How to Choose A Softball Bat | Softball Bat Guide

The leading manufacturers of softball bats have truly created a line-up of quality clubs featuring “just right” specs for everyone on the team. If you like to go for the fences, bats with big barrels and fantastic weight to length ratios are available, some featuring a -7 to -10 ratio, meaning they pack up to 10 fewer ounces in weight than they do inches from grip to tip. A typical -10 ratio bat might be 33 inches long and weigh 23 ounces. The results are good bats speeds and lots of hitting surface, up to 2.5 inches in width.

Those who like to hit for average, and want as much control as possible will enjoy lighter sticks with smaller widths, perhaps in the 2.25 inch ball park. The ratios on these sticks can be as low as -12, for ultra-light weight, still containing enough strength to knock the ball around pretty well. The light weight and low ratio makes placing each hit much easier, whether you want to punch the ball through the infield or drive the gap in left center.

Choosing the Right Bat for Your Body and Swing!

The key to finding the right bat is to know your capabilities. A smaller hitter who insists they can hit the long ball may choose a heavier bat to prove their gusto, only to find themselves hitting a lot of meaningless, mid-depth fly balls. It’s better to go with the stature you have, choose a bat to match, and make the most of it. Get on base with a deftly placed single, and let the big gal or guy behind you drive you in. Single/double/place hitters might also want to select a bat with a thinner handle, to increase feel and produce greater control.

On the other end of the spectrum, big swingers that take a bat to the plate that is too light may well end up over swinging, being out in front of many pitches – like trying to hit a perpetual change-up—and in many not-so-extreme cases end up hurting their wrists and forearms trying to slow down or adjust their swings. Long-ballers should pick up a wide-barreled bat with a -5 to -8 ratio, which are still capable of serious bat speeds, and employ consistent and powerful strokes that will let the bat do as much of the work as possible.

Because even today’s heaviest bats are lighter than their slugging forerunners, most players will be able to get around with most bats. Novice players should start out light, and progress toward heavier, making sure that they can catch up to the ball with the bat they are using, and still maintain good hand-eye coordination. With practice, each player will find the right blend of weight and length to hit for the highest combination of average and power they are capable of.