Bat suggestion for 8 year old little one

[GiasDad]

This is my first post as I have been reading here for awhile. MY DD is 8 and just finished her fourth year of rec ball and is playing on a U8 travel team this summer. She is a natural right hander, but she can fly so we switch her to lefty about a year and a half ago and she is a lefty now. We are still working on her steps to become a slapper but at this point we are just trying to get her swing fundamentals down. She has a tendency to drop the bat head and swing more with her arms than her hips. Anyway she has good eye hand coordination and enjoys the game.

That being said, I am clueless on bats. Right now she has a -13 Worth storm 29/16. She is about 52" tall and weighs about 62 lbs and will be 9 in July. Should she keep swinging the bat she has? Is the bat to big or too small? Should she do tee work with one size and then game with another?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

My DD was swinging a Catalyst. Her first composite bat. She loved it until she got her new Vendetta for Christmas. LOL . With them being this young I would encourage you to invest in a lighter bat then a heavier bat. If you have any questions, shoot me a p.m.

BTY I'm in Cali as well. Same time zone. LOL

 

[DrPipes]

At 8 years old it doesn't really matter. They do not produce enough bat speed in most cases to take advantage of composites or handle flex (whip).

Teach her proper mechanics and use a light bat so mechanics do not suffer. I have found even to this day a bat with a very small sweet spot does wonders for mechanics. It taught my daughter to get the barrel to the ball and avoid casting around the ball. Many of todays two piece bats filter out that much needed feedback. One or two stings off the handle and they will learn to avoid casting.

My daughter is 17 and soon off to college and she still uses a practice bat with a small sweet spot and a lot of sting if she does not turn to the ball instead of leading hands to the ball.

Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics! Don't worry about the bat so much. She'll be out of that size before you know it.

Good luck and try to enjoy every moment spent with your girl. You'll never regret the time or the effort.

 

[GiasDad]

At 8 years old it doesn't really matter. They do not produce enough bat speed in most cases to take advantage of composites or handle flex (whip).

Teach her proper mechanics and use a light bat so mechanics do not suffer. I have found even to this day a bat with a very small sweet spot does wonders for mechanics. It taught my daughter to get the barrel to the ball and avoid casting around the ball. Many of todays two piece bats filter out that much needed feedback. One or two stings off the handle and they will learn to avoid casting.

My daughter is 17 and soon off to college and she still uses a practice bat with a small sweet spot and a lot of sting if she does not turn to the ball instead of leading hands to the ball.

Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics! Don't worry about the bat so much. She'll be out of that size before you know it.

Good luck and try to enjoy every moment spent with your girl. You'll never regret the time or the effort.

Was kind of what I thought. We are working on simple things, 1,2,3 drill and walk through drills. She does have a tendency to drop the bat head when she sees live pitching, when we are doing tee work she looks good, goes through her progressions good. Any ideas on how to get her out of that habit? My thought was the bat is to heavy, but it is tough to find a lighter bat!

And I am enjoying every moment, I feel blessed to get to share sports with my daughter, you expect it from your boys, but there is something really special watching my little girl compete! Fun stuff!!

 

[jcarter]

The tendency is to use bats that are too big, but every kid is different. My DD is 8 52" 58LB and the right bat for her is a 27" -11.5. Of course I already have bought a 28" and 29" high end composites because I'm a bat junky. She's been taking hitting lessons and has been in gymnastics and taekwondo for a while so she is not weak for her age or size.

 

[Red504]

My daughter is 9 y/o, 55" and 68lb. She jumped up to a 30/19 CF5. Her hitting suffered and the bat is just a little too heavy. She swung a 28/16.5 last all star season and did well. I just bought her a Miken Halo light 30/17.5 and I'm hoping this helps. I guess I didn't realize how much of a difference a couple ounces made at this age.

 

[Sweet Lou]

Good info. My DD is 8, 57" and may wiegh 55 lb soaking wet. She's swinging a really cheap 28/17 right now. The DiMarini Bustos half-half 29/16 is on sale at a local sporting goods store for $69, worth the investment for this year's summer season or no?

 

[Little Angels Softball]

If you browse the online auction site, you might run into a good deal on the Rip-It Force Light in 29" 17oz or 30" 18oz. This is a good, durable bat with a lot of pop for an alloy construction. We use them a lot for colder weather up here and for hitting dimpled balls and tee work. They are fine game bats, as well.

 

[MsDinosaur]

Was kind of what I thought. We are working on simple things, 1,2,3 drill and walk through drills. She does have a tendency to drop the bat head when she sees live pitching, when we are doing tee work she looks good, goes through her progressions good. Any ideas on how to get her out of that habit? My thought was the bat is to heavy, but it is tough to find a lighter bat!

And I am enjoying every moment, I feel blessed to get to share sports with my daughter, you expect it from your boys, but there is something really special watching my little girl compete! Fun stuff!!

Keep trying to enjoy every minute; they grow up so fast! For whatever my advice is worth...I would start doing a lot of front toss to help her transition from the tee work to live pitching.

 

[JAD]

Just find a bat that is the correct size/weight for your DD and do not spend $299 on a composite bat for an 8 year old!