Wanted to share an article. Has a lot of clips included. Looking forward to any discussion.
Light Bats Are Destroying Swing Development
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Ok, I'm bored as Winter has arrived today so I will bite on this one.
You actually touched on the relevant "counter point" in your article which is "the teaching of poor mechanics" that could be pointed to as the real culprit.
Composite materials have revolutionized sporting racquets, clubs and bats to the point where exit ball speeds are unprecedented. I'm not sure that in these other sports that one might suggest that lighter "weapons" have resulted in poor mechanics and thus destroyed golf or tennis swings.
I remember Chipper Jones talking about why he uses such a big bat; 35" and probably 33 oz. He in his rookie days was advised by someone (Stargell, I believe) to swing "the biggest bat he could handle!"
That was certainly the thinking in earlier days and it may very well be correct. But then came composite materials and the marketing gurus went to their Physics books and talked about increased club speed being the cat's meow, then came the boom on rotational techniques and personal hitting instructors teaching whatever was in vogue, etc. So, which came first and whose to blame for what?
In my day we all played with adult size wood bats that were far too large for most of us and you know what, many of us still had pretty poor swings!
You actually touched on the relevant "counter point" in your article which is "the teaching of poor mechanics" that could be pointed to as the real culprit.
Composite materials have revolutionized sporting racquets, clubs and bats to the point where exit ball speeds are unprecedented. I'm not sure that in these other sports that one might suggest that lighter "weapons" have resulted in poor mechanics and thus destroyed golf or tennis swings.
I remember Chipper Jones talking about why he uses such a big bat; 35" and probably 33 oz. He in his rookie days was advised by someone (Stargell, I believe) to swing "the biggest bat he could handle!"
That was certainly the thinking in earlier days and it may very well be correct. But then came composite materials and the marketing gurus went to their Physics books and talked about increased club speed being the cat's meow, then came the boom on rotational techniques and personal hitting instructors teaching whatever was in vogue, etc. So, which came first and whose to blame for what?
In my day we all played with adult size wood bats that were far too large for most of us and you know what, many of us still had pretty poor swings!
Not necessarily true.
Ted Williams was an advocate of swinging a light bat.
(and I doubt you can argue with a man who hits .406)
In his section "Light, But Right," he notes:
"That woke me up. I said to myself, 'Gee, the lightest bat I ever used, and I hit a ball like that.' ... I always used light bats from then on. I kept six or seven bats ready all the time some as light as 32 oz, but never over 34 oz."
He always preferred a light bat. I wouldn't go so far as to say light bats are ruining a hitters swing development.
A hitter can still learn the proper mechanics even with a light bat.
Ted Williams was an advocate of swinging a light bat.
(and I doubt you can argue with a man who hits .406)
In his section "Light, But Right," he notes:
"That woke me up. I said to myself, 'Gee, the lightest bat I ever used, and I hit a ball like that.' ... I always used light bats from then on. I kept six or seven bats ready all the time some as light as 32 oz, but never over 34 oz."
He always preferred a light bat. I wouldn't go so far as to say light bats are ruining a hitters swing development.
A hitter can still learn the proper mechanics even with a light bat.
quote:Originally posted by saturdayhitting:
Not necessarily true.
Ted Williams was an advocate of swinging a light bat.
(and I doubt you can argue with a man who hits .406)
That is all relative to the times. Yes #9 was swinging a hefty bat and grabbed a friends bat in the dugout (32oz) that resulted in a great hit with minimal effort. BUT... He was swinging close to 40 oz before that, as were most MLB players. It is all relative to the times, but there is a law of dminishing returns. Meaning... there is such a thing as TOO light with no MASS and still be able to use proper mechanics.
IE: why not use a wiffle ball bat?
There is such a thing as "too light".
Well of course, Light bats will give fast bat speed without proper technique.
I think there is a big difference from a big leaguer swinging a 32oz bat and little leaguers swinging bats that are -12oz...BIG DIFFERENCE.
It's hard to call a 32 oz bat "light" because only professional players swing bats that heavy. I believe the largest amateur bat that is made is a 34/31. There might be a bat company that makes a 35" bat, but I can't think of one off the top of my head.
It's hard to call a 32 oz bat "light" because only professional players swing bats that heavy. I believe the largest amateur bat that is made is a 34/31. There might be a bat company that makes a 35" bat, but I can't think of one off the top of my head.
I think there are advantages to using both in training. As for the game, I think there is a tendency to go too light thinking it will increase bat speed. Probably some differences between wood and aluminum as well.
Never did I say go up there with a toothpick.
And of course I know the advantages and disadvantages of a warclub vs something lighter.
A heavy bat, if you are able to swing one with the same velovity, can generate more momentum than its lighter counterpart. Hence, p=mv (where p is momentum, m is mass, and v is the velocity of an object).
With a light bat, the "v" or velocity part of that equation makes up for the lack of "m" or mass.
Above all, I am hesitant to agree that light bats are ruining today's hitters. Yes, it's easier to swing "wrong" with a light bat. But swinging a heavy bat isn't going to help you gain good mechanics. Whether you swing a light or heavy bat, a wood or aluminum bat, you should still be able to learn and practice proper hitting mechanics.
And of course I know the advantages and disadvantages of a warclub vs something lighter.
A heavy bat, if you are able to swing one with the same velovity, can generate more momentum than its lighter counterpart. Hence, p=mv (where p is momentum, m is mass, and v is the velocity of an object).
With a light bat, the "v" or velocity part of that equation makes up for the lack of "m" or mass.
Above all, I am hesitant to agree that light bats are ruining today's hitters. Yes, it's easier to swing "wrong" with a light bat. But swinging a heavy bat isn't going to help you gain good mechanics. Whether you swing a light or heavy bat, a wood or aluminum bat, you should still be able to learn and practice proper hitting mechanics.
quote:With a light bat, the "v" or velocity part of that equation makes up for the lack of "m" or mass.
That's a pretty big assumption don't you think?
Of course it doesn't do any good to swing a bat you can't get around to the zone on time either.
That's no assumption. That's a fact.
A player who can swing a lighter bat with much greater velocity than a a player swinging a heavier bat at a lower speed will provide the bat with more momentum.
Player A swings a 32 oz (.90kg) bat at a speed of 20 m/s
momentum= 18 kg*m/s
Player B swings a 22 oz bat (.64kg) at a speed of 30 m/s
momentum= 19.2 kg*m/s
A player who can swing a lighter bat with much greater velocity than a a player swinging a heavier bat at a lower speed will provide the bat with more momentum.
Player A swings a 32 oz (.90kg) bat at a speed of 20 m/s
momentum= 18 kg*m/s
Player B swings a 22 oz bat (.64kg) at a speed of 30 m/s
momentum= 19.2 kg*m/s
The assumption being that the lighter bat is indeed being swung with greater velocity.
This is possibly the biggest issue when it comes to bats. Having a lighter bat can generate you a slightly higher swing speed, but the mass you lose in the bat will lose you distance overall. Force equals mass times acceleration. If you have a similar swing speed with 30 ounce and 31 ounce bats, swing with the 31 ounce bat and the ball will travel farther. When keeping a similar swing speed, each ounce equates to 15 extra feet the baseball will travel. All of this is assuming a good and proper swing. I have always been a proponent of taking the heaviest bat you can "properly swing" to the plate. Like I have said in previous threads, I see 12 and 13 year old kids swinging -8's and -10's all the time. Why, what good does it really do? Have you ever seen a freshman pick up a -3 at high school tryouts for the first time? I have... and I wonder who in the heck had that kid swinging such super light bats for so long.
My 2 cents.
My 2 cents.
I'm sure a lot of it is the speed of the bat but I also think a lot of it is the trampoline effect that you get with a lot of these newer composite and thin wall bats that are on the market.
If it was all things being equal every 31/22 bat on the market should put out pretty similar results but we all know that some bats are 'hotter' than other ones. A 350 dollar bat sold to a 12 year old should perform better than a 75 dollar one. So it isn't just the weight of the bat but the components that make these bats as well. Thus the BBCOR standard being put into place.
I don't think these bats in and of themselves teach bad habits but what they do unfortunately is mask bad habits in kids that aren't noticed until they are 14 and really set in their swing. A parent that has little or no clue as to what a swing is really supposed to look like may not realize that this habit is hurting their kid until they have to pick up that -3 drop bat. If someone learns hitting properly at an early age they can be fine.
If it was all things being equal every 31/22 bat on the market should put out pretty similar results but we all know that some bats are 'hotter' than other ones. A 350 dollar bat sold to a 12 year old should perform better than a 75 dollar one. So it isn't just the weight of the bat but the components that make these bats as well. Thus the BBCOR standard being put into place.
I don't think these bats in and of themselves teach bad habits but what they do unfortunately is mask bad habits in kids that aren't noticed until they are 14 and really set in their swing. A parent that has little or no clue as to what a swing is really supposed to look like may not realize that this habit is hurting their kid until they have to pick up that -3 drop bat. If someone learns hitting properly at an early age they can be fine.
Had my league age 12 yr old, last srping, move up early to the big field, due to player atrrition, but had him swingin a -5, sometimes a -8. This year I have him swinging a -3. He handles it well. Never to early to get them on -3's if they can handle it. I do have kids on the tteam this year that I am encourging them to swing lighter bats until they can get a good swing developed.
quote:Originally posted by Wklink:
I don't think these bats in and of themselves teach bad habits but what they do unfortunately is mask bad habits in kids that aren't noticed until they are 14 and really set in their swing. A parent that has little or no clue as to what a swing is really supposed to look like may not realize that this habit is hurting their kid until they have to pick up that -3 drop bat. If someone learns hitting properly at an early age they can be fine.
I couldn't agree more. Anyone and everyone can learn to hit properly. Even at a young age. The weight of the bat shouldn't matter.
i really believe the high performance aluminum and metal bats had a greater negative effect on hitting. with the hot bats and the discovery of extreme strength and performance enhancement allowed players to swing using their hands and upper bodies hitting the ball from brand to end and hitting it hard.
i think you will see some very frustrated amateur and college coaches this year because the new bats do not allow that swing to work now. you have to hit with a weight shift getting on the back foot, and then to the front foot on time, and creating an enormous weight shift like the old timers and successful major league hitters getting the weight off the back foot into a firm, rigid front side.
i have watched hours of short video clips of ruth, gehrig, etc all the way to pujols, and the all seem to time their swings with their back side and foot to read the pitch and create leverage.
that is the primary difference i see in bautista's swing which does allow him to commit to the pitch later, and a lighter bat can allow to you wait just a little nit longer and increase your margin of error if you're on plane.
a guy named parker at back, back, back.com has a nice simple explaination of what i see also.
i think you will see some very frustrated amateur and college coaches this year because the new bats do not allow that swing to work now. you have to hit with a weight shift getting on the back foot, and then to the front foot on time, and creating an enormous weight shift like the old timers and successful major league hitters getting the weight off the back foot into a firm, rigid front side.
i have watched hours of short video clips of ruth, gehrig, etc all the way to pujols, and the all seem to time their swings with their back side and foot to read the pitch and create leverage.
that is the primary difference i see in bautista's swing which does allow him to commit to the pitch later, and a lighter bat can allow to you wait just a little nit longer and increase your margin of error if you're on plane.
a guy named parker at back, back, back.com has a nice simple explaination of what i see also.
