How to Choose a Baseball Bat for Little Leaguers

Choosing the right baseball bat for your child can have a huge impact on his success on the field. Without the right baseball bat, children can't reach their potential at the plate. If the bat is too long or too heavy, they can't swing fast enough, and if it's too short or too light, they lose power.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Check your league requirements. Most leagues have baseball bat requirements and restrictions, so the bat you buy must meet those criteria.

2. Determine the length of the baseball bat by the child's age. Children between 5 and 7 years olds should use 24 to 26 inch bats, children between 8 and 9 should use 28 to 29 inch bats, 10-year-olds should use 29 to 30 inch bats, kids aged 11 and 12 should use 30 to 31 inch bats, 13 to 14 year olds should use 31 to 32 inch bats and kids from 15 to 16 should use 32 to 33 inch baseball bats.

3. Let the child swing different baseball bats to choose the weight that feels the most comfortable. Bat weights are sized by drop, which is the difference between the length and weight. For example a 27(-13) bat is 27 inches long and weighs 14 oz., and a 31(-3) bat is 31 inches long and weighs 28 oz.

4. Pick the alloy of the baseball bat material and any special features that you want. The price of the bat is largely determined by the alloy of the metal the bat is made of and by features such as sting reduction or gas chambers in the bat.

5. Use your child's skill level to gauge how much to spend. A first year T-ball player does not need as sophisticated a bat as a 13-year-old all-star.

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[baseballgirl102]

on 6/22/2009 This is a great article! Thank you. I have a son who plays baseball for a little over three years now and I am always excited to learn new things. A website that I found particularly helpful was WWW.BIGDOGBATS.COM. They have a great site with a very easy to use sizing chart that has taken my boy through 3 years of playing. Not only is this site easy to use and order from but he even gets a free t-shirt!!  Anyway hope this was helpful