How To Buy Slowpitch Softball Bats

The first thing to consider when you buy slowpitch softball bats is the material.  Do you want a wooden bat or an aluminum bat?  Even though wooden bats are good, in most cases you will probably want to buy an aluminum bat.  The ball just springs off of an aluminum bat.  Actually, that is exactly why an aluminum bat is not used in major league baseball games.  If they used aluminum bats in the major leagues, all of the records would be distorted.  Each record would have an asterisk next to it.

After you've determined what type of material you are going to use, you are ready to make the trip down to your favorite sporting goods store.  The first thing to consider is how does it feel in your hands?  If you have big hands, you may want a thicker grip on the end of the bat.  If, however, you do not have big hands, you will probably want a bat with a thinner grip on the bat.

The next thing to consider in buying a slowpitch softball bat is, how does it feel when you swing the bat?  How balanced does it feel when you swing it?  When you are actually choosing your bat, you can position yourself in the shopping aisle.  You will probably not be able to get a full swing in while you are inside the store, so you should take a shortened or "mini-swing".  Under this scenario you would not take a complete swing with full arm extension. You would just take a swing by breaking your wrists and rolling your hands over.  This would be mimicking the point of contact when the bat hits the ball.

How did it feel when swinging the bat?  Did the bat feel comfortable in your hands?  Was the weight of the bat balanced along the barrel of the bat or was most of the weight at the end of the barrel?  These are questions that you will need to ask yourself.  You need to maintain a good bat speed while swinging.  If you can't get a swing that feels good, you may want to get a lighter or shorter bat.

Once you have found a bat that has a nice balance and feels good in your hands, you are now ready to buy a slowpitch softball bat.  This will give you years of satisfaction on the softball field.