Any little league baseball coaches here???

[racechaser 64]

I need to purchase a new bat for my 8 year old boy. Need sizing advice. Wondering if there was a formula relative to height or arm length to correctly size a bat.

He's using a 27 inch 19 oz. I was leaning toward a 30 inch 16.5 oz.

He's a small kid so the bat seems a little heavy over his head and he's got a slightly slow swing, which I think is likely the bat.

He's playing in a fall league with boys 8 to 13 on the same team.This is the first year of him playing "kid pitch". The last two years has been "coach's pitch". So Now his 8 year old skill level is noticeable against these older kids. He needs a little help to get his hitting better.

Any advice is appreciated.

Scott

[James 624]

If you have batting cages where you are. Practise with different size bats. The skill level will dictate your choice.

[racechaser 64]

Yeah we've done that.And he's used other kids bats. I was just wondering if there was a tip on picking a length.

Scott

[Deck Guy 14]

A 30 inch bat seems a bit long for an 8 year-old. Weight is most important though, and the aluminum makes it possible for him to get around.

Have him stand at the plate in a good stance and take a few swings. I would guess that a 28 inch bat will put the sweet spot over the plate when he swings, and that's what you want as far as length goes. If that works, you can even go a bit lighter but with a 28" bat, he'll get around quicker. I had a heck of a time teaching kids that age to hit through the ball when they swung the bat. They would hit the ball and the bat would stop dead almost, making weak contact.

[racechaser 64]

They would hit the ball and the bat would stop dead almost, making weak contact.

That is what is happening. I'm gonna try a lighter 28 inch bat then.

Thanks

Scott

[Camelot 68]

DEFINITELY pick a lighter bat...My son is also 8 and started teeball about 3 years ago. We went to a few local sports stores looking for a bat. We saw bats for $100-$200!!! I said NO WAY and went to WalMart for the $25 special. His first season, we just thought he was terrible at baseball (couldn't hit worth a crap...LOL). Well, it happened to be the last game of the season and his coach picked up his bat, walked over to me and said "Why is he hiting with this lumber?" I explained how expensive the other bats were. It turns out the bat was like 25 ounces. He gave him an 18 ounce bat and he started hitting like Reggie Jackson (ok, maybe I'm a bit prejudiced towards my son and the Yanks). I felt terrible and of course started buying him "better" bats...even though it KILLS me to shell out the bucks for a BAT...remember we like hundreds of wooden ones as kids? Now they carry 'em in cases and stuff...LOL...anyway, his game has improved dramatically over the past 3 years...worth every penny for his self esteem!

- John

[sarowe 14]

Hey Scott

I think the 28 would work best but he might could use a 29 real soon. I like to pick a bat that has a -4 difference between the length and weight.

I coached for many years and if I could give you 1 good piece of advice on how to hit the ball hard is to get him a t and several balls and a nice solid chain link fence to hit against. Dont use the neighbors.

Teach him to 'throw' his hands at the ball with the bat if that makes sense. If you try it yourself and get it right you will see what I mean. It would feel like throwig the bat to a spot between second and first base.

Good luck.

[Deck Guy 14]

It's hard to describe, but if you completely disect the swing, there was one thing I found to help the little guys.

I'll try anyway...Starting from the proper stance, the swing can't really begin untill you "load up" just a little. In other words, the first move the batter makes as part of his swing is actually a slight turn AWAY from the pitcher. A lot of the younger players want to start their swing from the proper batting position they've been taught, but at the moment they begin their swing, they actually need to move their hands back and rotate slightly away from the pitcher. This move accomodates a slight weight-shift to the back foot as well, setting the batter up for a full swing and follow-through. After loading up like this, just pulling the handle of the bat (like pulling a rope) downward quickly sets the rest of the swing in motion (the barrel will follow quickly). Simulate your own swing, and you'll see that you do it without thinking about it. Young kids just haven't been taught to make this move, and come upon it on their own eventually. Of course, there is also driving through the ball, which is a feeling that's hard to describe to a kid until he does it for the first time. Can you tell that I loved coaching???

I had some good books on drills and coaching. I'll try to dig them out.

[PRESSURE PACKED 14]

I need to purchase a new bat for my 8 year old boy. Need sizing advice. Wondering if there was a formula relative to height or arm length to correctly size a bat.

He's using a 27 inch 19 oz. I was leaning toward a 30 inch 16.5 oz.

He's a small kid so the bat seems a little heavy over his head and he's got a slightly slow swing, which I think is likely the bat.

He's playing in a fall league with boys 8 to 13 on the same team.This is the first year of him playing "kid pitch". The last two years has been "coach's pitch". So Now his 8 year old skill level is noticeable against these older kids. He needs a little help to get his hitting better.

Any advice is appreciated.

Scott

try some human growth hormones/ or some anabolic steroids....lol

[racechaser 64]

Here is what I bought so far

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150038564569&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

and this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=150040190952&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=005

I am tempted to buy a 29 inch 17 OZ just to see how he does with a slightly longer bat.

The voodoo bat is at baseball express for $179.00. So I'm rather happy so far.

Scott

[racechaser 64]

try some human growth hormones/ or some anabolic steroids....lol

I'm looking forward to grandchildren. I'd rather that he have functioning equipment than trophies on the mantle.

Scott

[racechaser 64]

Hey Scott

I think the 28 would work best but he might could use a 29 real soon. I like to pick a bat that has a -4 difference between the length and weight.

Good luck.

That would be a 24 oz bat?????Seems heavy.

Too heavy for him right now.

Scott

[Ron Musgraves 240]

Try a used sporting goods store, That the best place. Bats that sell normally for hundreds go for 20

[PRESSURE PACKED 14]

I'm looking forward to grandchildren. I'd rather that he have functioning equipment than trophies on the mantle.

Scott

good call i just couldnt pass up that opportunity

[Michael Ahr 14]

Scott, have your son hold the bat straight out with one hand for 30 seconds, if he can't hold it the bat is too heavy. Mike

[sarowe 14]

If your serious about buying a good bat your going to have to spend the money. Never buy a high quality bat that is used. These high quality bats lose there ability to hit the ball hard over time. They do not llast long at all if they are not taken care of. If you see your son/daughter pounding the bat on the ground you need to stop them. Also, we had bats we used for batting practice and then we kept our best bats for the games. My experience is that they go dead after onlly 1 season and thats if they are taken care of.

[racechaser 64]

Yeah the two I bought are new. One of them was 179.95 at baseball express. I got it for 41.00 on closeout. The other one was like 89.00 for thirtysomething.

Scott

[sarowe 14]

You did good. Take good care of those high quality bats because they will go dead if you dont. When they go dead you will notice right away. They dont last more than a season but by then he'll be ready for a bigger one anyway.