When baseball games initially started, people used to hit balls with sticks and there were little or no regulations regarding its size and materials for quite a long time after it became an official sport. As time progressed and the game got popular, rules were made to make sure that every player has similar equipment and are not having an unfair advantage over their opponents.
Now, baseball is one of the most popular sports all over the world. There are millions of fans from around the world who watch baseball matches regularly. Baseball bats have created their own identity and due to their distinct shape, they stand out of the crowd. In professional leagues, players use wooden bats accepted by the governing body of the sport. Below 18 leagues and school-based tournaments allow composite bats, hybrid bats, and alloy bats as well. You can read the review about various bats made from different materials on websites like iBatReviews to find the bats that will be the right fit for you.
Baseball bats are made from a variety of materials the most popular being ash tree wood as they are durable, lightweight and flexible. Wooden bats are usually reserved for professional athletes and junior players usually use bats made from composites, alloys, and hybrids.
The following are a few maintenance tips for baseball bats that you can follow to make sure that your bat can last for a long time.
- Make sure that you don’t use your bats in temperatures lower than 16 degrees Celsius as the cold temperature will make the wood to contract, which will eventually lower the durability of your bats. Also, make sure that you never store them in temperatures too hot or too cold.
- After each swing of the bat, make sure that you rotate it ¼ turn. This will make sure that all the sides are getting evenly worn out. Every professional player does it to ensure the durability of their bats.
- Avoid dragging your bat, hitting wet balls with it, using rubber cage balls and constantly pounding it on the ground as this reduces the overall life expectancy of the bats and can also result in premature wearing out and cracks.
How to buy the right bats?
- The billets of the wood are stripped and cut into even-sized pieces. The ends of these pieces are then painted to prevent any kind of damage or decay. These wooden pieces are then sent to workshops.
- Now the seasoning process starts, where the sap and gum from the wood are removed by the air-drying method. It can take 6 to 8 months to complete this process.
- Now that the billets are dry, they are inspected for quality, if found right the bats will be shaped and sanded to meet the weight requirements and design. They are then matched by the order model sent by the team or player.
- Once everything is checked, they are polished, branded and packed to be sent to the respective players and teams.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.