." First step to getting a correct-sized bat for a pre-high schooler is getting the length right. After that focus on swing weights.
Less physically strong kids or kids who desire more bat control will prefer bats rated closer to 60 whereas your strong boys and power hitters will benefit from bats rated closer to 80 etc.
The reason I suggest this approach is because you can have two bats with a minus ten drop, say 30/20, and the 80 rated bat will feel heavier on the swing than the 60. This is because the 60 is more balanced and the 80 is more barrel-weighted.
Read this for a more detailed explanation. Once I learned about this stuff, I shifted some of the team bats around on our Bronco team and most of the kids improved at the plate.
Less physically strong kids or kids who desire more bat control will prefer bats rated closer to 60 whereas your strong boys and power hitters will benefit from bats rated closer to 80 etc.
The reason I suggest this approach is because you can have two bats with a minus ten drop, say 30/20, and the 80 rated bat will feel heavier on the swing than the 60. This is because the 60 is more balanced and the 80 is more barrel-weighted.
Read this for a more detailed explanation. Once I learned about this stuff, I shifted some of the team bats around on our Bronco team and most of the kids improved at the plate.
That makes sense. How do you find out about the rating on bats. I believe Eastons are the only bat that tells you even half of what you want to know about there bats.
You know, I found a bat review site when I was shopping around earlier this summer for my son. The author provided all the data on each bat her reviewed. Let me dig around and I'll pop the URL on here, maybe tomorrow.
Here's what I ended up doing for my own son who just finished his 11U season. He'd been hitting a 29/20 TPX Omaha (60 MOI) for the past two years and he loved it. He's a smallish, lead-off/2-spot type hitter and the bat suited him perfectly.
Like a **** I thought I'd reward his success with a new bat and bought him a 30/20 with an 80 MOI bat (brand unimportant). At the time I focused only on length and drop when shopping.
Suddenly he's slightly behind and low in the cages, at speeds he'd been hammering earlier in the year. So he goes back to the humble Omaha, uses it through All-Stars, and has a fine summer of tournaments. I let one of his bigger teammates have the other bat and suddenly that kid's hitting the ball further etc.
In the end, since my son was ready for a 30-inch bat, I did the sensible thing and just bought him a new TPX Omaha with a 60 MOI (30/20). He's been breaking it in off the tee. He used it at camps and for his tryouts last month and he loves it as much as his previous one.
Stay tuned for that bat review site URL.
Here's what I ended up doing for my own son who just finished his 11U season. He'd been hitting a 29/20 TPX Omaha (60 MOI) for the past two years and he loved it. He's a smallish, lead-off/2-spot type hitter and the bat suited him perfectly.
Like a **** I thought I'd reward his success with a new bat and bought him a 30/20 with an 80 MOI bat (brand unimportant). At the time I focused only on length and drop when shopping.
Suddenly he's slightly behind and low in the cages, at speeds he'd been hammering earlier in the year. So he goes back to the humble Omaha, uses it through All-Stars, and has a fine summer of tournaments. I let one of his bigger teammates have the other bat and suddenly that kid's hitting the ball further etc.
In the end, since my son was ready for a 30-inch bat, I did the sensible thing and just bought him a new TPX Omaha with a 60 MOI (30/20). He's been breaking it in off the tee. He used it at camps and for his tryouts last month and he loves it as much as his previous one.
Stay tuned for that bat review site URL.
Not sure what your boy is swinging now, but I'd throw him a bunch of BP with different used recent model bats & see what he's comfortable swinging.
Thanks for all the help guys. My boy will be playing in an 11U league next year but he is an older 11 year old turning 12 May 12th. He is a Great contact hitter who batted in the high 800's during All Stars this year but don't have over the fence power. With all the advice Ive got from my two posts I think we are going with the 2011 Easton Rival its a -9 30/21 2 3/4 extended barrel (60 MOI) its a stiff flex handled one piece Aluminum bat. It just sounds like a good match for him.