This article originally appeared on BaseballMonkey.com
As technology has changed, the evolution of baseball bats has grown with it, and the need to prepare your tools for action has become a part of the game. When you buy a wood bat, you don’t need to worry about breaking it in. It’s ready off the shelf. Similarly, when you buy an aluminum alloy bat, for the most part, these bats are ready to go too - they’re “hot out of the wrapper.”
But when you start looking into composite bats, likely your greatest weapon for success, the following tips on how to break in a bat will allow you to work your new lumber up to its fullest potential.
In this guide, you’ll learn the following:
- Why you need to break in a bat.
- How to break in a composite bat and a softball bat.
- What bat rolling is and if it’s legal?
Why Do I Need to Break in My Bat?
Many people often wonder why they need to break in a bat. You may be questioning why these expensive bats don’t come ready to go directly from the manufacturer. These are valid questions, but the need to break in a bat is simple: Composite bats just aren’t at their full potential until they’ve been through at least a couple hundred hits.
Most single or double wall aluminum alloy bats are ready to go as soon as you take the plastic wrapper off. Some will have an increase of pop, or power, as time goes on, but generally speaking they are at their fullest potential as soon as you bring them home.
While all bats are manufactured to meet certain specifications depending on league and sanctions, bats that are fresh off the machines haven’t been tested or used. With some of these materials, especially composite, they’ll improve in quality after getting a few hundred swings in. Some people are concerned about the life of the bat being hurt by this process, but as we’ll cover, you won’t be using full power or strength while breaking a bat in.
When it comes to composite bats, it simply takes longer to get your bat to its peak performance, which is why you always want to break it in before playing a regular game.
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About the Author
Baseball Monkey is a leading retailer of baseball and softball equipment for all ages and experience levels. Our expert team worked together to build a resource hub of information designed to help players navigate through the many questions that come with gearing up for the baseball season.
MonkeySports, Inc. has been serving athletes around the world since 1999. We offer expert customer service and product knowledge that comes from employing players who are passionate about the game, the gear and the customer. MonkeySports, Inc. has six established brick-and-mortar stores and six websites. Our online stores operate under the banners hockeymonkey.com, goaliemonkey.com, lacrossemonkey.com, baseballmonkey.com, monkeyteamsports.com and monkeyapparel.com.
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