Glove/Bat size recommendations for 7 y/o

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Apr 30, 2018
349
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I just finished helping coach a 1st year 8u team and almost every girl was swinging a bat too big. My DD is small for her age (9) and I still have her swinging a 27" 15 oz Anderson Rocketech. She also has a 28" 17oz Louisville LXT that we have experimented with, but her bat speed drops by 3-4 mph and her accuracy suffers. Keep the bat small and light, work on mechanics and getting a good fast swing.

For glove size, I would look at 11.5". If she is big for her age you could go to an 11.75". 11" and 11.25" are too small in my opinion. As for brand, I really like Bradley. They make a huge range of gloves out of good quality materials specifically for kids. My DD has a 11.75" Next Play Single Post and loves it. We tried several gloves out and the Bradley had the best fit and comfort by far. The spread on the finger stalls was just right. The other gloves we tried felt like she really had to stretch her pinky to get it in the last stall. Ignitor series are designed for 4-10 and Next Play series are 8-14. Full disclosure: I haven't tried any of the Igniter series gloves.

If you daughter is average size for her age, I would try this one.
https://www.bradleybaseballgloves.c.../products/11-5-igniter-series-single-post-web

If you daughter is small for her age, then try this one. It has a four finger design for the pinky and ring finger to be in the same finger stall which gives them a bit more leverage in squeezing the glove close.
https://www.bradleybaseballgloves.c...tp-control-with-velcro-wrist-blonde-and-black

If you daughter is above average size for her age, I would take a look at the 11.5" Next Play series. At 7 she is getting close to the age range where she could handle these gloves which will be a little bit stiffer. They have a good return policy too, so I would try several gloves and then return the others.
https://www.bradleybaseballgloves.com/collections/next-play-series

These are more expensive than the $35 Mizuno Finch Prospect glove, but these are real leather, will form a proper pocket, and hold their shape for several seasons. My daughter started with Finch Prospect and 4 months later it was a floppy mess with stretched out synthetic lacing.
 
Dec 5, 2017
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My dd's first "decent" glove was an Easton Synergy. It was about $60, very light and super easy to close. It Held up very well for the amount of abuse it received. My dd is very small as well and that was a really good fit for her, mostly because of the weight and the ease with which she could close it. She used it through 2 seasons of rec ball and about a season and a half of travel. That included all stars both years of rec and a world series trip this past summer, she really did get our moneys worth out of it.
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
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Also check out, if you have them in your area, Play It Again Sports. might find great deals on nicely broken in gloves and bats. wish we had done this when both my DDs were around that age, at the price point, you can replace every year if needed.
 
Mar 22, 2016
505
63
Southern California
I just finished helping coach a 1st year 8u team and almost every girl was swinging a bat too big. My DD is small for her age (9) and I still have her swinging a 27" 15 oz Anderson Rocketech. She also has a 28" 17oz Louisville LXT that we have experimented with, but her bat speed drops by 3-4 mph and her accuracy suffers. Keep the bat small and light, work on mechanics and getting a good fast swing.

Thanks. Thoughts on a 28/15? She'll be 8 in March.

Thank you for the glove info, too.
 
Apr 30, 2018
349
43
Unless she is big for her size, I would stay with a 27". The bigger the bat doesn't help her hit any better, it just makes the ball go further when she does hit it. At that age, many hits are going to stay in the infield and just about any hit to the left side of the field will be a base hit as long as it is far enough away from the pitcher. Hitting it an extra couple of feet won't make any difference. The bat needs to be light/short enough that she can easily control it to hit a higher pitch or a lower pitch. You might try calling around and see if any of your local batting cages have demo bats in these size ranges for her to try. Start small and do some soft toss. Then work up to a bigger bat. You might see a clear drop in her percentage of balls hit or see her mechanics start to change. Then you know you have gone too big.
 
Dec 5, 2017
514
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Get a Mizuno Finch or Worth Storm in 28/15. They are good, inexpensive aluminum bats that also have a thin handle. The thin handle will fit small hands well. Unless she has a growth spurt or you switch to composite, either of those should last her until 10u.Dicks usually has the Worth and Academy the Mizuno, see how she swings them and then find it online cheaper ��
 
Dec 30, 2018
21
3
My DD is 8 on a first year 10U team and uses an 11in glove. It is easy for her to close and she doesn't miss/drop any balls due to the size. When I look for a new glove for her it will most likely be a 11.5in glove.
 
Apr 20, 2015
961
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My 50lb 7 yr old pounds the ball with her sisters old CF6 at 28/17. Gotta love hand me downs.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Jun 19, 2016
858
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At that size I would get a 26/14 aluminum bat. The -13 can be a little expensive. Stay away from one piece composite bats....they sting. The number one problem with young hitters is they are using too heavy of a bat. As far as gloves I personally like the Mizuno Prospect for young players. The power close makes break in easy. An alternative is to go check Good Will or garage sales. Used sporting goods stores are great if you have one close by. A well broken in higher quality glove can be a good option for a young kid. I got my kids gloves free from their rec leagues equipment swap. If you can't find anything than go with the Mizuno Prospect. They key is the glove needs to be able to be used right off the bat with no break in.
 

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