The use and purpose of long bats

June 1, 2023

Hello!
Amazing I'm Megane Fujiwara, your baseball partner!

This time we will explain about "long bats"!

I heard that in the old days, I used to swing a clothesline pole or something like that.

Nowadays, every manufacturer is selling long bats!

We will explain the advantages and disadvantages!

What is a long bat?
Intended Use
merit
Demerit
Usage notes
summary

What is a long bat?

A long bat, as the name suggests, is a bat that is longer than normal. The average length of a bat for an adult professional baseball player is about 33-34 inches (about 83.8-86.4 cm), but long bats are longer than that, and some are 36-38 inches (about 91.4-96.5 cm).

Purpose of using long bat

The main purpose of using a long bat is for training. By utilizing its length and weight, players can naturally correct their swing habits and acquire more accurate hitting.

Advantages of long bats

The biggest benefit of using a long bat is that it helps you develop a "correct swing." Specifically, you can expect the following four effects:

You'll be able to swing with your whole body : Managing the weight and length of a long bat requires a coordinated swing with your whole body, which will help change your style from a brute force swing to one that emphasizes technique.
Eliminates door swing : Door swing is a hitting form that emphasizes wrist rotation, and the bat moves away from the body, resulting in loss of power. With a long bat, the centrifugal force from the weight of the bat naturally passes the bat closer to the body, so door swing can be naturally corrected.
You will be able to swing with a powerful head : With a long bat, the head is far away and it is heavy, so you need to pull the head firmly. This will help you to swing with a powerful head.
Larger follow-through : When you swing a long bat, you naturally need a larger follow-through. This allows you to feel the importance of follow-through with your body.

Disadvantages of long bats

Disadvantages: It puts a strain on the body

With a long bat, you must use your whole body to swing in order to control the centrifugal force that comes from its length and weight. This is the flip side of the biggest benefit of using a long bat, which is learning to swing using your whole body, and until you learn to swing correctly, you may injure your wrists, elbows, or lower back. In particular, if you cannot properly control the rotation of your body, it can put a lot of strain on your lower back. To avoid these problems, it is important to learn to swing with an awareness of the coordination between your upper and lower body.

Disadvantages: Location is limited

Long bats are longer than regular bats, so they require a larger space for training. Especially when training indoors, there is a risk of damaging surrounding objects or hitting people. When using a long bat, it is important to be considerate of your surroundings and ensure safety.

Disadvantage 3: Different from game bats

As the name suggests, long bats are long and heavy, so they feel different from the regular bats used in games. For this reason, in order to successfully transfer the swing learned with a long bat to the bat used in games, it is necessary to adjust the feel. Even if you learn the correct swing with a long bat, it is meaningless if you cannot actually hit with a bat for games. It is important to understand the purpose and content of the training and connect it to actual hitting in a game.

Points to note about long bats

When using a long bat, it is important to constantly evaluate whether it is suitable for your strength, technique, and hitting style. Also, when training, it is important to be careful not to use excessive force or put strain on your body.

summary

Long bats can be a tool that greatly contributes to improving a batter's technique by training them to take advantage of their characteristics. By properly controlling the length and weight, it is possible to acquire a better batting form, such as a swing that uses the whole body or a swing that uses the head. However, using a bat requires appropriate physical strength and technique, as well as thorough training, so it is necessary to use it while taking these things into consideration.