by Jim J Jones

Created on: April 18, 2010   Last Updated: April 20, 2010

Baseball, as a sport, goes light on equipment: you have a glove, a ball, and a bat. The ball comes standard, and the glove just has to fit-which means that the only place you can get the decisive edge you need is with your bat. Always remember to try out any bat you're thinking about buying. Most stores will have batting cages, or will have a return policy for bats, so you won't get stuck with something you can't use. Here are some pointers for choosing your bat:

LENGTH

The length of a bat should basically be a function of the player's arm-strength and height. The rules of centripetal acceleration dictate that a bat that is twice as long will be exponentially harder to swing. Be wary: it can be tempting to get cocky and pick up a bat that's four inches longer than the one you usually use and think "Oh, this will be easy" - it won't.

When determining the bat's length, also keep in mind your batting technique: for example, if you "choke up" (move your hands up quite a ways), you can deal with heavier bats than most batters. Likewise, if you're a switch-hitter, you will need to take into account strength differences in your arms when buying your "righty" and "lefty" bats.

WEIGHT

In general, wooden bats will weigh an ounce for each inch of length. Bats with higher and lower densities are available, and bats are available with different weight distributions, affecting the bat's "sweet spot" (the best spot to hit with). Heavier bats tend to be for bulky, muscular power hitters, and lighter bats for smaller, faster leadoff batters.

ALUMINUM v. WOOD

The biggest debate in baseball is about the material: do you want aluminum, wood, or some fancy newfangled carbon composite material? If you're a casual player, the simplest approach is to try them both out. The wooden bat is the traditional way to go, and it doesn't send a shockwave up your arm when you hit the ball, but it tends to weight a great deal more than the aluminum. Aluminum is light, but doesn't deliver the sort of momentum that wood does-and it has been banned in professional and little league baseball.

PRICE

Fortunately, this isn't so much a concern with baseball bats as it is with gloves. If you're buying a wooden bat, you basically want to buy a Louisville Slugger-it's the industry standard, and the only one worth buying (and it is often the only one available). Aluminum bats are virtually all the same, both from the standpoint of quality and price. If it feels right, and swings right, it's the bat for you.

THE FEEL OF THE BAT

There is nothing more important than owning a bat that feels good. There is no objective way to predict how a bat will feel-it's a matter of your sense of the bat. Regardless of any advice you get, you should never "go against your gut." Pick the bat that feels like it'll knock a few out of the park for you!

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