Composite game bat

Typically composites get better with use.

Curious, are you sure that bat is still allowed? My son has always swung that bat and it looks as though he wont ever get to again thanks to the new USA bat rule most organizations are now adopting.

I would suggest qurater turning the barrel during cage work to break it in evenly

BBCOR Composite bats don't have to be 'broken in'... They are subjected to ABI before packaging...

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/rules/...NCAAABIProcedure.pdf

https://www.easton.com/support...service/product-faqs

We've never noticed any type of performance increase whatsoever with a composite...

BBCOR Composites DO NOT get hotter with use... There is NO advantage whatsoever between Alloy and Composites under the BBCOR standard.

Bolts-Coach-PR posted:

BBCOR Composite bats don't have to be 'broken in'... They are subjected to ABI before packaging...

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/rules/...NCAAABIProcedure.pdf

https://www.easton.com/support...service/product-faqs

We've never noticed any type of performance increase whatsoever with a composite...

BBCOR Composites DO NOT get hotter with use... There is NO advantage whatsoever between Alloy and Composites under the BBCOR standard.

Unless I'm misunderstanding your statement, I don't think it's accurate. The ABI process is only used as part of BBCOR certification testing, so it's only performed on those individual bats that are submitted for testing. The manufacturer isn't required to break in every bat they make before selling them. The purpose is to ensure that the bat model passes BBCOR certification after it's been broken in. So I would say that all composite bats have the potential to get hotter after break in, but that they are still unlikely to exceed the BBCOR standard after break-in. I say unlikely, because ABI testing couldn't possibly reproduce every real-world break-in scenario.

Dadof3, IMO, most composite bats do get a little bouncier after break-in, and they also start to lose their bounciness over time (much sooner than alloy). If you love the bat, and want it to last as long as possible, I would only use it for game ABs after the first 500 contacts.

Dadof3 posted:

OK, so my son recently went to a drop 5, Demarini cf zen.  He has hitting a few times a week, first tournament in the beginning of May probably some games at the end of April as well.  Season runs through the last week of July.  Is it OK to use the bat for BP as well as games or will it crack or "die"?  I know last year when he was using the youth bat, we had a separate bp bat (aluminum) due to the composites breaking so easily.  I assume that was because they were thinner walled to make them lighter (drop 10-11).  Are the drop 5's (and bbcor) the same or will they last the entire year?

Obviously there is some controversy on the topic of whether a composite bat, BBCOR or otherwise, will get hotter and then less hot with age.  Anecdotally only, I feel like the drop 8 and above BBCOR bats my sons and their teammate used did heat up, but I have no evidence of that.   As for BBCOR, I suspect Bolts Coach is correct.

As to using a bat for BP, if the kid's a real cage rat, I'd probably have him hit with a different bat just to keep his game bat in decent condition, because they definitely do crack, and they also get dinged up and the grips wear out and they look like crap.

One kinda fun thing you can do as the kid moves to BBCOR is pick his favorite manufacturers, and then select college teams that use that bat.  If, for example, your kid prefers Easton bats, watch Easton teams play on TV, or just find game photos of their top hitters.  Which bats the players choose can be instructive. 

At no time during accelerated break-in tests can a composite bat exceed the BBCOR limit. Composite bats can only get to the limit at .50, after that, they fail. At the bat’s highest performance level, it must be below 50 BBCOR limit. With BBCOR approved bats, the average seems to be .48 or .49, and at the very upper level, .50.

What these figures mean is that there is virtually no trampoline effect for non-wood BBCOR bat barrels. From a trampoline aspect, the barrels react similar to wood. A wood bat is essentially a perfectly hard surface. When a ball hits a wooden bat, it has the same trampoline effect as a ball hitting a massive, rigid floor. Roughly speaking, that translates to about 5-miles per hour less off BBCOR bats (when compared to BESR standard bats) which is similar to wood bats.

The Moment of Inertia (MOI), or 'swingweight' of a bat, is less than a wood bat. This means an Alloy or Composite bat will be more easily maneuverable.

Some BBCOR bats require a break in period.  The guy at better baseball can go into it further the next time y'all are in GA, lol.  What I got out of the conversation was Easton Mako needs to be broken in with hundreds of swings, DeMarini Voodoo is good to go out of the wrapper.

Not all BBCOR are created equally equal :- )

To the OP it depends on how much BP your son takes. Some is needed to break in the bat but too much will break the bat. All composites break in and get hotter. No bat company has filed for a patten on a new way of making composite bats so one has to believe they still make them the same way. That being said they will still break in. With ABI testing they have to then sell the bat below the standard to allow it to not exceed the standard after a normal break in period. Which they will exceed it after a long break in period. 

Heck read the link posted from Easton. They say eastons don't need a break in and in the very next paragraph say they do lol. It's all marketing or they would have stopped being able to sell composites after the ABI was included in testing. 

My advice has always been the same. Use wood in the cage. 

Bolts-Coach-PR posted:

BBCOR Composite bats don't have to be 'broken in'... They are subjected to ABI before packaging...

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/rules/...NCAAABIProcedure.pdf

https://www.easton.com/support...service/product-faqs

We've never noticed any type of performance increase whatsoever with a composite...

BBCOR Composites DO NOT get hotter with use... There is NO advantage whatsoever between Alloy and Composites under the BBCOR standard.

From the Easton link. 

"Do I need to break in my composite bat?
No. EASTON composite bats do not need to be broke in."

And the very next paragraph

"How do I know if my composite bat is broken?
Composite bats do have a natural break in period 

So which is it?

Bolts-Coach-PR posted:

At no time during accelerated break-in tests can a composite bat exceed the BBCOR limit. Composite bats can only get to the limit at .50, after that, they fail. At the bat’s highest performance level, it must be below 50 BBCOR limit. With BBCOR approved bats, the average seems to be .48 or .49, and at the very upper level, .50.

What these figures mean is that there is virtually no trampoline effect for non-wood BBCOR bat barrels. From a trampoline aspect, the barrels react similar to wood. A wood bat is essentially a perfectly hard surface. When a ball hits a wooden bat, it has the same trampoline effect as a ball hitting a massive, rigid floor. Roughly speaking, that translates to about 5-miles per hour less off BBCOR bats (when compared to BESR standard bats) which is similar to wood bats.

The Moment of Inertia (MOI), or 'swingweight' of a bat, is less than a wood bat. This means an Alloy or Composite bat will be more easily maneuverable.

That's a good point (there's virtually no trampoline effect with a new BBCOR bat). ABI used during testing is probably as good as they can do, but not the same as real word use. I believe you're using some Alan Nathan quotes above.

johnnysako posted:

Typically composites get better with use.

Curious, are you sure that bat is still allowed? My son has always swung that bat and it looks as though he wont ever get to again thanks to the new USA bat rule most organizations are now adopting.

Yes, he is doing AAU and the tournaments don't have the USA standard.  The township does require it, but he isn't doing that.

Thanks for the input.  I think I will have him use the bat for the first 500 or so hits, then use something else.   He is using a drop 5 now.  Does it make sense to have him use a bbcor in the cage or could that affect his swing?  Should I get him a -5 aluminum to match the composite?

Dadof3 posted:

Thanks for the input.  I think I will have him use the bat for the first 500 or so hits, then use something else.   He is using a drop 5 now.  Does it make sense to have him use a bbcor in the cage or could that affect his swing?  Should I get him a -5 aluminum to match the composite?

For 13u I truly believe the drop 5's are for the smaller/weaker kids.  Since your son is neither I would switch to a BBCOR bat and get a leg up for next seasons tryouts when all the 13u kids show up with a drop 5 or even drop 10 and the coaches shake their head.

12u was drop 10, 13u my son went BBCOR because he was tall and strong, and he was better off for it with his young age and high school looming.  Just a suggestion.

CaCO3Girl posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Thanks for the input.  I think I will have him use the bat for the first 500 or so hits, then use something else.   He is using a drop 5 now.  Does it make sense to have him use a bbcor in the cage or could that affect his swing?  Should I get him a -5 aluminum to match the composite?

For 13u I truly believe the drop 5's are for the smaller/weaker kids.  Since your son is neither I would switch to a BBCOR bat and get a leg up for next seasons tryouts when all the 13u kids show up with a drop 5 or even drop 10 and the coaches shake their head.

12u was drop 10, 13u my son went BBCOR because he was tall and strong, and he was better off for it with his young age and high school looming.  Just a suggestion.

What bbcor bat would you recommend?  As you know, he likes the demarini brand right now.

Dadof3 posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

Dadof3 posted:

Thanks for the input.  I think I will have him use the bat for the first 500 or so hits, then use something else.   He is using a drop 5 now.  Does it make sense to have him use a bbcor in the cage or could that affect his swing?  Should I get him a -5 aluminum to match the composite?

For 13u I truly believe the drop 5's are for the smaller/weaker kids.  Since your son is neither I would switch to a BBCOR bat and get a leg up for next seasons tryouts when all the 13u kids show up with a drop 5 or even drop 10 and the coaches shake their head.

12u was drop 10, 13u my son went BBCOR because he was tall and strong, and he was better off for it with his young age and high school looming.  Just a suggestion.

What bbcor bat would you recommend?  As you know, he likes the demarini brand right now.

Everyone is different.  For a cheaper side of life BBCOR in the Demarini line I would say Voodoo. It's much cheaper than many out there.  If you have a store that will let him swing a bunch of different bats and do a hittrax on him while he swings that would be best.  I've been told the LS 918 has a similar feel to the Demarini's as well. Easton Mako/beast/ghost is totally different.

Just use the composite bat until it breaks. Facing 13u pitching isn’t much wear on the bat compared to high school and college ball with the same bats. Ive found all the bbcor era bats to be pretty fragile. Whether they’re aluminum or composite I’ve had atleast 1 crack, or something break off of it every year since they first came out.  I probably went through 6 z1000 in juco 

i won’t swing another bat in season. I want to train with what I use in game. I don’t want to take practice swings with a bat made of another material, different point of balance or any of the other differences in bats.

With the BBCOR standard, there is absolutely ZERO advantage to either Composite or Alloy... It's all about personal preference, aesthetics, weight distribution, handle-thickness, etc....

Dad of 3,

the approach I ended up taking when my son was that age was to swing away- in BP with your game bat.  He did break a couple of bats, but the manufacturer, both Easton and before that Marucci, replaced bats that broke in BP.  so I'd go ahead and have him swing in BP, with the bat he intends to swing in games, if he breaks it, then they will replace it if it's within warranty.  Chances are you will be within warranty, because you are probably going to get him a new bat every year from here on out.

oh, and give me a call again, I'm pretty sure I have another extra bat or two in the garage, you can use those as backups while you are waiting for the demarini to replace a broken one!