When shopping for a bat, many parents ask, “Should my child swing a balanced or an end-loaded bat?” Contrary to what many people say, this one factor can have a huge impact on your child and their swing. What I say on the matter is that unless you are a high school or college athlete, you should be swinging a balanced bat. There are many advantages to swinging a balanced bat that make them the best option for young players. So here’s why your child should swing a balanced bat.
The Differences Between Balanced and End-loaded
Before we talk about why your child should swing a balanced bat we should first establish the differences between the two types. When we are talking about balanced vs end-loaded, we are referring to where its center of mass is located. Balanced bats will have a center of mass located further towards the hands, while end-loaded bats will have more weight towards the end of the barrel. This leads to balanced bats feeling lighter, while end-loaded bats feel heavier.
There is a simple demonstration to prove why the center of mass is important. If you pick up a 25 pound weight it doesn’t feel super heavy while its’s close to your body. If you then try to extend your arm and hold it out in front of you it instantly feels much heavier. This is why end-loaded bats feel heavier than balanced bats, because the weight is further out on the bat.
Why Your Child Should Swing A Balanced Bat
There are many reasons that your child should swing a balanced bat. One reason is that it is easier to swing. The balanced center of mass makes the bat feel lighter to swing. This is especially important for younger players, who have not hit their growth spurt, or started lifting weights. On the other hand, end-loaded bats feel heavier to swing, which will lead to more pop-flys and ground outs, and less line drives. This is incredibly frustrating for young players who are struggling with a bat that is just too heavy for them. This is a huge reason why your child should swing a balanced bat.
Another reason to choose a balanced bat is the bat speed. Because balanced bats are easier to swing, they will generate more bat speed. This is important for two reasons. One, it helps your player catch up to faster pitching. This is especially important when pitchers start throwing harder. The players that don’t have good bat speed will struggle more and more as pitching gets faster.
The second reason why bat speed is important requires a small physics lesson. When you hit a baseball, the type of energy that is transferred to the ball is called kinetic energy. The more kinetic energy that you transfer to the ball, the harder it is hit. The formula for kinetic energy is 1/2mv2. “M” stands for mass and “v” stands for velocity. It can be rewritten as 1/2m(v)2. This means that the velocity is exponentially more important than the mass of the bat. This shows that bat speed will have a greater impact at contact than where the weight is placed on the bat. This is just another major reason why your child should swing a balanced bat.
Why Your Child Should Swing A Balanced Bat.
Your child should swing a balanced bat because it is easier to control, easier to swing, and will transfer the most energy to the ball. Balanced bats are by far the best option for any young player. The only time that I would recommend a player to swing an end-loaded bat, is if they are strong enough to swing it at the same speed as a balanced bat. However for the vast majority of players, a balanced bat is the best option.
If you are in the process of buying a bat, consider reading How Do I Pick The Right Bat For My Child?
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