Wood Bats

Unless the laws of physics are different in Georgia, it would be impossible for him to have more power with wood. I don't know what the rules are, but it would be a substantial advantage to surrender with probably very little -- if any -- benefits to him.

jemaz,
Unlikely, but not impossible. If the swing speed is limited for some reason and going to a lighter aluminum bat didn't result in much increased swing speed then the wood bat could be more effective even taking into account the better bounce off the aluminum.

That's why some punch hitters will use a heavy bat. They aren't generating much bat speed in any case so they get a better result with a heavier bat.

Having said all that, they can use big barrel bats in PONY and they'll hit the ball further than a wood bat in virtually every case. However, that shows that lighter isn't always better as the big barrels do hit the ball further than the 2 1/4" barrels despite being heavier.

Thanks for the replies. My comment
"He thinks he has more power with wood" may have mislead some. (Mental for him I think)
I just need to know if wood is legal.
At 12 years old he swings a -3 aluminum bat and generates very good bat speed and power. Wood is approximately the same weight so I just thought he might could continue practicing with it and maybe use it under certain conditions. If it was legal.

At 12yo swinging a -3 he probably doesn't generate significantly more power with the aluminum bat than he would with wood when he hits it well. Using the -3 is probably good for him in the long run, but then wood would be even better. One uses aluminum to get better performance in the near term. Once you've made the decision to get better performance then you might as well go to a -7 or -8 which will almost always hit the ball further than the -3.

Given that he can handle the weight I'd certainly recommend that he continue to practice with the wood bat.

24,

For your question about wood being legal... take a look here: http://www.nfhs.org/press/baseball_rules_changes03.html

slider.

How much does he weigh?

He will be 13 in a couple weeks. average height. he has not hit that growth spurt yet.
5'-3" 110lbs

Slider24,
I'm guessing that a couple months after he turned 12 he was about 5'1.5" and weighed about 100 lbs. That is where my son is and I'm expecting him to be your son's size and weight just before he turns 13.

My son just turned 12. He's 5'4" and 120+ lbs. That may sound big but he definitely isn't the biggest and has yet to go through a growth spurt of more than 3 inches.

He's grown about a half inch since school began, which is typical. He usually grows another inch or two during the summer.

He swings a 31" -5/-7 ounce wood bat. His game bat is a -10.5 Easton Connexion (aluminum). Train with wood, compete with aluminum.

You just can't beat wood.

Jason

IMHO Don't even worry about wood until they are old enough to use it properly... (POST puberty) Typically (what I've seen is) it causes a longer looping swing. After that puberty spurt has kicked in good... Then start using wood. Plus with all the body changes their swing will need adjustments anyway after that age.

(I'm gong to take some heat but IMHO)
Remember... There is only one place Wood is required.... The PROS... so unless he's going to be a pro (slim chances) there is really no reason to use wood... Go ahead and develop that perfect metal bat swing.

When the players have yet to develop physically, work with metal bats that they can handle to hone a sweet swing. (typically that's not a -2 or -3 (ie wood) in 14U or younger)

{Note: any wood bat that is lighter than -3 or so will be so fragile that it will be hard not to break it with any kind of GOOD pitching.}

(Remember, I've been Arguing against the LIGHTER is BETTER theory for many a year... go check INFOSPORTS bulletin board) But you can't go so heavy as to cause a loop in the swing... and IMHO a -3 or even -4 is too heavy for MOST kids 14 yo and under to handle.

Tuff Bats (X Bats) is able to make a hard maple -5 for lengths under 32 inches. It costs a little more but is very durable. My son has been using the 31/26 over the winter for workouts but will be back to a 32/24 metal for games. One thing wood does is let you know you hit the sweet spot.

I agree with SDBB. I don't think your son is old enough/strong enough to proper swing that heavy of a bat. Give him another year and then start him with wood, but watch to ensure his mechanics don't change. Just because he can swing the bat fast, doesn't mean that it's not causing him mechanical problems. I also think he is too young for -3 as well, but that is my opinion - it would also largely depend on the length.

http://www.highviewheat.com/index.asp

http://www.kristensfastpitchworld.com/index.asp

quote:

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Originally posted by FlippJ:
Train with wood, compete with aluminum.

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That's our approach as well.

*****************************
"Hey dad.......how 'bout a catch?"

I bought three wood bats from MAXBAT last July and my son is still training with the bat he started with. All of them are 31" bats and weigh between 25-27 ounces (-5 to -7).

I agree with what you (SDBB & AgentDad) are saying about the heavier wood bats. However I think training with wood really depends on the kid. Obviously I wouldn't put a -3 into my 12 year olds hands, but the bat(s) we do use he's able to handle. I video a LOT so I know whether or not his mechanics are holding up. Swinging a wood bat can be more taxing on you than the lighter aluminum bats so you have to build up to them. Start slowly, maybe choke up a bit. If anything the heavier bats promote proper mechanics.

If you have proper swing mechanics your swing should hold up with wood. Of course if you use more of your arms to swing it probably won't hold up very well with wood. This is one of the problems with the lighter bats. They are so light they can get a player swinging with his arms more. At least that is what I've experienced with kids.

A good swing is a good swing whether you're using wood or aluminum. Whatever you feel you need to do to get that proper swing is what you should be doing during training. When it comes to games though I'd use what everyone else is using.

Good Luck!

Jason

lol..I read all the comments about son's sizes...and I had to laugh.

My son entered high school at 5'2" 105 pounds...at 14...he always swung a -3 or -4 bat...and had plenty of bat speed. He is now a freshman in college (younger freshman) and is 6+ 190 pounds...swing a 33" wood bat....wood bat juco league.

Have them swing wood for the best mechanics...alluminum in games where everyone is using alluminum...and us a weight that THEY can handle...bigger isn't always better!!

Have fun and enjoy the years ahead of you...they go by very fast

"Baseball players are made in the off-season."

SDBB,
My 12yo has been using a wood bat in BP for a couple years now. He insists on it and we have to force him to finish each session with aluminum. Unfortunately, I believe using the wood bat has caused him to try to swing too much with his shoulders rather than getting him to use his hips properly as one would hope.

The result has been getting the hands forward too early and dragging the bat through the zone.

Throw up a clip CADad... Let us see.

FlippJ,
Don't know how. I assume the clip has to be uploaded to a web site and then a link posted here. I don't have a web-site to post it on.

My opinions on wood has changed as my sons have progressed... I used to say train with wood and hit with Aluminum, and my sons have done the same... (my oldest was big enough to handle one around 12 or 13) but I also have a pretty good knowledge of their swings so when they lengthen or they drop their hands into a loop, I catch it. Anyway thats the effect wood has had on my youngest so far, so he's stopped using it until he grows a bit more. And that's what I'm seeing in a lot of other kids.

With everyone saying USE WOOD.... and so well meaning dads of 8 yos go and buy a wood bat, thinking that alone will help. (note "that alone") I now even see 11 and 12U Wood bat tournaments and 82 pound kids swinging a 30/27 or a cheap little bat from Big 5, that breaks on the first inside pitch on the hands. Their swings are LONG and looping and instead of improving things its actually hindering it IMHO.

I'm sure many of the posters here are knowledgeable enough to monitor their son's progress and wood could be beneficial. but generally speaking...

Now My oldest..., He has only used wood for the last 6 months (but he's 6'5 almost 200 lbs) and now with HS season coming. He's having to adjust his swing back to Metal. He played his first tournament with metal recently, and was out in front of the balls, TOO quick. And so now he's going to have to go and make adjustments for HS. (But that's really the key to hitting IMHO...being able to make adjustments)

The adjustments will be constant, but for most kids who don't have profession hitting instructors or fathers haven't studied the game since HS or just the armchair... Simply going out and buying a wood bat before they can HANDLE it... is doing a disservice.

There will be plenty of time in HS years to hone a wood bat swing.

It seams that Bat Weight has been the main topic of disscussion in regards to wood bats.

In our school district 8th graders can try out for the HS fresman team, mainly 8th graders but still a HS team, therefore they will be required to swing a -3 aluminum bat.

I no there are some players that can't handle the weight, but at some point in time there going to have to reach down and pick it up.
They need to get the fill of it before they are required to use it.

AmericasPasttime,

A 14 yo. that is the same size as a 12 yo. is not the same thing as a 12 yo. Despite being a similar size, the 14 yo. is going to be stronger just because of his age.

CADad,

The problems that you just described are exactly the ones that I was referring to in my post. A heavier bat will cause the younger batter to drag the bat through the zone in most cases (not all).

http://www.highviewheat.com/index.asp

http://www.kristensfastpitchworld.com/index.asp

SDBB,

I'm confused by your last email... You're son had to adjust back to aluminum because he was out in front? How is that possible? Isn't his aluminum a -3?

To clarify our use with wood... My 12 year old son started swinging wood last July. He hasn't been using his wood bat lately though. He's been using his -10 aluminum. We've been doing a lot of different drills and I felt the heavier bat might "get in the way". One thing we've been working on is his back foot collapse. His heel was dropping almost completely to the ground when he'd "sit". I wonder if the heavier wood bat could have contributed to that?

He's been doing a better job lately so maybe sticking with his game bat is the best approach? Hmmmmm... You've got me thinking.

Any thoughts?

Jason

Hi Jason, The weight of the wood bat for your son is a big difference. He is probably using about a -4 wood and then using his -10 metal. My son uses the 31 oz metal and about a 32 oz wood, so there is not much difference in total weight. The difference is in the feel.

His wood bats are a little bit lighter than that (between -5 & -7 ounces), but you're right that is a big difference.

With my son making the progress he's making swinging the aluminum I've sort of changed my tune a bit. I'm thinking it's best to continue building on the success he's having with his aluminum and saving the wood for training down the road.

Later!

Jason

I think you are on the right track now FlippJ. You have plenty of time to use the wood, and I highly recommend it, probably when he turns 13 or if he has a big growth spurt.

http://www.highviewheat.com/index.asp

http://www.kristensfastpitchworld.com/index.asp

Perhaps the biggest difference in metal and wood is the wood has a much smaller area in which to hit a ball well.

Yes, there is differences in feel, sometimes weight and exit speed. But most important is that you have a much larger area "sweet spot" on the metal. And the metal bat seldom breaks even on contact inside or at the end of the bat. Obviously the trade mark or grain means nothing to a metal bat.

So maybe the best reason to hit with wood is to increase your accuracy. The wood gives immediate feed back to a hitter who fails to make good contact. After awhile this carries over to the metal and you've become a better hitter! Making more good contact.

We might be one of the top Wood Bat supporters in baseball. In fact, in 10 years we have never had any kind of event or game that used anything except wood bats. In our mind, it leaves little doubt about who the best hitters are.

I'm a huge proponent of wood in machine pitched cages provided the player is strong enough to handle the bat.
My 12 YO (13 in March) has used wood exclusively in the cages for the last year and a half and whenever we hit wiffles. He's 5-5 and 125 but a very strong kid who uses his lower half very well. He also murders inside fastballs.
The wood bat forces a hitter to keep his hands inside and deliver the sweet spot to the ball. Usually, when I see someone who can't hit with wood they are not slotting the elbow and they get jammed easily. You'll also get immediate feedback as wood bats don't respond well to pitches near the trademark.
Young players who are very "handsy" with the bat will not be able to hit with wood.