Posts Tagged ‘ Wooden ’

The difference between aluminum and wooden bats in terms of performance is clear enough. However, there?s still a great debate about which of the two types of bats should softball and baseball players use.

If you?re confused as to which type of bat you should use, then I recommend that you read this article. I?ll show you the pros and the cons of using aluminum or wooden bats.

Bat Weight

Let?s begin with the weight. Wooden bats are considerably heavier than aluminum bats. When constructing a wooden bat, there?s always a tradeoff between its weight and its performance. If you want it to have a longer sweet spot, you need to build a bigger bat. But on the down side, it could increase the weight of the bat considerably.

Meanwhile, you can make aluminum bats wider without the added weight. All you need to do is to make the aluminum thinner.

A lighter or a heavier bat depends on the preference of the player. For younger players, I definitely would recommend lighter bats to allow them to practice their swing better without the weight of bat taking its toll on them.

Bat Speed

Again, aluminum bats are lighter than traditional wooden bats. Because of this, aluminum bats allow for higher bat speeds than their wooden counterpart.

The higher bat speeds from aluminum bats allow for hitting the ball for a much longer distance. Thus, it is highly favored over wooden bats when it comes to hitting homeruns.

Sweet Spot

Because of its material and construction, aluminum bats have a longer sweet spot than wooden bats. That?s why aluminum bats allow batters to hit the ball more accurately.

Durability

Wooden bats may be rock solid but it can?t take on the pressure that aluminum bats can handle. That said, aluminum bats are more durable and are thus less likely to break than wooden bats. So if you?re looking for a bat that will last you for years, I recommend you get an aluminum bat.

Safety

This is where most of the controversy between the use of aluminum and wooden bats are centered. While it is already pretty much established that aluminum bats perform better than wooden bats, the safety of its use on the field is being questioned.

Because aluminum bats can hit the ball faster and much farther than wooden bats, some studies show that the resulting high-velocity balls can put defensive players at risk.

Thus, there have been moves made to have the aluminum bat banned from softball and baseball fields.

These are just some of the main differences between how different types of softball bats perform. To summarize, aluminum bats are the way to go if you want a bat that will give you that extra boost in performance without the added weight that?s associated with wooden bats.

Also, aluminum bats are great if you?re looking for a bat that you can use everyday without risking breaking it. However, you might also want to take into consideration the debate on the safety of using aluminum bats versus wooden bats before making a decision.

Marc Dagenais is Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips/softball-hitting-tips.html

Aluminum Baseball Bats vs Wooden Baseball Bats

What advantages are there with an aluminum baseball bat? What benefits are there with a wooden bat? This is a question that most baseball players ought to look into when they are purchasing a new baseballor softball bat. In this article, the differences between the two will be described so you are able to make the decision yourself.

One of the limitations of the aluminum bat is that the bat’s weight has a more uniform distribution. There is less mass in the bat’s barrel and this makes the bat have a less effective collision with the ball. The ball will generally leave the bat faster and more quickly with a heavier bat than it does with a bat that is lighter. Only the barrel has an effect on turning the baseball around andpropelling it back at a high speed. The aluminum bat’s barrel cannot have the same effect as wood bats do. The aluminum baseball bat also compresses when the bat collides with the ball. This effect slows the ball as it comes off the bat. Wood bats don’t compress, however, the ball will, and will lose more energy than an aluminum baseball bat.

An aluminum baseball bat is hollow, while baseball bats made of wood are solid. This is incredibly important because it makes a difference in the weight and the center of gravity for the bat. For a wooden baseball bat, to make the bat fatter or longer, the bat must also weigh more. For an aluminum bat, the shell can be made more thinly so the bat doesn’t have to be heavier. The aluminum baseball bat is more flexible in this manner and provides players a lot more options without having to get a bat that is so heavy.

Because wooden baseball bats are solid, the majority of the weight is in the barrel of the bat. This means that the center of gravity has to be further away from the hands. Thealuminum baseball bat is a lot more flexible and as a result, the center of gravity may be placed closer to the hands. Because the center of gravity is not as far from the hands, an aluminum baseball bat can have a swing weight that is lower. The bat, however, may weigh just as much as a wooden bat. Aluminum baseball bats are able to have a swing weight that is lower, as the bat’s weight is closer to the hands. What that does is make the baseball bat easier to swing instead of the center of gravity and weight being further from the hands as it is in a wooden bat. Because the bat is easier to swing, the player can have a swing that is faster which results in the ball coming off the bat faster and more quickly. This is a clear-cut advantage that an aluminum bat has over a wooden one.

One advantage of the aluminum bat is that it’s able to be a lot more forgiving. Batters will still make contact with the ball and get a good hit. If you hit the ball too close to the handle with a wooden bat, it is more likely to break. This makes aluminum bats far better for hitting inside pitches. A great deal of college baseballplayers have a difficult time making the transitional to the big leagues, because in college they nearly exclusively use aluminum bats. Pro bats are all wood and as a result, players have a rather hard timegetting comfortable with the weight.

The Coach is a writer who loves most anything to do with sports equipment and sports. For more information and advice on Baseball bats and all things baseball, check out http://www.thebaseballstore.com.