Is My Bat Dead?
How do you know that your bat is dead? Without cracking or dents, it can be difficult to determine if your bat is dead or not, but there are a couple of tell-tale signs that can help.
The sound of a softball bat is a good indicator of whether or not the bat has lost it's life. When you first start using your softball bat you should listen for the bat's own unique sound, usually a «ping» or «crack» sound. For alloy bats, if your softball bat has great performance you will hear a loud, high pitched «ping». For those softball players who use a composite bat, you should hear a loud crack after properly breaking in your bat. It is important to know how your bat initially sounds at peak performance so that you can recognize if it has faded over time. If over time your bat loses sound, it is probably time to get a new one.
Pop is something that should never be compromised when it comes to a softball bat. Sadly, many of the softball bats tend to lose their pop with time. Take careful note of how fast balls bounce off the barrel of your baseball bat from the very first use and onward. If your baseball bat has lost its «trampoline-like» effect then it's time that you replace it.
Vibrations are another good sign of a bat that may be dead. If you are making solid contact and you are getting some bad vibration it might be time to start thinking about your next bat. It is important to be aware of the bat quality you have, and be able to recognize if your bat gains more vibrations over time. An increase of bat vibrations is a pretty big indicator that your bat is on its way to the grave!
Think your bat's dead..?
Sound
The sound of a softball bat is a good indicator of whether or not the bat has lost it's life. When you first start using your softball bat you should listen for the bat's own unique sound, usually a «ping» or «crack» sound. For alloy bats, if your softball bat has great performance you will hear a loud, high pitched «ping». For those softball players who use a composite bat, you should hear a loud crack after properly breaking in your bat. It is important to know how your bat initially sounds at peak performance so that you can recognize if it has faded over time. If over time your bat loses sound, it is probably time to get a new one.
Pop
Pop is something that should never be compromised when it comes to a softball bat. Sadly, many of the softball bats tend to lose their pop with time. Take careful note of how fast balls bounce off the barrel of your baseball bat from the very first use and onward. If your baseball bat has lost its «trampoline-like» effect then it's time that you replace it.
Vibrations
Vibrations are another good sign of a bat that may be dead. If you are making solid contact and you are getting some bad vibration it might be time to start thinking about your next bat. It is important to be aware of the bat quality you have, and be able to recognize if your bat gains more vibrations over time. An increase of bat vibrations is a pretty big indicator that your bat is on its way to the grave!
Think your bat's dead..?