Is Their Bat Too Heavy?

It's a common occurrence: Kids arrive at practice with bats that are too heavy. Ten of twenty-four kids at our season opening practice showed immediate improvement with a shorter, lighter bat.

How can you tell? There are two ways to go about it.

​Method one - Simple Strength Test

1. Have the player lift the bat with their throwing hand. Hold it toward the bottom, by the knob.

2. Hold the bat with their arm outstretched in front of their chest. Can they comfortably hold in that position for 15 seconds? If not, the bat is too heavy for them to swing effectively with proper mechanics.

Variation - Hold both arms outstretched like a scarecrow. Use the same 15 second standard. Some folks prefer this test.

Method two - a more accurate method for the coaching inclined.

Goal: get them to be short to the ball and long through the zone.

1. Look for clues: * Is their swing long? * Is it over-rotational? * Do they drop their hands to get the bat on plane before they swing? * Does their elbow position fall apart mid-swing? * Does the front elbow straighten out?

2. Address the problems you find after handing them a lighter, shorter bat from your bag of tricks. Tell them it's your "teaching bat" if you must to avoid pushback.

3. Many kids respond immediately. They're able to follow your coaching and show immediate improvement. That's your new baseline.

4. Now, try again with their bigger bat. Chances are you'll see the overcompensation reappear. That's a sure sign the bat is slowing them down.

Good luck out there!