Choosing a Fastpitch Bat

How long of a Fastpitch bat do you need? How heavy should it be? The key to finding a good Fastpitch bat is getting the perfect size and weight that fits your player.

Fastpitch bats range from 26 to 32 inches for youth players and 30 to 34 inches long for high school and older players. Fastpitch bats will typically have a drop weight ranging from -8 to -13. The drop weight indicates the length to weight ratio. It is a simple concept, so don't let it confuse you; just taking the weight minus the length to come up with a negative number that is called the drop. For instance, a 34-inch bat that weighs 24 ounces is a -10 drop weight.

Fastpitch bats are available in aluminum as well as composite models.

Mistakes to Avoid when Picking a Fastpitch Softball Bat

According to Michele Smith, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, these are some common mistakes that athletes make when picking Fastpitch bats:

• Picking a bat because of its color. Either it matches their uniform or it doesn’t, or it’s their favorite color, or it’s not. Color should have nothing to do with the performance of the bat. So, make sure you’re picking a bat based on performance, not on its color.
• Picking a bat that your teammates are swinging. Try out some bats, find out what bat performs the best in your hands, because nobody is in that box other than you and the bat.
• Picking a bat that is too heavy. Remember, when swinging a bat, you want to have a quick light bat to make contact quick and fast. This is what gives the ball a lot of pop. If you're swinging a bat that's too heavy, you're going to be slow. So, you want to swing the heaviest bat that you can swing as fast as possible.