Baseball Bat Selection

Baseball Hitting and Baseball Hitting Instruction begins with Proper Baseball Bat Selection - Especially in Little League Baseball Hitting

Before we began our discussion around the batting stance I would like to first discuss the topic of picking the right bat.  I have seen many little league baseball hitting coaches allow their players to suffer through the pains of using a baseball bat that is too long and therefore slows the player's swing down.  I have also seen some well-intentioned baseball hitting instruction that allow baseball bats to be used that are too short, causing the player to miss pitches on the outside part of the plate.  The question always comes up - what is the right size and weight of a baseball bat for a particular player?

Well, there is no one size fits all formula for selecting the right size of baseball bat but by using common sense along with some classic guidelines, you can make sure that when you go to the plate your baseball bat won’t be the tool holding you back. 

Weight of the Bat

When the topic of weight for a baseball bat is discussed, a player must consider giving up bat control to have a heavier baseball bat in their hand.  Every coach has seen players use too heavy of a baseball bat and struggle to swing at fast pitches that would have been hit with the use of a lighter bat.  While, in batting practice, that same player looks terrific using the heavier bat against weaker pitches, in game situations that same bat often leads to less than favorable results.  Players tending to use too light of a bat will often sacrifice distance on fly balls, power on line drives and speed on ground balls by hitting the ball without enough force behind their baseball swing.  There is a balance to be struck between baseball bat weight and baseball bat control. I suggest trying a few different weights during a round of batting practice to see which weight best suits the player. Coaches should set aside time early in the year to find the right bat for their players,allowing them to investigate multiple alternatives before settling on the best bat weight for their strength.

Length of the Bat

The best idea I have seen regarding the proper length of a baseball bat is one used in teaching by my high school varsity baseball coach.  At that critical age players are developing into young men and the size of their baseball bat and the weight of their baseball bat often is a mismatch when starting a new season.  He recommends that a player approach home plate and take their normal batting stance.  While in that normal, relaxed batting stance the player should reach over and touch the bat to the opposite side of the plate with their lead arm (arm facing the pitcher) without having to overextend at the hips.  The concept behind this maneuver is to be sure that a player can easily reach an outside pitch while not needing to stand so close to the plate so that they are jammed on an inside pitch.When the bat is raised up it should be able to cover outside pitches 3-4 inches off the plate.

Baseball Bat Grip

The proper way to hold a baseball bat is also one of the most incorrectly taught concepts in baseball.  Many players grip a baseball bat in the form of a “death” grip.  They tend to grip the baseball bat in the palm of their hands while having their fingertips wrap completely around the bat and tuck back underneath their palms.  They receive their wakeup call on the proper bat grip when one of two things happens: 1) They play on a cold day and they mishit a ball, receiving that beloved handful of bees that we speak about so often, or 2) they find that they cannot properly get through the baseball swing without having to roll their wrists, often resulting in weak ground balls to the pull hitting side of the infield.  This is the classic result of using too much lower hand in the swing. The way that I have been taught to hold the bat is to lay the bat in the palm of my bottom hand at the point where my fingers begin.  The next step is easy - simply repeat the process with the top hand and hold the bat with the same amount of pressure that you would a golf club. 

A great next question would be – yeah, but how tightly do you hold a golf club?

The primary teaching point of this grip is that when both hands are holding the bat the second (or knocking) knuckles are aligned and the pressure is light, never squeezing the bat with force, but tight enough so that a firm swing can be the end result when contact is made with the ball.  I recommend to people that they should hold the bat as loosely as they can to get a feel for the small amount of force required to have firm contact with the ball and work their way up the tightness scale for the grip while taking batting practice. Tell your coach you want to take a few swings with different grip tensions so he or she will not think you are having a bad day at the plate while you figure the best bat grip tension for yourself.  Take your time and let your hands grip the bat tighter until the ball leaves the bat firmly each time.  The proper grip tension also allows for the batter to stay more relaxed when in pressure filled situations at the plate.

Since we have now agreed with the two opening articles that baseball hitting and baseball hitting instruction begins with proper baseball bat selection and correct grip – especially in little league baseball hitting, we can now move the discussion to the Batting Stance .

If you would like to return to the Baseball Skill Aids homepage, click on our logo in the upper left-hand corner.