Choosing A Baseball Bat

If you've decided to play baseball or to hit balls at a batting cage, you'll want to go shopping for your own bat. This is a big decision, as the bat you choose will affect the way you play. It can mean a big outlay of money, too.

Bats can range in price anywhere from $20 to $500. Money doesn't always equal quality and certainly may not give you what you need, though, so choose carefully. You first want to do your homework, then, and not just go to a store where you will be talked into something that may not be right for you.

One piece of thinking ahead is to consider whether you belong to or are looking to join a team or league that sets certain standards about the bat you can use. Ask the coach about requirements. There may be such standards as material the bat is made of, for instance, or the length or the circumference of the barrel at its tip.

If you show up to play with the wrong dimensions or material (with aluminum instead of wood, let's say), you may be turned away. That would be a shame, given your investment and your obvious desire to participate. Some bats are packaged with designations of approval by certain leagues or teams, and that may be a help to you as you shop. Please know that corked bats are almost never approved of for team playing except in practice.

Today's bats are streamlined and well designed to hit a ball far and last for years. Many are aluminum, but wood is also popular A bat may have a gas inside like helium or nitrogen, and this will help give it a bouncy feel, allowing it to go far and making you more confident as you attempt a hit.

Many of baseball's greats did outstanding jobs on the field with what we would today consider very primitive pieces of equipment, so it's really your eye and technique that's going to win the game. And that's only developed over time with lots of practice.

However, finding a bat that assists you in your practice is certainly helpful and you may want to spend some money for that. If you're doing most of your batting in recreational cages, you'll probably want to look at aluminum bats.

They are better than wood at hitting fast balls, and the cages generally shoot balls out pretty fast. So once you've got a certain idea about what you need, go shopping at several reputable stores and make sure they allow you to try the bats. Find salespeople who know what they're talking about.

You want a bat to have heft but not overwhelm or topple you. You want it to feel like a part of you, not like something that feels alien and heavy. You want it to last for years, but you don't want to buy it with next year in mind. We especially have to emphasize this in buying for children.

Parents are usually used to buying pieces of clothing the child will grow into, but a bat is not a shoe. If you want your child to enjoy the game, you have to give him or her the right equipment for today. Today's experience will make or break his or her enjoyment and success. You always want the bat to fit exactly right in the hands of the batter right now. It should feel organic to your body and your way of swinging.

This is an important process, but not a daunting one if you follow these directions as you go out to buy the bat that will see you through many games.