Wood bats?

[real green]

My son wants a wood bat just for the fun of it.

What is the best way to set up the bat handle?

Thanks,

[Megunticook]

Are you asking if he should tape it? Depends on the handle thickness and the size of his hands. I gave my son an ash LS bat for his birthday a couple years ago, he's just fine swinging it as is.

Or maybe I misunderstood your question.

BTW, I think it's great for kids to swing wood bats once in a while. Wish more of them did.

[BamaYankee]

I wrapped a layer of athletic tape on my son's wood bat. Works fine.

[scorekeeper]

Do him a favor, and don’t touch it! Get him several different grades of sandpaper, a roll of lead tape, and at least 3 different kinds of wrapping tape, including at least 1 roll of good ol’ old fashioned sticky electrical tape. And by all means, get at least 1 bottle and 1 stick of pine tar.

Then tell him to go out in the garage and experiment! Let him sand, wrap, and put the pine tar on to his heart’s content, until he finds the “magic formula” that makes the bat his and his alone. If he screws it up, so what? Get him another one!

And by all means, get one for yourself too! Check yard sales and flea markets for old clunkers. You’d be amazed at what some sandpaper, a little stain, and some of the new urethanes can do to make an old bat look teriffic.

Here’s just a few links that you both should find interesting.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/187496-how-to-customize-wood-bats/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4977189_care-wooden-baseball-bat.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_7809430_pick-wood-bats.html

http://www.swing-smarter-baseball-hitting-drills.com/baseball-bat.html

http://baseballtips.com/howto/wood.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_3520_care-wooden-baseball.html

[skipper5]

White hockey tape, rip it into long 1/2" wide strips. Make one run up from the knob on the diagonal to a point about 8-9" up. Then another run up on the diagonal so that it forms diamonds of exposed wood. Put a full width (1" wide) horizontal band, covering the raw ends of the diagonal strips, at the knob and top of the handle (we use high-quality black elect. tape for this).

[PhilliesPhan22]

I like my handles unfinished. Then I put Tanner's Grip Stick where my bottom hand goes, and a little more about 18 inches up the handle. Just enough to get a little on my top hand when I touch it. The handle stays bare where my top hand goes.

But I agree with the first response. Let your son experiment and make the bat his own.

[real green]

Thanks for all the info!

He is 10yr 85lb. Swings a 30/18 Should I go with a 29inch or 30 inch wood?

[tg643]

Do him a favor, and don’t touch it! Get him several different grades of sandpaper, a roll of lead tape, and at least 3 different kinds of wrapping tape, including at least 1 roll of good ol’ old fashioned sticky electrical tape. And by all means, get at least 1 bottle and 1 stick of pine tar.

Then tell him to go out in the garage and experiment! Let him sand, wrap, and put the pine tar on to his heart’s content, until he finds the “magic formula” that makes the bat his and his alone. If he screws it up, so what? Get him another one!

And by all means, get one for yourself too! Check yard sales and flea markets for old clunkers. You’d be amazed at what some sandpaper, a little stain, and some of the new urethanes can do to make an old bat look teriffic.

Here’s just a few links that you both should find interesting.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/187496-how-to-customize-wood-bats/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4977189_care-wooden-baseball-bat.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_7809430_pick-wood-bats.html

http://www.swing-smarter-baseball-hitting-drills.com/baseball-bat.html

http://baseballtips.com/howto/wood.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_3520_care-wooden-baseball.html

I wouldn't recommend sanding down high drop wood bats. They are already weak in the handle area. It's the area where the drop comes from. I recommend buying $19 bats. You'll go through a few in the beginning. The soft line drive single off the handle with metal is a broken bat with wood. Coarse duct tape or medical tape works fine.

[dominik]

Do him a favor, and don’t touch it! Get him several different grades of sandpaper, a roll of lead tape, and at least 3 different kinds of wrapping tape, including at least 1 roll of good ol’ old fashioned sticky electrical tape. And by all means, get at least 1 bottle and 1 stick of pine tar.

Then tell him to go out in the garage and experiment! Let him sand, wrap, and put the pine tar on to his heart’s content, until he finds the “magic formula” that makes the bat his and his alone. If he screws it up, so what? Get him another one!

And by all means, get one for yourself too! Check yard sales and flea markets for old clunkers. You’d be amazed at what some sandpaper, a little stain, and some of the new urethanes can do to make an old bat look teriffic.

Here’s just a few links that you both should find interesting.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/187496-how-to-customize-wood-bats/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4977189_care-wooden-baseball-bat.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_7809430_pick-wood-bats.html

http://www.swing-smarter-baseball-hitting-drills.com/baseball-bat.html

http://baseballtips.com/howto/wood.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_3520_care-wooden-baseball.html

great post.