Ask the Coach

Joey asks:

I have a son that is 9 years of age. I’m looking to purchase him a new bat. He is a good size for his age. I have heard from different coaches over the past years that the lighter the bat the better. What size would you recommend?

Coach Swift answers:

I would recommend that you do the following test with a bat at a sporting goods store.

Have your son take his lead hand (if he’s a right-handed batter that would be his left hand) and hold the bat at the end, straight out from his body. Make sure he doesn’t stand sideways.

If he can hold the bat sturdy without quivering or dropping it for 30 seconds then that’s the right weight and length for him.

In my opinion, the lightest possible bat is not always the best choose. You want to choose a bat with some weight to it so that it will have some force behind it when the ball is hit. It’s a balancing act between bat speed and weight. You need bat speed with as much weight as you can handle.

Therefore, the best answer is to find the heaviest bat your son can use without losing bat speed. Do that by trying different bat weights until he passes the test.