The Advantages of Composite Bat Handles

Controlling Swing Weight

• Adjusting the swing weight of a bat is one way to improve a player’s performance. A bat’s balance point determines how easy it is to swing at the ball. Composite bats offer an advantage in this area since their balance point is close to the handle.

Lighter

• Composite bats are typically much lighter than other bats since they are made of materials like graphite and glass fiber. Manufacturers have even had to insert metal rods into composite bat handles to make them feel heavier. The lightweight nature of composite bat handles also makes it easier to control the swing weight.

Adjustment of Bending Stiffness

• The walls and handle of a conventional bat must be of a certain thickness or structural integrity will be sacrificed. With composite materials, a manufacturer can lower the bending stiffness, or how much the bat flexes when the player swings it, and make it light enough without impacting its performance. These sorts of composite bat handles allow a player to improve performance by letting the bat bend more.

Springboard Effect

• Upon contact, the bat’s barrel acts as a springboard for the ball. This trampoline action should have just the right effect to push the ball forward. Since the elastic properties of composite materials are not the same throughout its parts, composite bats have an advantage over aluminum. It is possible to make the barrel of a composite bat softer while still keeping its handle stiff. The construction of aluminum bats, on the other hand, makes it difficult to achieve the right balance so the barrel is neither too stiff nor too soft.