Customizing a wood bat can lead to increased success in the batter's box because baseball players must be comfortable swinging their bat. Customizing a wood bat allows you to pick what you like and don't like to create the perfect bat for yourself. Customizing a wood bat will also allow you to adjust to different pitchers. Not all pitchers throw in the same fashion so you should have different bats that give you an advantage over certain pitchers.
Customize Your Bat
Step 1
Sand down the wood on the handle and barrel to make your bat lighter, according to the Swing Smarter Baseball Hitting Drills website.
Step 2
Wrap athletic tape around the handle of the bat to provide a different type of grip, according to coach John Peter's Baseball Tips website. Form diamonds with the tape with a criss-cross pattern to encourage a better grip.
Step 3
Bulk up the knob of the bat by wrapping tape continually around the knob, preventing the hands from sliding off the bottom of the bat during a swing.
Step 4
Paint your jersey number or initials on the bottom of the bat's knob to let other players know the bat is yours. Write with an object that has a wide tip and use a color that contrasts with the color of the knob.
Step 5
Rub pine tar above the bat's handle but below the barrel to improve your grip.
Tips and Warnings
- Add extra layers of tape to the knob to help choke up on the bat against pitchers who throw exceptionally fast. Buy plain wood bats that can be customized. Customizing specific types of bats can make them irregular. Make sure the customizations you make keep your bat legal.
- Always hit with the label of the bat facing down or up. Do not sand the label off or you will compromise the bat's integrity. Taping too high on the bat can cause you to hit some balls from the taped area, which diminishes power. Sanding a handle too much can increase the risk of the bat breaking because of the barrel's weight.
Things You'll Need
- Sandpaper
- Tape
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