The differential is between 2.5oz and 3.0 per bat. The cupped bat decreases in weight by .25 oz. The reason to cup the bat is to establish improved bat balance.
Why Hit With Wood?
Wood Bats Correctly Teach The Strike Zone
When you hit an outside pitch with an aluminum bat, you can very well hit it beyond an infielder even though you swung at a bad pitch. On an inside pitch, you can manage a flare-single over the 2nd baseman's head. With wood you learn the strike zone and which pitches you should lay-off.
In the old days (before 1972) every bat you bought was wood and you sure didn't want to break the only bat you owned, so you learned to lay off bad pitches (Not to mention the "stinging" you felt in your hands when you swung at bad pitches on cold spring days)!
Maybe you will now begin to learn the strike zone and the value of pitch selection. You just might gain one more weapon in learning to become a better hitter. Remember, if you learn these great lessons by hitting with wood, think about what a powerful and smart hitter you can become when swinging with aluminum!
A wood bat will train you to hit with good mechanics and will tell you right away when you are dragging it through the zone with incorrect mechanics. The sweet spot is a bit smaller and for younger players, the barrel diameters tend to be smaller as well, so to be successful you start the hands early, select good pitches to hit and accelerate right through the ball with a flat, level swing. Wood just won't let the bad swings turn into cheap hits.
Why do Some Players Struggle With Wood?
We covered many of the reasons in the paragraph you just read, but the bottom line is that the sooner you begin training with wood, the sooner you get over whatever it is that makes some good hitters struggle. Keep in mind that we am not limiting this potential problem to youth league and high school players.
The rookie leagues are littered with 1st year pro players who have been extremely successful in high school and the college ranks but 30 days into camp really struggle with the transition.
How soon should a younger Player start using a Wood Bat?
You should start as early as possible. Some sanctioning bodies are offering Wood Bat Tournaments for players down to 9 years old. You start your swing with what the scouts call live-hands and avoid what they call appropriately enough, dead hands. You learn the strike zone, really focus on good pitches. Aim at the art of perfecting the flat swing.
How do I take care of my new Shamrock Bat?
With proper care and maintenance a quality wood bat will last the player a good long time. Listed below are some simple ways to help keep your wood bat working for you.
1.Wipe the bat down after each use to remove loose dirt or gravel.
2.When not in use store in a dry place such as an equipment bag.
3.Wipe moisture from the bat immediately if playing in wet or rainy conditions.
4.Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight in order to avoid damaging the finish.
5.Avoid direct contact with spikes if using the bat to knock dirt from shoes.
6.Tape the barrel of batting practice bats to prolong the life of the bat's hitting surface.
7.Keep a backup bat or two. Wood bats break so keeping a spare keeps you in the game.
8.Avoid lending bats to other players. These are your special tools tuned to your style.
Are there any precautions I can take to help prevent Breakage?
The reality of wood bats is that any one of them can be broken. However, with some knowledge and the right bat, they have been known to last a long time. The first thing to do to reduce breakage is to understand that the placement of the trademark is not by accident. As no two trees are alike, no two bats are alike either. The trademark is placed on an area which has the greatest possibility of failure. The exact opposing side of the trademark is also a place where bats will more likely to fail too. Take a close look and you will see how the grain runs and why this is true. So the simple rule of prevention here is: Bat with the LABEL UP or LABEL DOWN. Hold the bat with two hands extended across the plate, make sure the label faces up to the sky or down to the ground. Secondly, understand that movement of your hands will always start the swing. With wood, it generally takes a bit more to get the bat through the contact zone, so start your swing earlier (sooner). This is great training for many reasons; one being that you'll be even quicker with your aluminum bat!
Know that around 70% of all bats break when hit off the end of the bat, not off the fists (hands). Your first thoughts might be that this sounds crazy because when the breaks you notice it tends to be near the handle, not the business-end of the bat, right?
But check out why this is true. . .
Most hitters are right handed. Pitchers in the aluminum bat era (since 1972) know that you can't pitch inside and saw off an aluminum bat so they live on the outside corner not having been taught to pitch inside. Pitchers say that they will come inside, but really, not many do. Who wants to hit the guy and put him on base anyway. Also, what's the second pitch that you see so many guys throw?.The hard, late-breaking curve or maybe the slider. And which direction do these break? Away from the right handed hitter. Many of them making contact on the end of the bat. And where does the bat tend to break? Near the thinner part, the handle!
What about Pine Tar and Other grip enhancements?
Since wood bats don't use the leather grips that aluminum bats do, you may want to consider some sticky alternatives. These are only options as many players use nothing at all.
Pine Tar is the brown gooey substance that many big leaguers use. It works well, and is also very sticky and gets on everything from uniforms to helmets and batting gloves. I don't advise its use for younger players for those reasons. Tape is simply white athletic tape though players have been known to try lots of different varieties. Tape works well. We like a double criss-cross pattern that leaves some of the wood exposed. It forms distinct patterns of diamonds. Some players just tape by continually encircling the bat about 8 to 12 inches from the knob. Called a full-wrap. Yet others like to build up the knob end with many layers and then either full wrap or criss-cross. Some will also twist the tape so that it becomes a rounded rope shape and then wrap that about one inch apart all the way up to the 8 to 12 inch point from the bat handle. Yet others combine the full wrap and then rope their bat. If you like a thicker handle or knob, be sure to try either the Aladame model 271 or the Aladame Shillelagh. Both of these bats offer a thick, 1” handle with a flared knob for greater bat control.
