Understanding the differences between baseball bats, and choosing the right baseball bat, can be a foreboding task for those new or not so new to baseball. Being informed before purchasing or borrowing a baseball bat is your best defense against making a poor choice, and wasting your money on a bat that is not properly serving you or your child. The aim of this page is to help you to make an informed, and therefore best, possible decision.

• What type of bat am I required to have?
• What should my bat be made out of?
• How heavy of a bat should I get?
• How long of a bat should I get?
• How do I know when my child is ready to move up a size?
• What do the negative numbers printed on a baseball bat mean?
• What is "cupping"?
• What is the "sweet spot" on a baseball bat, and where is it?
• How do I take care of my baseball bat?

What type of bat am I required to have?

The first thing you will need to look at when trying to find your next bat for yourself or your child is what type of certification is required by your league and organization. No matter how great a bat feels or performs for you or your child, if it is not an approved bat it can't be used on game day. Your coach should be able to point you in the right direction but there are 3 major certifications that cover the majority of players. You can find links to information on the certification as well as links to show the bats offered at Epic Sports below.

• BBCOR
• Most common for older teenagers and adults.
• BBCOR bats available
• USSSA/BPF 1.15
• Most common in USSSA leagues.
• USSSA bats available
• USABat
• Most common for younger children.
• USABat bats available

What should my bat be made out of?

Wood (Ash, Bamboo, Birch, Maple, and others)
• Classic look and feel
• Better feedback when hitting the sweet spot
• In most organizations/leagues, a solid one piece wood bat will be approved for play with or without certification marks
• With the added weight proper technique is more of a necessity
• On failure, wood bats will crack and splinter

Aluminum
• Sweet spot is a little more forgiving
• Typically does not require a break in period for maximum performance
• Typically lighter weight than wood allowing for more accurate and faster swing
• On failure, aluminum bats will dent

Composite
• Typically requires a break in for maximum performance
• More durable than wood, less durable than aluminum
• Typically the lightest option of all types
• On failure, composite bats will crack

Hybrid
• Typically has an aluminum alloy barrel and a composite handle for hitting performance matching an aluminum bat with a lighter weight closer to composite bats
• Typically does not require a break in period for maximum performance
• On failure, hybrid bats will dent

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How heavy of a bat should I get?

While you must stay within your league's requirements, you will still have some freedom in how heavy the bat you play with weighs. At the end of the day, this will be a personal preference. The best way to find your perfect bat weight is to try a few bats and find which weight feels right to the hitter. Generally speaking, smaller players will benefit from a lighter bat that they can swing faster while stronger players will want a heavier bat for more power.

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How long of a bat should I get?

While you must stay within your league's requirements, you will still have some freedom in how long the bat you play with is. At the end of the day, this will also be a personal preference. The best way to find the perfect bat length is to try to a few bats and see which length feels right to the hitter. To get a starting point in your search, you can check out the chart below. It is not definitive but it should help.

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How do I know when my child is ready to move up a size?

Moving up to a larger baseball bat kind of comes down to the child, how the swing feels, and common sense. About every couple of years, check your child's measurements to be sure they're still within range of correct bat sizes using regulation guidelines. If they're out of range, it's time to move up. By about age 11 or 12, a child may be moving up to the youth bat. The barrel will be a little bigger, about 2-1/2 inches compared to 2-1/4 inches. The length-to-weight ratio will go up from about a -8 to a -5, preparing them for a smooth transition to a professional series bat a couple years later. By about age 14, the child should be swinging a pro series baseball bat.

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What do the negative numbers printed on a baseball bat mean?

These numbers refer to the length-to-weight ratio, or drop. This is determined by subtracting the length of the bat in inches, from the weight of the bat in ounces. For example, if the bat weighs 18 ounces, and it is 30 inches long, the number appearing on the bat would be -12.

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Cupping is the indentation made at the top of the bat in order to reduce its weight.

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What is the "sweet spot" on a baseball bat, and where is it?

This can mean many things on a baseball bat. To a player, the sweet spot refers to the place on the fat end of the bat, or the barrel, where contact is made for the best hit possible. Some experts define the sweet spot as the "center of percussion" on the barrel where you want to hit the ball. It sits about 4-7 inches from the barrel end of a 30-inch little league baseball bat. Technically, hitting dead center on the sweet spot results in the smallest vibration of the baseball bat for a more comfortable-feeling hit, resulting in the most energy used to propel the ball forward.

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How do I take care of my baseball bat?

There are a few basic things to remember when caring for your baseball bat.

• Store your baseball bat indoors, at about room temperature. Extreme temperatures and weather conditions can affect the performance of your bat. An ideal temperature is 60 degrees F.
• Store in a vertical position.
• Limit the use of your bat to hitting baseballs! Obvious as this may seem, we all remember times when we have used an old baseball bat for anything from hitting a piñata, to keeping it next to our beds for security. Using your bat on anything other than baseballs can harm your bat too!
• Routinely check your bat for damages. Most warranties offer one year of protection.
• Limit your bat's use to official leather-bound regulation baseballs and softballs.
• Don't bat water-logged balls.
• Rotate your bat a quarter-inch after each swing. Known as the DeMarini Rotation Index, rotating your bat evens out the hit load to the barrel, saving the bat over the long run.

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Did we answer everything?

If you're new to baseball, choosing the right baseball bat isn't always easy. The key to finding the best possible match for yourself, or your child, is making an informed decision. By now, you should have enough general information to make the right choice.

In case we missed something, call Epic Sports (1-888-269-2440) or send us an e-mail for more answers to frequently asked questions about baseball bats. And don't forget to check out our complete line of baseball bats!

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