Their light weight and durability make aluminum bats a popular choice for many softball players. As with any type of bat, it's important to break them in to get the best performance. A study conducted by Kettering University shows the moment of inertia -- the speed of the bat when it collides with the ball -- can increase by more than 10 percent in a naturally broken in bat which in turn may result in longer drives.
Step 1
Bring your bat and a partner to a baseball field on a warm day when the temperature is at least 60 degrees F. Aluminum tends to become more dense in cooler temperature,s which may result in cracks or uneven break-in results.
Step 2
Instruct your partner to pitch balls to you at a typical pitching speed of a normal game. Not everybody can pitch at a fast speed, so tell the partner to do the best he can.
Step 3
Hit the balls with the aluminum bat as your partner pitches them to you. Rotate the bat ¼ of a turn after each hit to ensure the bat gets equal usage all around.
Step 4
Hit 500 balls with this method to reach the prime conditions. Due to the high number of hits it takes to achieve this, you can break in the bat over the course of a week or more.
Member Comments