Tips to Choose Your Cricket Bat

There have been several conflicting opinions regarding which cricket bat is the best. If you are planning to buy a cricket bat, your friends will be generous and forthcoming in offering you many tips. It is up to you decide on the right tips to follow before buying the cricket bat. You must be comfortable with the general feel of the bat and so make sure that the overall feel of the bat is acceptable to you before you.

Please know there are different models of bat available in the market for you to choose from.  Depending on your style of batting you must select the bat that suits your batting style perfectly as there are bats that have been designed keeping in mind specific style of batting adopted by various cricket players. The raw material used for a cricket bat is naturally grown and not manmade. A good bat is produced by expert craftsmen and they try to impart to the bat hard hitting power with durability. This is somewhat tricky as soft pressed bats tend to hit better but are likely to crack. The hard pressed bat is likely to last longer but the hitting power is limited. Flag football playbook

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The Easy Buying Guide for Baseballs and Bats

There are many different choices of baseballs and bats on the market. Before making a costly investment in this baseball equipment, you should be sure that you know what you are buying. Use the guidelines below to help yourself make an informed buying decision.

Baseballs

Ever wonder what's inside a baseball and what makes one baseball better than another? You're not alone. To answer that question, you must become familiar with the four essential parts of a baseball:

Baseball Covers

There two types of baseball covers: leather and synthetic. The "traditional" choice for baseball covers is leather. Leather is the only type of cover used at higher levels of play. They offer a better grip and are generally more expensive. Synthetic covers are made from vinyl and are more resistant to water, dirt, and stains. Baseballs with synthetic covers are less costly than leather baseballs.

Baseball Stitching

There are three main forms of baseball stitching. The first form is raised seams. This type of stitching is prominently raised and can benefit pitchers as the raised seams lead to greater ball movement. The second form is standard seams. This type of stitching is not as pronounced as the raised seams. It is also called "major league stitching" because it is the type of stitching used in the major leagues. The third form is flat seams. Flat seams are used for pitching machines or practices and are rarely used in games.

Baseball Windings

The baseball windings are found under the cover and are made of yarn and thread. The yarn is either made of pure wool or wool blends. Pure wool windings are offer the best compression and shape retention. Wool blend windings are more common. The wool purity and the tightness of the thread determine the quality of the windings.

Baseball Cores

The core of the baseball is found in the middle of the baseball windings. High quality baseballs have cushioned cork cores that consist of cork wrapped in rubber. Cores constructed out of solid rubber or a cork and rubber composite are generally lower quality.

Bats

Baseball bats are a hitter's tool and must be chosen carefully. There are three popular types bats: aluminum or aluminum alloys, composite, and wood.

Aluminum or Aluminum Alloy Bats

Aluminum or aluminum alloy bats have been the primary choice for most youth leagues for many years. Aluminum bats are light and durable. There are many different alloys or combinations of metals that are used in aluminum bats, each having their own unique set of properties. The most common alloy is 7046 but there are others that give the bat more durability and strength, such as CU31/7050, C405/7055, and C555. These stronger alloys are generally slightly more expensive that the common alloys.

In addition to the alloy of the aluminum bat, the construction of the bat is also a factor in the durability and performance. Aluminum bats can be constructed with a double layer of aluminum that can increase power and durability. One type of metal treatment used is cryogenic treating. This method of metal treatment involves freezing then heating the metal to increase strength, power, and reduce vibration. Both of these types of aluminum bats will be more pricy as they offer better overall performance.

Composite Bats

There has been a lot of controversy since the introduction of composite bats. Composite bats are made out of lighter and more durable materials such as graphite or titanium. These materials are usually used as linings on thin walls of aluminum. Adding these composite materials to the construction of the barrel decreases the wall thickness allowing for faster bat speed and much more power. Composite bats offer other advantages such as a larger "sweet spot" and reduction in vibration if a ball is poorly hit.

Composite bats do have disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that composite bats cannot be used in cold weather or they are at risk of cracking. Also, composite bats typically have a "breaking-in" period whereby they need to be used for a period of time before they reach full performance levels.

Composite bats have been under fire in recent years due to studies that have indicated that the ball-exit-speed-ratio (BESR) for some brands of these bats is beyond the safe limits for use in regulation play. The debate continues today and has even resulted in the banning of composite bats in some leagues.

Nevertheless, composite bats are still a very popular choice for many high school and collegiate leagues. Always check the BESR rating for the bat versus your league rules before purchasing, and expect to pay considerably more for the added performance.

Wood Bats

While wood bats were the only choice of baseball bats until the 1970s, the use of these bats in youth leagues has all but vanished. Wood bats these days are typically only used in professional leagues. Nevertheless, they are still a viable choice for anyone that is looking to purchase a bat.

Wood bats have three significant disadvantages. They splinter and break easily, they have a very small sweet spot, and they have much less hitting power than aluminum or composite materials.

When purchasing baseballs and bats, always consider your requirements versus the performance and price of the equipment. Follow the guidelines offered above to choose the appropriate equipment for you, your child, or your team.

Softball Bat Materials And Legal Issues

Softball bats were at one time made chiefly of wood, but advances in technology have introduced materials such as aluminum, graphite, and composites. Each material has its positive and unique features.

Wood: Wood softball bats are very rare but are slowly regaining favor with softball enthusiasts who would rather hear a whack and not a ping when the bat meets ball. A wood softball bat is bottle-shaped and can weigh between 32-35 ounces (around 8 ounces heavier than an aluminum bat). Traditionally, wood bats have been made from ash. However, ash is light and soft and bats made from ash tend to splinter and dent fast. Wood from maple, oak, and bamboo is also used for these bats. Maple is harder and its grain is denser as compared to ash, making it less susceptible to splintering and chafing. Bats made from Chinese bamboo are the closest wood bat equivalent of an aluminum bat. Bamboo is extremely light-weight and ha a tensile strength higher than that of steel.

Aluminum: The increased research and engineering in the science of bat making has resulted in high-tech aluminum softball bats that can cost upward of $300. Aluminum bats are lighter thereby enabling batters to generate greater bat speed and control. They are stronger and more durable than wood bats and they do not break; however, they may dent or crack over a period of time. Aluminum bats are available in different alloy and weight combinations. Light aluminum alloys that are thinner are more resilient and provide a larger hitting zone or "sweet spot". Aluminum bats are made in single-layer and double-layer combinations; double-layer bats are used by the power-hitters.

Graphite/Titanium lined: Aluminum bats are lined with graphite or titanium. These light, durable, and strong materials are added to aluminum bats with thin walls in order to make the bats lighter. Lighter bats help batters to generate more power in their swing. Bats lined with graphite or titanium have a greater hitting zone or "sweet spot". These materials are shock-absorbent as well and aid in reducing the shock felt when a stroke is mistimed.

Composite materials: Bats made from composite materials such as carbon, glass, or Kevlar are light weight, rigid, and sturdy. Composite materials enable bat manufacturers to incorporate varying strengths and stiffness in different parts of a bat. The result is a bat with stiff bat handles for greater control, low stiffness hitting areas for better performance and reduced shock, and differentiated swing weights. Bats made from composite materials have a large hitting surface with a more pronounced "sweet spot". However, the extreme velocities at which the ball rebounds off the bat can pose a safety hazard to the pitcher who has to react in a very limited time.

Softball Bats That Are Prohibited

If your league is anything like most leagues in Colorado, you probably receive a list of illegal bats at the beginning of each softball season. Maybe the list is handed out at your manager's meeting, or maybe it is posted on your softball league's website, either way, you need to be conscience of that list when selecting a bat.

Why are there illegal bats?

There are two main reasons that softball leagues issue illegal bat lists. The first is for the protection of the players, mainly the pitcher. Every day the bat companies are inventing new technologies that are equipping players essentially with bats that more resemble artillery launchers than traditional softball bats. This puts the pitcher, in particular in danger. Depending on your league rules, the pitcher will be around 40-50 feet from the mound after the release. (Also, depending on your league rules, the pitcher may be 4 or 5 beers into the evening after the release).

The strength of some of the players, combined with the new technology of the bats put the pitcher in a very precarious position as a line drive comes scream towards his/her head. And don't forget the pitcher isn't the only one who should be concerned for their safety, infielders, particularly third base and shortstop, when righties are up, and second base and first base, with lefties, also can get quite a lump on the noggin from a hot shot off some of these enhanced technology bats.

The second reason behind issuing illegal bats is fairness of play. Recreational softball should not be won by the team that can pay the most for bats, and rest assured the newer the technology, the higher the price.

Recreational softball is played by millions so that they can go out and have fun for an hour or so a week. If a team is plunking homerun after homerun into the lake on the other side of the fence, the game will get tedious and boring. Restricting the power behind the bats, will keep more balls in the park and make the game more fun for both teams.

These are the two main reasons that recreational softball leagues issue an illegal bat list. Before you purchase a bat, make sure you check the illegal bat list for your league.