What Are the Advantages of Practicing With a Wooden Bat?

Baseball coaches recommend practice with wooden bats for many reasons, all related to hitting mechanics and pitch selection. It is more difficult, by far, to successfully hit with a wooden bat than an aluminum one. Not only do aluminum bats give a "longer" hit for a given pitch, they also allow runs on pitches that would be easy ground-outs with a wooden bat. Practicing with the more-difficult wooden bat makes playing with aluminum child's play.

  1. The Sweet Spot

    • Wooden bats have an area affectionately but nebulously known as "the sweet spot," best described as in the area of the manufacturer's trademark or logo. The sweet spot is better "felt," however, by a hitter when his swing connects the bat to the ball. Ironically, when you hit a baseball with the sweet spot of a bat, it feels effortless. Aluminum bats have huge "sweet spots" compared with wooden bats, so practicing with wood holds you to a higher standard of hitting.

    Better Pitch Selection

    • The smaller sweet spot of a wooden bat leads naturally to a hitter becoming more selective with the pitches he chooses to hit. Wooden bats are much less forgiving to a batter who opts to try an inside pitch: aside from your hands buzzing for at least an inning, you run the risk of breaking your bat. For a bad outside pitch, a wooden bat is not going to give you a fake bloop hit. Instead you'll contribute an out to your team.

    Better Mechanics

    • Wooden bats demand correct hitting mechanics. With their smaller sweet spots and usually smaller barrel diameters, you have to start your hands early, keep them inside the ball and keep your swing flat and level. Aluminum bats, on the other hand, will often reward bad mechanics such as dragging your bat through the zone, with a hit. Improved mechanics translate into a better batting average, whatever type of bat you use.

    Increased Bat Speed

    • Your improved batting mechanics will morph into increased bat speed, which means increased power. Consistently demonstrated on wooden bats, these changes to your hitting style will result in more hits and more hits for power on aluminum bats. As Coach John Peters succinctly puts it, "train with wood and you will win with aluminum."