As the winter settles in, spring cannot be too far away. In fact, in less than one month, baseball season will be here. For many of us, February 1st marks that great day when the season “officially” kicks off. And it is during the month of January that many of us head to various sporting good stores to secure that “perfect” new bat and glove. For those of you who have been through this before, you may have a good idea of what you are looking for. Others of you may be new at this or may not understand the intrigue for selecting the proper bat or glove.

Let’s explore this a little further. First a bit on terminology…when discussing bat weight and length, the term “differential” is utilized. It is the difference (in whole numbers) between a bats weight and its length. For instance, if a bat weighs 31 ounces and is 21 inches in length, its differential is 10 (31 – 21 = 10). Typically youth bats have the largest differential, possibly 10-12, whereas in Senior Leagues they can be no greater than 7 and in High School no more than 5.

The Bat

The things we need to look at when ready to purchase a bat are its length, weight, and barrel size. Some advocate judging the proper bat size based upon a child’s age, height and/or weight. The charts below are guidelines to consider before this purchase, however, I find that lighter weight bats more appropriate. For instance, I recommend 17-18 ounce bats for “most” kids through the age of 10-11 and 19-20 ounce bats for 11-12 year olds, progressing to 21-22 ounce bats for 13 year olds. The quicker bat speed helps compensate for the diminished “hand-eye” coordination many youngsters have. Getting the bat around more quickly improves efficiency for those who otherwise fail strictly due to slow bat speed.

When shopping for a bat, another good quick tip…ask the child to hold the bat with the outstretched arm (dominant hand) directly out to the side at shoulder height. He/she should be able to maintain this for at least 20 seconds. If he/she cannot perform this for 20 seconds or begins to have the “arm shakes,” the bat is likely too heavy.

The Glove

It doesn’t matter if this is your first glove purchase or a replacement. A child’s baseball performance and success is no doubt directly related to the glove on his/her hand. A child’s first glove must be “user friendly.” It must be comfortable, soft, pliable, and not too big to control. Avoid the temptation to purchase an “over-sized” glove thinking this will improve success. A bigger glove does not translate into more “catches.” In fact, an over-sized glove is very difficult to control and a child’s success rate declines due to this “lack of control.”

Glove sizes generally range from 9-13 (size is measured from the heel of the glove to the top of the longest finger or webbing).

Generally, an infielder will use a smaller size (9-11) and an outfielder will use a bigger size (11-12) glove.

The pocket of the glove should be deeper for an outfielder and shallower for an infielder. For softball, deeper pockets are beneficial.
The webbing is usually closed for outfielders (better support) and open for an infielder (easier to get the ball out of the glove).
Breaking in a glove is essential. There are many oils, solutions, and creams available to assist with this.  All may help but the best way to break in a glove is to USE IT.

For more info, hit the links below:
Links For Bat Info...
www.youthbaseballcoaching.com/bat_selection.html
www.baseballtips.com/batsize.htm
www.eteamz.com/pelmo/news

Link for Baseball Glove Info...
www.eteamz.com/pelmo/news/
www.baseballgloves.com/