Practicing with a heavier bat?

I suggest having a young player take dry swings at home on a regular basis with a slightly heavier bat.  Take swings both LH and RH, keeping good mechanics but always striving to increase bat speed.  When he goes to practice or cages, go back to the same balance/weight bat he uses in games... but preferably with wood for better awareness of the sweet spot.

If a kid's swing gets messed up by changing bats he's not much of a hitter. The right thing to do is swing the bat you use. There is debate the advantage of swinging a weighted bat just in the on deck circle disappears by the time the hitter gets to the plate.

However a hitter goes about it he should maximize his bat speed. It's done with strength and quickness training.

How old is the boy?,do not over think? For 20 years, I practice with 50 ounce wood bat. Hitting is hand strength and vision. Use the batters box as "class room". Study the great hitters like Carew, Ichiro.

Bob

Consultant posted:

How old is the boy?,do not over think? For 20 years, I practice with 50 ounce wood bat. Hitting is hand strength and vision. Use the batters box as "class room". Study the great hitters like Carew, Ichiro.

Bob

13 in August. 

Do you us the "high tee" drill and the mirror?

Bob

Here is my daughter at age 12 hitting with a 32/32 wooden bat.  The end of the bat is tapped to make the bat even.  She hit with wooden bats that were -0 drop all of her career including college.  The machine is throwing at 36 feet and at its top speed. 

Consultant posted:

Do you us the "high tee" drill and the mirror?

Bob

We use the high tee for balanced posture. Not sure what you are referring to, though. What do you use the mirror for? 

CoachB25 posted:

Here is my daughter at age 12 hitting with a 32/32 wooden bat.  The end of the bat is tapped to make the bat even.  She hit with wooden bats that were -0 drop all of her career including college.  The machine is throwing at 36 feet and at its top speed. 

https://youtu.be/XaDNZLL3Lc8

Wow. I don't know of a male using an even bat, much less a 12 yr old girl. Did you ever experiment with going lighter for a faster bat speed? 

No.  My daughter was always bigger and stronger than anyone else around here.  She had exceptional bat speed.  She was All State 1st Team in HS and a 2 Time All American. 

Elizah;

the "high tee" is to develop "back spin". the mirror is to develop visualization by the player so he understands his objectives. Every Japanese HS [4.200] have a full length mirror in their dressing room for hitters and pitchers. This teaches BALANCE OF THE MIND AND THE BODY.

BOB

Elijah, the board has a wealth of knowledge, but it has been a while since their kids were 12, so take it with a grain of salt.  What I can say is, if your 12 year old is in the heat of his growth spurt period I would stick with the same bat all the time.  RJM is 100% correct that switching bats shouldn't affect the batter, but I'm going to throw in the caveat that it shouldn't affect the batter that isn't in the middle of a growth spurt.

My son is 13 and when he was nearing 12 was when his growth spurt was insane.  He pretty much had to relearn his swing on a daily basis because his arms, hips, legs weren't where they were yesterday.  He went from a drop 10 to a drop 3 BBCOR with about a 2 week lag in swing mechanics....don't worry about preparing for the BBCOR transition.  If he is already swinging a drop 5 I don't think there will be a noticeable difference.

Practicing with a heavier bat builds power, practicing with a light bat builds speed, and practicing with your game bat builds timing (train the swing).  Any done with bad form will create bad muscle memory and take many more correct swings to correct the bad swings.  As you son gets older and moves onto a -3 bat, using three different bats can help him.  As a youth, I'd use the heaviest bat he can handle in preparation for the next level.  Many things change when they get older and start growing.  There are many programs that help with what you will go through.   Heavy or lighter bats can change your timing and you should always finish with a round of hitting with your game bat.  Train your swing with a purpose and Train the swing properly!