what size of bat?

[MsDinosaur]

My DD does something I saw a long time ago on a hitting video. She holds the bat horizontally, with the knob of the bat against her sternum, stretches her arm along its length and makes sure that her fingertips can reach the end and/or curl over it slightly. If the player can cup the end of the bat, it's too short. If her fingers can't reach the end, it's too long. It seems to work pretty well for DD. Unless she has the wingspan of a gorilla, I can guarantee that a 9 yr old's fingers won't reach the end of a 32" or 34" bat! :-O

 

[CoachAl]

They say you should swing the longest, heaviest bat that you can maintain your swing speed with. My dd is about 4'10" and has a 31/21. I don't think it's so much about the lengths, as it is the drop.

You nailed it...a longer bat w/ a lighter weight works great with the younger players!!

 

[SoCalSoftballdad]

Unless they have money to burn, anyone who would spend $200 on a bat for a 9yo has bigger problems than the bat.

You are too funny. Every couple of weeks you state that parents are idiots or have big problems because they choose to spend a little bit of money on very good softball equipment that will last a couple of years. I guess you would also be against spending money on hitting lessons for a 9YO? Playing youth sports, especially fastpitch TB, costs a signficant amount of money each year (including equipment costs), doesn't mean these parents have "big problems" because of it.

 

[lhowser]

Unless they have money to burn, anyone who would spend $200 on a bat for a 9yo has bigger problems than the bat.

A kid that size should probably be swinging a 28/19 or 28/18. Tell her she can get an Easton Cyclone at Sports Authority for 35 bucks.

I would disagree with the Cyclone suggestion. -9, bad weight distribution, feels heavy, big handle, lots of sting. like hitting with a peice of pipe. There are many bats that cost maybe $25 more that are lighter swing weight and feel much better to the kids. Also do keep in mind that many bats hold quite a bit of value. If you get a deal and spend $200 on a composite bat you can probably get $130 back in a year or two so it really only costs you $70 for a full summer or two of play. That's not bad.

 

[jasonr]

Unless they have money to burn, anyone who would spend $200 on a bat for a 9yo has bigger problems than the bat.

A kid that size should probably be swinging a 28/19 or 28/18. Tell her she can get an Easton Cyclone at Sports Authority for 35 bucks. Hopefully she'll have success now and will stick with the game until she's big enough to use her big girl bat in a few years.

I guess you would have to talk bad about me then. My daughter has been swinging a stealth since she was 9. LOL.

 

[SoftSocDad]

Lhowser, I found the Cyclone to have a pretty nice sweet spot. Maybe I got lucky, though. My DD is currently playing with a $25 Quest (Louisville Slugger) that I paid above retail for because I wanted to help out local business.

You are too funny. Every couple of weeks you state that parents are idiots or have big problems because they choose to spend a little bit of money on very good softball equipment that will last a couple of years. I guess you would also be against spending money on hitting lessons for a 9YO? Playing youth sports, especially fastpitch TB, costs a signficant amount of money each year (including equipment costs), doesn't mean these parents have "big problems" because of it.

Many parents are stupid and I'm not capable of rationalizing stupid behaviors, regardless of whether a particular individual or family can afford to be more stupid than the next.

If you could demonstrate that having significantly more costly equipment at age 9-10 guarantees greater success in the same sport at age 19-20, then I'd concede the point.

If you want to make that point about 14-15 year olds playing TB, there's not much that can be said against it, but 9-10? That's ridiculous and someone needs to say it. Certain experiences do cost money, that's true, but I'm the guy who laughs at the guy who boasts about the high cost of his daughter's bat in rec league.

I pulled my DD out of the $65-70/hour pitching/batting lessons, because it was stupid to spend that kind of money on a 7yo who has a beautiful natural swing. Plus, our area has a really depressed economy and although I admit that I did want to help out, it was my belief that the owner was gouging the patrons, which did not sit right with me.

When I look around my community and this state (CA), if I overspend, then I'm part of the problem.

 

[jasonr]

Lhowser, I found the Cyclone to have a pretty nice sweet spot. Maybe I got lucky, though. My DD is currently playing with a $25 Quest (Louisville Slugger) that I paid above retail for because I wanted to help out local business.



Many parents are stupid and I'm not capable of rationalizing stupid behaviors, regardless of whether a particular individual or family can afford to be more stupid than the next.

If you could demonstrate that having significantly more costly equipment at age 9-10 guarantees greater success in the same sport at age 19-20, then I'd concede the point.

If you want to make that point about 14-15 year olds playing TB, there's not much that can be said against it, but 9-10? That's ridiculous and someone needs to say it. Certain experiences do cost money, that's true, but I'm the guy who laughs at the guy who boasts about the high cost of his daughter's bat in rec league.

I pulled my DD out of the $65-70/hour pitching/batting lessons, because it was stupid to spend that kind of money on a 7yo who has a beautiful natural swing. Plus, our area has a really depressed economy and although I admit that I did want to help out, it was my belief that the owner was gouging the patrons, which did not sit right with me.

When I look around my community and this state (CA), if I overspend, then I'm part of the problem.

What do you consider "greater success"?

 

[lhowser]

Many parents are stupid and I'm not capable of rationalizing stupid behaviors, regardless of whether a particular individual or family can afford to be more stupid than the next.

If you could demonstrate that having significantly more costly equipment at age 9-10 guarantees greater success in the same sport at age 19-20, then I'd concede the point.

There is a little give and take to this question. 9 & 10 is very young and parents should have no illusion that the bat purchased is of prime importance...it is not. It is the swing, confidence, lack of fear and practice. No doubt the ball leaps of the better bat with more pop and with a larger sweet spot and that is good. Even with 9 & 10 year olds. Problem is most 9 & 10 year olds fail to make good contact so your cost per contact can be very high. There is merit to your point. I was just pointing out that there is good resale value on the higher end bats and almost none on the lower end bats so you might not be paying as much as you think. Against the best 10u's out there, I'd rater have a better bat. If it costs you say $240 and you get two seasons out of it and then sell it for $120 that is only $60 per season. That's not bad.

 

[BB875]

...It is the swing, confidence, lack of fear and practice. No doubt the ball leaps of the better bat with more pop and with a larger sweet spot and that is good. Even with 9 & 10 year olds. Problem is most 9 & 10 year olds fail to make good contact so your cost per contact can be very high. There is merit to your point. I was just pointing out that there is good resale value on the higher end bats and almost none on the lower end bats so you might not be paying as much as you think. Against the best 10u's out there, I'd rater have a better bat. If it costs you say $240 and you get two seasons out of it and then sell it for $120 that is only $60 per season. That's not bad.

How about this...DD#2 was 10yo & strong for her age, plus my #1 TB catcher. She was using a 29/18 composite Worth bat. Every expert I heard said lighter is better. You want bat speed over power. Went to a NSC and Deb Hartwig ragged on parents/coaches sending kids to the plate with "twigs". At that same clinic I bought a "last year model" 30/21 Rocketech for $175. Not only 3 oz heavier, end loaded as well. Performed well with it that spring and hit a HR (over the fence) in league ball against my TB #3 pitcher. She still had the ball. That was worth $175 bucks to me. Was it the bat? Hell, I don't know but I believe you should have your kid swing a bat with some weight behind it.

That Worth bat was too small for her & $200 for a 10U player bat is not stupid. What do you think that HR did for her confidence?

 

[obbay]

There are absolutely no absolutes when it comes to bat selection.
The following is only my opinion based on my observations of girls age 12 and below:

1) longer bats are more awkward to swing, regardless of the weight. Bat selection is a balance between weight and length that varies with the individual. a longer bat will experience more wind resistance. 1" increase in length is more significant for a 4'-6" kid than it is for her coach.
2) there is no shortage of advice dictating that batspeed is more important than weight. I just don't see it. Again there is a balance to be achieved. I believe that (with kids) a drop in bat weight does not necessarily provide a worthwhile increase in batspeed. Meaning what you lose in mass is not made up for in velocity. I think each kid has a maximum speed that they can swing a bat. this improves with time and practice but I believe that they are better off maximizing the weight rather than the length of the bat they choose. By this I mean don't swing a heavy bat, swing the heaviest bat that you can swing fast.

I entered the ranks of crazy parents this year because I bought my 11 yo a 2011 Rockettech. But it is because I believe she is ready for it, think she'll get a couple seasons out of it (while I search ebay for the next one ) and may be able to share it with one or two other girls on our team who may be able to use it but can't afford it. Also I paid $179 for it, so it was a good deal.