Everyone Swings a 34"

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May 12, 2016
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Lots of young players under 14u swing 33's.

Not surprised to consider older more developed athletes add an 1" inch.
Lots of older players swing a 33, there's no reason to add an inch if the hitter is comfortable and does well with a 33
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Lots of older players swing a 33, there's no reason to add an inch if the hitter is comfortable and does well with a 33
Yes.
The point is
even a 13 year old can swing a 33".

Then they grow bigger, stronger, more capable...at some point perhaps they grow out of that.

Interesting to see if other posts follow with comments of other programs doing this.
 
Dec 11, 2010
4,713
113
Yes.
The point is
even a 13 year old can swing a 33".

Then they grow bigger, stronger, more capable...at some point perhaps they grow out of that.

Interesting to see if other posts follow with comments of other programs doing this.
In my opinion, good pitching exposes the players who shouldn’t be doing this.

Seems to me I read somewhere that Tim Walton had pretty much all his players using 32 -9’s.

That was back when they were destroying the ball.
 
Jun 3, 2021
157
28
Tony Gwynn used a 32” bat and was the best average hitter in MLB if you are mid 40’ish like me. There is no one size fits all that and baseball.

But Softball is a quicker game. I can understand how coaches would want girls to swing a 34 simply for plate coverage and the insane change of speed.

My mid ‘09 DD swings a 33-10. Her cage bat is a 33-9. Her hitting coaches highschool bat.

There is no absolute standard. It is all on the individual and analysis of numer of balls barreled, number of balls off the end and number of balls off the hands.

Decisions of a program that knows the track record of their weight and conditioning program having certain consistent results should be respected and embraced. Lots to this!
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
Yes.
The point is
even a 13 year old can swing a 33".

Then they grow bigger, stronger, more capable...at some point perhaps they grow out of that.

Interesting to see if other posts follow with comments of other programs doing this.
Some 13 year olds swing a 31/20. It's dumb to standardize bat size, each person is different. We see it at the highest levels, not all MLB players swing the same bat size.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Some 13 year olds swing a 31/20. It's dumb to standardize bat size, each person is different. We see it at the highest levels, not all MLB players swing the same bat size.
Reminder... i never said i was in agreement with the standard-ize 34".
Agree people are different.
However
Bats are super light.
Why not?
Are mechanics a factor in your thinking?


There are other things to consider about why a coach made whatever decision they did.
How about reasons.
Maybe they are all 5'7 or taller
(or does that matter to bat length?)- not imo
Its Easy to choke up a little.
my impression mechanics will make a big difference on approach. Which changes there could be far more critical than a longer bat.
That said Maybe they made adjustments there...and this will compliment that.

*i commented befor really dont like anyone telling me what equipment to use...

However this 1" longer topic is not a huge issue imo.
That said
If i used a 33"
Would rather someone hand me a 34"
NOT a 32"

Make too big a deal about something that can easily be resolved choke up.
How about
Try what the coach is asking you to do and see what happens!
 
Last edited:
Oct 1, 2014
2,219
113
USA
I have NO idea why this particular Coach may have mandated this, he/she/zhe may have had very good reasons which none of us are privy to. But, what bothers me is people using the cookie cutter approach and applying absolutes. Everyone is unique and those differences/similarities should be examined and applied before making across the board decisions or rules. If, as a Coach/Manager/Official you are too busy or too set in your ways to explore these things then perhaps you should step aside for the betterment of everyone.
 
May 12, 2016
4,338
113
Reminder... i never said i was in agreement with the standard-ize 34".
Agree people are different.
However
Bats are super light.
Why not?
Are mechanics a factor in your thinking?


There are other things to consider about why a coach made whatever decision they did.
How about reasons.
Maybe they are all 5'7 or taller
(or does that matter to bat length?)- not imo
Its Easy to choke up a little.
my impression mechanics will make a big difference on approach. Which changes there could be far more critical than a longer bat.
That said Maybe they made adjustments there...and this will compliment that.

*i commented befor really dont like anyone telling me what equipment to use...

However this 1" longer topic is not a huge issue imo.
That said
If i used a 33"
Would rather someone hand me a 34"
NOT a 32"

Make too big a deal about something that can easily be resolved choke up.
How about
Try what the coach is asking you to do and see what happens!
Sports equipment's comes in different shapes and sizes for a reason. Some sports equipment are even customized to the athletes preference, stick flex, blade curve etc in hockey. Taking away the ability for an athlete to choose the equipment they are more confident and comfortable with and mandating everybody needs to swing a 34 inch bat is silly. And choking up is not a resolution, I hated choking up, I am sure there are many others who feel the same way. Confidence is a major major attribute in any sport, take away the equipment they have confidence in can have a big impact.

Edit: Mechanics is not my major concern here, but yes 1 inch can make a difference
And why are we talking about moving down to 32 or up to 34, it's not like 33' bats are no longer being manufactured. :)
 

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