Do wooden bats break?

January 28, 2024

Good evening!

Amazing baseball partners!

Have you ever used a wooden bat?

You may have broken a bat at least once while using it.

When your wooden bat breaks, your first reaction is to panic.

" My partner!!! "

I know how surprised you feel.

After all, each one costs tens of thousands of yen.

In fact, I once broke a brand new wooden bat on the first pitch.

They break. Wooden bats...

While I'm at it, I'd like to use my new wooden bat in a game!

And for everyone who wants to use this bat!

This time, I would like to tell you about some points to be careful about when using a wooden bat!!

table of contents

Do wooden bats break?
Why does it break?
What to do if it breaks
Are there any bats that don't break easily?
What can I do to prevent it from breaking?

Do wooden bats break?

I think there are a lot of people who think this way, but wooden bats break easily.

Because it is made of natural wood, it will inevitably break if the ball hits it in the wrong place.

You may have seen a scene in a professional baseball broadcast where a player is hit by a fastball and his bat breaks in half.

In reality, even a ball much slower than 150 km/h will break if it's going to break.

Therefore, when using a wooden bat, it's best to go up to the plate with the assumption that it will break.

Otherwise it will be a shock to my heart...

Why does it break?

I understand that it will break because it is made of natural materials,

If you don't know why it breaks, you'd be afraid to use it.

If you don't hit the ball center-first with a wooden bat, there's a high chance it will break.

When a strong ball comes, if you try to swing with too much force, you will get stuck and miss the center.

Be careful as there is a high possibility of it breaking.

Even if you hit the ball right on the mark, if your swing strength is weaker than that of a fastball, the ball may not be able to withstand the force and may break.

You can really see the importance of getting to the core of things.

However, by using a wooden bat, you can improve your awareness of hitting the ball at the center.

It is also true that many batters improve their batting.

The reason why there is an increasing number of batters whose batting improves dramatically after becoming college students is often said to be because they become more conscious of hitting the ball at the center.

Also , caution is advised when using wooden bats at batting cages .

The balls used at batting centers are heavier than regular balls, so there is a higher chance of the bat breaking .

So when you practice batting at a batting center, be sure to use the bats provided at the center!

What to do if it breaks

Be careful when disposing of broken wooden bats.

The quality of wooden bats these days has improved considerably, so they are unlikely to shatter when broken.

The broken parts are sharp, so be careful not to touch them and hurt yourself.

There is also a possibility that a broken bat may fly out during a game.

Not only spectators, but also the defending players need to be careful.

Be careful when storing broken bats to avoid injury.

Are there any bats that don't break easily?

Metal bats will not break (although they may crack), but wooden bats, which are made from natural materials, can break.

However, there are bats that tend to be less likely to break depending on the hardness of the wood used, so I will introduce them one by one.

Bamboo bat

Bamboo bats are the best example of wooden bats that are hard to break.

Bamboo bats are made from bamboo and are said to be highly durable and unlikely to break.

And because the contact point in the center is extremely narrow compared to other bat materials, it also makes for good practice in hitting the ball with the center.

Amazing the store also sells bamboo bats.

The bamboo bat "AIM-CLASSICO" is made using a unique patented manufacturing method that processes bamboo material to make it less likely to break, making it extremely difficult to break compared to other bamboo bats.

(It may still break though.)

This original bamboo bat, fully supervised by baseball YouTuber Minoruman, is a practice bat for junior and senior high school students and can be purchased at a relatively affordable price, so it is highly recommended!

▼ Recommended bamboo bats are here
https://shop.amazing-baseball.com/pages/aim-classico

Maple Bat

Maple bats are also said to be one of the bats that are hardest to break, second only to bamboo bats.

Maple bats are known as the most commonly used wood for wooden bats used in games, and it is said that approximately 80% of professional baseball players use maple bats.

The defining feature of maple bats is their hard feel.

Because the material itself is hard, it has strong elasticity when bouncing and is said to "fly well."

Maple bats are also known to be relatively hard to break, and are often used for practice by players who prefer softer bats such as white ash for regular matches.

It is also important to note that even the same maple bat can have different strengths depending on its place of origin.

Be careful, as maple bats sold for less than 10,000 yen each tend to be very weak.

Maple bats harvested in cold regions are said to be harder and stronger, so if you want a high-quality maple bat, we recommend a "North American maple bat."

Although it is not widely distributed domestically, North American maple bats are said to have tight grain, high elasticity, and durability.

That's why we highly recommend wooden bats made from North American maple!

▼ North American maple bats are available here
https://shop.amazing-baseball.com/pages/ultimus

What can I do to prevent it from breaking?

Don't swing the bat. (Laughs)

I'm just kidding.

No matter how good a batter is, their bat will break.

One thing to be careful of is that if you are afraid of it breaking and try to aim it half-heartedly, you may miss the core, which increases the chances of it breaking.

So, just shake it as much as you can without worrying about it breaking.

If you still don't like it breaking,

・Use a bamboo bat during practice

Use a composite bat

・Perfect your practice of hitting the ball at its core

・Never use in batting cages

・Improve your batting eye.

I think it would be a good idea to take measures around this.

The final batting eye is surprisingly important.

This is because there are many cases where players are fooled by an outside curveball that is escaping and end up catching it with the tip of their bat, causing the bat to break.

So it goes without saying that you need the batting eye to be able to identify balls that are out of the strike zone.

In addition, by training your batting eye, you are sure to get results, so I highly recommend it.

Please try to be conscious of this.