When shopping for discount softball bats, follow the coaches’ rules. They know what’s best for their players. We’re talking world-class softball players here, not the weekend warriors on the diamond with a cooler of beer and sandwiches. So we’re talking world-class coaches.
The first step is to head your local superstore of sporting goods. Even if you plan to buy online, where you can find some of the best deals, take the time to visit a brick and mortar store first. It’s essential to find a sporting goods store that will let you test different bats. That way, you can literally feel which bat works for you. Sure, you can use online reviews to help you narrow down which bats you want to test, but never rely on these reviews alone. They are based on the reviewers on personal feel for the bat.
First, consider the barrel size of the discount bats you re shopping for. The barrel size involves the top part of the bat. It measures both the barrel length and barrel diameter. When it comes to a sweet spot on a baseball
bat, you want a longer barrel. The common wisdom is that longer barrels, generally speaking, have larger sweet spots.
This goes against common practice, though. Most players tend toward smaller barrels and a lighter bat for faster swing speed. Your standard baseball bat will have a diameter of about 2.5 inches. Your standard fast pitch softball barrel will be slightly bigger at 2.75 inches.
Your second measurement of importance for your discount bats is the bat taper, which is the diameter of the bat at its handle. Your typical baseball bat has a taper of 31/32 of an inch. This size varies, nonetheless, depending on the weight of your bat. There are players who claim that a narrower taper on a lighter bat allows them to rotate their wrists faster, while there are others who say the bigger taper helps lessen the pain when you don t catch a ball with the sweet spot.
Make sure you re buying the best when you buy discount bats. Of course you can get the same quality and top-notch selection when you buy your bats from a discount vendor online or wholesale that you could get from an expensive sporting goods store or specialty shop. The key for you, the consumer, is to be able to pick out the quality from among the pack of other so-so, average, and below par bats out there.
This process is also very personal. Choose a baseball bat as you would golf clubs. It ought to be perfect for your particular arm length, height, grip, and swing feel. You wouldn t take just any driver off the shelf and march over to the tee. You would make sure that your driver has the right sweet spot for you. Then you ll able to drive 300 yards. It s the same with baseball bats. You want the bat that will help you to drive the center field fence.
If you want to see if your college baseball bats are made from one of these advanced alloys, simply look at the bat. Usually, manufacturers are so proud of the fact that they ll announce it in big bold letters on the bat. Then again, if you re bat is -11 or lighter, it is required by law not to state what kind of alloy is used in its fabrication. In any case, these lighter bats probably do not contain the stronger newer alloys. To make weight, the manufacturer probably used a lighter alloy for the thinner walls of the bat.
If you want to be able to know exactly what is in your college baseball bats, look for the grade number on them. For instance, a grade number of 7046 means that the bat is fabricated with standard aircraft aluminum, a material fit for many budget bats.
The grade 7050 means the aluminum alloy contains an amount of copper, which makes it one-third stronger than 7046. Other numbers and grades, of course, designate other alloy blends and different strengths.
College baseball bats are more high-tech than the bats that the pros use. The pros, you see, are behind the times with their baseball bats. Their wood relics have been out of fashion for years. Wood makes for baseball bats that are heavier, less long lasting, and less effective than their counterparts made from aluminum.
Today s best baseball bats are to be found in the college ranks. They re made of military grade aluminum provided by corporations like Alcoa and Kaiser. And these companies keep working on this aircraft aluminum to make it stronger, thinner, lighter, and more durable.
These aluminum alloys go by their corporate trade names or numbers, and usually by brand names too. You can sometimes find that the same trade name is marketed by different bat makers by different brand names.
Again, when it comes to price, the same basic rule applies. If you re only looking for catchers gloves to mess around with once in a while, you may consider a professional grade glove a bit pricy. Then again, high end gloves from companies like Nokona and Rawlings are far more durable than a cheapie you can buy for $20. Sure, high quality baseball gloves cost more, but they will last longer, feel better, and work better.
Once you figure out what make and model you want, head to the store. You need to actually stick your hands in a glove to see if it truly is for you. You don t want an uncomfortable glove affecting how you play in a game. Part of the perfect feel for catchers gloves comes from your age and body size. A “pattern size” determines how large a glove is.
This measures from the glove s heel at your wrist to the glove s top on the palm side near your fingers. Youth gloves measure from 8 inches to a foot, while adults have a 12 to 13 inch range.
Catchers gloves can run you hundreds of dollars, so you want make sure you re investing your money wisely. Your new mitt should not only catch your eye and wow you with its rich leather. There are a bunch of other things you should take into consideration when you re picking out your glove. These include your size, the amount you plan to play, the level that you will play at, and, of course, your budget.
For instance, if you re a hardcore player who can t think of being anywhere else on the diamond besides squatting behind home plate, then there s no doubt that you should invest in a solid catchers mitt.
However, if you play in a rec league on the weekends, or on the company team every spring, you may want to reconsider, especially if you move around the infield. In this case, a weekend warrior like yourself may consider buying a utility glove, which is larger than a typical infielder glove but not quite as large as an outfield or catchers mitt.
With weight, think light. A light bat makes it easier for your kids to control their swings. Don t let those old-fashioned coaching types tell you that you need a heavy bat to deliver the hits. Kids can actually hit the ball harder and farther with a light bat because they can swing a light bat faster. If you need proof, consider that the NCAA and high school rules officials have passed prohibitions on baseball bats so they cannot be 3 ounces or more lighter than the bat s length in inches.
When it comes to length and bats for kids, the rules state that Little League baseball bats must be less than or equal to 32 inches in length. Their barrels cannot be more than 2.25 inches in diameter. Of course, for kids in the Farm league (age 7 to 
you don t want to push these limits. A length of 26 to 27 inches will do.
For the Junior Minors (age 8 to 9), try 27 to 29 inches. For Senior Minors (age 9 to 12), try 28 to 31 inches. And for the Majors (age 10 to 12), you can buy a bat anywhere from 29 to 32 inches.
Buying the right baseball bats for kids is as important as buying the right glove, the cleats, and every other piece of equipment for the sport. The right bat can directly affected how your kids perform at the plate, and conversely, the wrong bat can leave your kids struggling on the peewee team.
However, ask somebody how to buy the best bat for your kids, and you ll get the rigamarole. Some folks will say buy heavy and let your kid adjust for greater power. Others will say buy long and let your kids choke up on the grip so they can handle the extra few inches. Others will say pray to Jobu and hope he delivers the proper bat to you.
Just like he didn t cut it for Charlie Sheen and the boys in the hit movie Major League, Jobu won t help if you re looking to purchase bats for kids. The key is taking in all of the advice from experts, and looking for consistency. In this case, the chorus of voices says one thing: both length and weight are important.
It is team, but it is solo. Only you are at bat. Only you can hit the ball and make a play happen. You have your number. It is your uniform. You make the play. By far the most interesting aspect of baseball uniforms as this great American past time has evolved is the socks. Each team’s identity was distinguished by the stocking colors, and the names usually followed suit.
Emblems on the socks were an additional symbol, but were not significant as they are today. The press was the source responsible for the use of nicknames for the different ball clubs, and they were consistently inconsistent. In 1901, the Detroit Tigers established the first constant display of an emblem by placing a small red tiger on the black, wool caps that spurted a trend of fans wanting to acquire a genuine Tiger cap, a rage that lives on even today!
