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A lot of parents and coaches out there are looking to find the best youth baseball bats that they can. Unfortunately, some of them are simply looking at which bat “promises” to be the best. Whereas the integral quality of a baseball bat’s construction is a matter to be considered and so are its performance-boosting features, there’s something missing from this picture, and it’s terribly important to the formative experience of playing youth sports.
Inspiring and fostering confidence is something that so many people overlook in favor of the other seductive features of a bat when really what you need more than anything else is to encourage young players to stay in the game even when things get tough.
For that reason, rather than give you an introduction to some of the best bat brands that we have here, and we have them, from Marucci to DeMarini to Easton and VICTUS, we’re going to look at some of the things you need to consider in order to inspire confidence in young players.
When in Doubt, Go Light
There are a lot of tests you can perform to determine whether or not a bat is too heavy for a player. One of them is to have the player hold the bat by the end of the grip against the knob and outstretch it in front of or to the side of their body. They say to have the player hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute; if he can’t the bat’s too heavy.
That’s a good test for experienced players, but for youth players that have not yet been introduced to fatigue, we daresay it’s just a little bit cavalier. We say that, while, categorically, such a bat might not be too heavy for the player in question, it is far better to err on the side of lightness.
A lighter bat is easier to control and makes it harder to get excessively fatigued while playing. We can’t stress those two things enough. Fatigue is an absolute destroyer of confidence, and so is a bat that is too hard to control. Nothing builds confidence like actually making contact with the ball, and a bat that is easy to control and less tiring to use increases the likelihood of that dramatically.
Balance Is Your Friend
in the hands, Bats with a lot of weight drop, it is true, do give players a lot of power, whereas balanced bats feel light and, sometimes, inadequate. These remain the weapon of choice for precision hitters rather than power hitters.
However, for young and inexperienced players who are still gaining their sealegs, a bat with a lot of weight drop is going to seem like a wildly ungainly implement. Do you know what’s one thing that can destroy growing confidence in a young player? A piece of equipment that’s hard to control, and let us tell you, an end-loaded bat is just such an implement.
All things being equal, you may want to consider offering a youth player a well-balanced bat instead of an end-loaded model, unless you know for a fact, otherwise.
Pick the Right Size
Picking the right size in a bat is a little bit more objective than sizing a bat to a player according to its weight and weight drop. Still, picking a bat that is sized properly will go a long way towards building confidence.
There are two things you can use to determine that a bat is sized properly to a player, but you should do these after testing the weight drop and the weight so that you don’t have to work backwards. All things considered, weight and balance are more important than length.
Have the player stand and place the knob of the bat against the crook of their arm and reach out toward the barrel. The player should be able to wrap his hand around the middle of the barrel. Next, to be sure, you can have the player stand in a t-pose with arms raised out to the sides.
Place the bat with the knob at the center of the chest and the barrel extended outward along towards the fingertips. The end of the barrel should reach just to the ends of the fingers. Keep in mind that these will change as a player grows, but this will help you size up the best youth baseball bats for confidence.
Make Sure It Is League-Compliant!
One more thing to remember is that you need to ensure the bat you settle on is league compliant. Usually, this is very easy to do because it will say right on our product pages what leagues a bat is certified for, but if you have any questions, you can call us at 1-888-540-BATS.
Remember, confidence is one of the most important things you can build in young players. We offer many types of bats for all different players - including but not limited to wood bats, aluminum alloy bats, and even multi-piece composite bats that reduce vibrations. If you’re looking for the best youth baseball bats, start here, and if you have any questions, feel free to call us via the number above!
