Baseball: the great American favorite pastime, as it has been nicknamed. Core to this game is the baseball bat itself, and the best softball bats can help a batter find his/her best game out there on the field. By contrast, a bad bat can ruin performance, and the wrong treatment of a bat can ruin the entire thing. Bats for sale have to be broken in for optimum play. There are shortcuts available, if the athlete is willing to take them, but there are some potential hazards to bear in mind when doing this to baseball bats or softball bats.
Who Plays Baseball?
In short: lots of people. The game had its starts in the United States and Canada in the 19th century, but today, the International Baseball Confederation extends to over 100 countries around the globe, making it not only America’s pastime, but that for anyone with a passion for the game. Though the game is arguably the biggest in the United States with adults and youth alike. For one thing, 13.46 million people played baseball or softball within the last 12 months as of spring 2016 in the United States, and kids who do play sports in general are eight times more likely to be active at age 24 than those who did not. Parents also appreciate the health aspects of the game and other sports: 65% of parents felt that sports boosted their child’s social life, as well as getting along with others (78%), and even their mental health (73%). If a child, teenager, or adult is ready to play baseball for all these benefits and more, the best softball bats can bring out the best game possible.
Treatment For the Best Softball Bats
A freshly-bought baseball or softball bat is not starting at its optimal performance; they often have to be broken in through play, and this process may sometimes result in uneven distribution of breaking in, and some spots on the bat may become brittle or otherwise defective. An inconsistent bat can ruin whole game, so there are two methods for artificially breaking a bat in: shaving and rolling. Shaved bats and rolled bats are treated with different methods.
According to Bat Rolling 4 U, rolling a baseball bat involves placing a bat into a machine with three rollers, and the pressure from these rollers stretches out the bat’s fibers and breaks down glue holding the layers together. Once the rolling is complete, the fibers are more flexible and allows for a “trampoline” effect, allowing the batter to hit the ball further and faster than if the bat were brand-new and untreated. Doing so will void a bat’s warranty, however.
Another option is bat shaving. The first step is bat rolling, and once that is done, a drill or other device shaves away an inner layer of the bat’s material, which increases the trampoline effect and adding about 40 feet of ball distance per hit, according to JustBats. Often, doing so will remove 0.5 to two ounces of the bat’s weight.
Bat shaving and bat rolling can boost performance and make any bat among the best softball bats, but one should be cautioned about these practices, as many leagues will frown upon it and game experts may recognize and call out bats modified in this manner. Some of the best softball bats on the market can still offer great performance, however, and provide an alternative to shaved and rolled softball bats entirely.