light bat or heavy bat

[kevnatx3]

My son just joined a tournament team and the coach wants him to go w/ a lighter bat...specifically, a 28/18 Catalyst. my son has been using a (29/20.5 Demarini) for the last 2 yrs and hits very well with it. my son is 10 years old and a small 4 ft 6 inches. The coaches arguments are that my son is dragging his hands. However, he consistantly hits the ball with power and control. I just sent the coach an e-mail concerning the use of a heaver bat for developing players from Anderson Bats. I am a firm believer of not changing bats for the "hot new model"

Here is the link i sent.

http://www.andersonbat.com/youthselect.asp

Any advice on the subject of heavier bats for younger players?

thanks...

[hardhitter]

let him, I lighter bat isn't always the best, 1 or 2 MPH bat sped isn't that much at a youth level, rule of thumb - use the longest and heaviest bat the he can swing without any great loss in bat speed.

I'm moving my son away from the -12, -13 bats and working to get him into a -10 or -9 bat and he's 9. Since I've done that he's been swinging about the same bat speed and hitting a little more harder the even going back to a -13. So I agree bat speed is important, but it needs to have some weight backing it up to get a hard line/grounder between the better feilders.


Good luck, because you're going to fine that no one agrees on this question. I too asked this question at http://www.batspeed.com/messageboard/, also check out http://www.tipsfromthecoach.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=854 , and last but not least http://www.mikeepsteinhitting.com/

[DropBombs]

Anderson Techzilla: This is from Steve Anderson the owner of the company,

"First of all, as a coach, I need to say that I believe that all of the batting averages, homeruns, game and tournament wins of a 12 year old mean nothing as you are trying to console the same young man after having been cut from the high school freshman team. Youth baseball for the serious player is all about training for the day they will be playing on the big field. A focus on training and not on accolades is the best way to avoid that horrible surprise."

"Great players have a combination of talent, training, work ethic, competitive drive and the ability to relax under pressure. God (or good genes) hands-out all but two of those qualities: training and work ethic. One comes from coaches the other comes from parents. There is no replacement for hard work. There is no better game tool than good training".

"I have two boys that went through Little League (with two more on their way) as I designed and released the TechZilla. The bat was designed to help them in their efforts. The Sixteen year old is playing at a division 1 high school and shows no damage in his skill set for using a multi-wall youth bat. He used the same 2 1/4'” bat as a 13 year old on the 54-80 field and moved to a -5 on the 60-90 field as a 14 year old and going into high school he adjusted to a -3. His success is a product of talent, the right kind of hard work and a natural competitive drive. My 14 year old is playing Travel ball and transitioning to the -5 as I write this and doing well at both. I won’t bore you with their stats, past or present. They have always had good coaches to teach them the mechanics and mental aspects of the game and they have always had the best equipment available to optimize the skills they were taught. A young player should not have to think about their equipment while they work to improve their skills".

"The TechZilla was designed a little heavy (-9) as a training tool. It was designed with multi-wall technology as a game improvement tool. Let me explain. All roads in baseball lead to hitting a -3 bat. It is my opinion the ultra-light (-11,-12, & -13) are designed to improve bat speed in the present but do not address the strength or mechanics necessary to provide the same bat speed later with the much heavier bats. The light weight is a temporary fix to overcome either a mechanical or strength problem in getting the bat around. But the primary objective of an ultra-light bat is to get immediate results. That is, by definition, a game improvement tool. Given a heavier bat any hitter is forced to improve their mechanics-to-contact just to be able to hit the ball solidly. That, by definition, is a training tool. In the long-run an ultra-light bat forces a more difficult transition to a heavier bat. To my thinking any player below high school should concern themselves primarily with acquiring the skill set they will need to be successful in high school".

"The TechZilla was designed to be a training tool wherein the heavier weight forces a short swing and builds strength. The multi-wall technology is designed to improve game performance in spite of a slower bat speed and provide the immediate results to encourage the player. As the player’s strength and bat speed increases the full advantage of the multi-wall design is realized by making even the well trained hitter better. As a coach and a father this bat was designed for my boys. I wanted them to do well in the present while building the strength and mechanics necessary to succeed in the future. As a coach, I would recommend it to any player that is serious about the game. But I would also tell you this, If your player is not mechanically sound, save the money and use it to get him a good coach. First things first".

Hope this helps some people out there to make the right choice for their youth players!