Announcement
Question: I am shopping for a new bat for my son. He is 11 years old, medium height and build, with above average bat speed. How heavy should his bat be? As a personal hitting instructor and a former high school coach, I've been asked this question many times. Choosing the correct bat size isn't easy. There is no hard and fast rule about how to figure it out. It depends on many variables: the player's size, bat speed, swing type, and confidence at the plate. In the end, the best way to find the right bat size is to try out a few different ones. Have your son use the bat of a few teammates in batting practice or a game situation. He'll find the right size soon enough.However, there is one thing to be on the lookout for. Each year, bats become lighter thanks to advances in technology. This typically results in younger players using bats that are of the same weight, but a few inches longer than they should be. Consider this: many 12-year olds use 30-32 inch bats because they usually weigh close to 20 ounces. In contrast, Tony Gwynn used a 32 inch bat for most of his major league career. I believe in most cases, many common hitting problems (wrapping, hitching, slow bat speed) can be solved by using a slightly shorter bat.
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