Breaking in a Composite Bat
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Anyone who has played with an all-composite bat knows that composite bats are often not as hot "out of the wrapper" as they are after a few hundred hits have been put on the bat. In fact, this is the principle reason that "artificial break-in" techniques are applied to a bat - players want to reduce the time required to get their new bat to its highest playing performance. The amount of improvement in performance varies from bat to bat, but most composite bats tend to improve noticeably the more they are used. This is true despite marketing claims that a particular composite bat is "hot right out of the wrapper." Some of the associations are putting considerable pressure on manufacturers to design bats that do not increase in performance over time.
How Much Does a Composite Bat's Performance Improve as it is Broken-in?-
By how much might a typical bat improve with use? A recent Master's Thesis from the Washington State University studied the performance of composite slow-pitch
softball bats and the performance improvements gained through various ways a
bat might be modified. After 500 hits the bats were performance tested again. Then another 500 hits and another performance check, and so on until 2000 hits were accumulated.The experimental evidence seems clear - the performance of a bat can improve significantly after the bat has been broken in naturally by using it to hit balls.
Accelerated Break-In Processes-So, there is data showing that the
performance of composite bats improves as they are broken. Unfortunately, it
takes 300-500 hits before a bat is fully broken-in, and many players are not
willing to wait that long before bringing their composite bat to its full
potential. Accelerated Break-In (ABI) Processes are methods used to break-in a bat quickly and bring it to its maximum performance without having to actually put 500 hits on a bat.
Rolling-One of the most popular ABI techniques is bat rolling. The technique of rolling the bat involves inserting the bat between two rollers,
using a press to squeeze the rollers together, and pushing the bat back and forth between the rollers. This squeezes the barrel of the bat enough that the
composite fibers and the bonds between the multiple layers making up barrel
walls are physically broken. This decreases the stiffness of the bat walls and increases the trampoline effect. Most rollers put the bat long-ways between
rollers. Some people put tape on the rollers in an attempt to conceal the marks that are typically left on the barrel as a result of rolling it.
Barrel Compression Technique (BCT)-A second popular technique involves
applying compression to squeeze the barrel of the bat, but without rolling. Just
like the rolling process, the reason that this compression technique succeeds
in improving bat performance is because the barrel is squeezed enough that the
fibers and bonds between the layers in the composite material are broken. The
barrel wall of this broken-in bat has decreased stiffness - and thus increased flexibility - and therefore the trampoline effect is greater. Composite materials become soft at high temperatures, so the use of heat would allow the barrel to compress more easily, which would allow it to squeeze without breaking the fibers and bonds. Then when the bat barrel cools off, it would return to its pre-squeezed condition and the benefit of squeezing would be lost.
Hammer/Mallet Treatment-The Hammer/Mallet technique is often used by
players on their own bats. As the name implies it simply involves hitting the
barrel of the bat with a hard rubber mallet, or a ball mallet made by fixing a softball to a handle. One strikes the barrel of the bat along the entire length of the barrel, and around its circumference. The strength of an impact that a player can impart with a rubber mallet is nowhere near the force of impact between bat and ball.
How Much Does a Composite Bat's Performance Improve as it is Broken-in?-
By how much might a typical bat improve with use? A recent Master's Thesis from the Washington State University studied the performance of composite slow-pitch
softball bats and the performance improvements gained through various ways a
bat might be modified. After 500 hits the bats were performance tested again. Then another 500 hits and another performance check, and so on until 2000 hits were accumulated.The experimental evidence seems clear - the performance of a bat can improve significantly after the bat has been broken in naturally by using it to hit balls.
Accelerated Break-In Processes-So, there is data showing that the
performance of composite bats improves as they are broken. Unfortunately, it
takes 300-500 hits before a bat is fully broken-in, and many players are not
willing to wait that long before bringing their composite bat to its full
potential. Accelerated Break-In (ABI) Processes are methods used to break-in a bat quickly and bring it to its maximum performance without having to actually put 500 hits on a bat.
Rolling-One of the most popular ABI techniques is bat rolling. The technique of rolling the bat involves inserting the bat between two rollers,
using a press to squeeze the rollers together, and pushing the bat back and forth between the rollers. This squeezes the barrel of the bat enough that the
composite fibers and the bonds between the multiple layers making up barrel
walls are physically broken. This decreases the stiffness of the bat walls and increases the trampoline effect. Most rollers put the bat long-ways between
rollers. Some people put tape on the rollers in an attempt to conceal the marks that are typically left on the barrel as a result of rolling it.
Barrel Compression Technique (BCT)-A second popular technique involves
applying compression to squeeze the barrel of the bat, but without rolling. Just
like the rolling process, the reason that this compression technique succeeds
in improving bat performance is because the barrel is squeezed enough that the
fibers and bonds between the layers in the composite material are broken. The
barrel wall of this broken-in bat has decreased stiffness - and thus increased flexibility - and therefore the trampoline effect is greater. Composite materials become soft at high temperatures, so the use of heat would allow the barrel to compress more easily, which would allow it to squeeze without breaking the fibers and bonds. Then when the bat barrel cools off, it would return to its pre-squeezed condition and the benefit of squeezing would be lost.
Hammer/Mallet Treatment-The Hammer/Mallet technique is often used by
players on their own bats. As the name implies it simply involves hitting the
barrel of the bat with a hard rubber mallet, or a ball mallet made by fixing a softball to a handle. One strikes the barrel of the bat along the entire length of the barrel, and around its circumference. The strength of an impact that a player can impart with a rubber mallet is nowhere near the force of impact between bat and ball.