When you think of a baseball bat, you may not automatically recognize that there are many different kinds of materials used to make them. There are wooden bats. This material is as old as the game itself, and today the woods are generally maple, ash, hickory, or bamboo.

There are metal bats, too; most bats are made of either titanium or aluminum. There are other parts of the bat to understand. The shape is that of a barrel, and the widest part is the "sweet spot."

If you're batting, that's where you want the ball to come in contact with the bat. It has a diameter of 2.7 inches or 70 mm. The place where the barrel narrows is the handle at the opposite end from the tip. The handle ends in a knob.

The whole thing weighs around 39 ounces (1.1 kg) and can be no longer than 42 inches. In two-piece construction, the handle and the barrel are separately made and joined by some other entity such as rubber.

The handle may be made of a metal alloy and the hitting part (with the "sweet spot") made out of wood. Fiberglass or alloys may also be used for strength. Sometimes metal bats are more hardy and perform better than wooden bats just because of all the reinforcment they are given. In single-piece construction, there is no separation.

It is streamlined and efficient. If it's a wooden bat, durable wood is chosen and heated to remove all moisture. The handle is reinforced because it will take a lot of wear. Laquer is applied in two coats, and then the whole thing is painted in one of the seven approved colors.

The most popular colors are blue and white stain, natural white, red stain, and black. What's amazing about a well-constructed bat is that in competent hands it can hit the ball from any side of the barrel and make it travel far.

There are regulations to follow about which bats can be used for various kinds of teams--such as senior, college-level, or Little League--and it's wise to know the requirements for the group you're interested in playing with. The construction of your bat will help you to play your best game because it will perform well and last you for a long time.