View Full Version : Wood Bat Swings VS Aluminum Bat Swings
Is there a difference in a Wood Bat Swing versus an Aluminum Bat Swing? If so why? I believe there is a big difference here and this difference is important in developing a high level swing. What can be achieved with the Aluminum Bat Swing can't be achieved with the Wood Bat Swing. The Wood Bat Swing is what should be developed correct? If so please explain.
EL
TG Coach
12-19-2007, 12:44 PM
The swings should be the same. The results may vary. A metal bat might allow a fisted double down the line. With a wood bat the hitter is going to have a broken bat handle in his hand as he grounds out. The big benefit to hitting with wood is developing the skills to hit on the sweetest spot on the bat more often. Wood bats don't forgive mediocre swings.
handyman11
12-19-2007, 02:12 PM
Swings should definitely be the same ....but you get away with so much with aluminum , you can be a successful hitter with less than optimum mechanics ...
I watched about 50-60 short season A ball games . over a 5 year period . and the number of broken bats , especially early in the season , is mind boggling ... these guys are pros ,and good players , but right out of college , and many have to relearn some things .....
Stealth
12-19-2007, 02:46 PM
Swings should definitely be the same
A guy I played with hit 30 plus home runs in college one season with an aluminum bat and then in the summer hit 1 (yes one) with a wood bat. His swing would not work with wood. If you have a good swing with wood you will have a good swing with aluminum. But - if you have a good swing with aluminum that does not mean you will have a good swing with wood.
Go Cardinals
12-19-2007, 04:23 PM
A guy I played with hit 30 plus home runs in college one season with an aluminum bat and then in the summer hit 1 (yes one) with a wood bat. His swing would not work with wood. If you have a good swing with wood you will have a good swing with aluminum. But - if you have a good swing with aluminum that does not mean you will have a good swing with wood.
Here's the reason why according to my source, there is a bigger sweetspot on an aluminum bat than there is on wood. Heres the article...
Courtesy of Charlie Lau Jr....
http://lauhitting.com/prolegendbats.html
handyman11
12-19-2007, 09:14 PM
No doubt there are many aluminum bat hitters in HS and college that can't find the sweet spot with wood ....
Had a local guy who hit 24 HR at an ACC school about 13-14 years ago ....hit 0 in 250 AB in the NY Penn league that same summer with the Red Sox ..they made him a pitcher the next year ..
But I've seen some picture perfect HS swings with aluminum ..from a teaching standpoint , would anyone ever teach a different swing for wood vs aluminum ? ...
Or is it just the bad habits that one may get with aluminum that keeps them from hitting successfully with a wood bat ? Seems you could disconnect , hit outside the ball, throw your bathead at the ball , fist a ball etc . with aluminum ,and get away with it ...if you do that a few with wood , it's a different story....
Or is it just the bad habits that one may get with aluminum that keeps them from hitting successfully with a wood bat ? Seems you could disconnect , hit outside the ball, throw your bathead at the ball , fist a ball etc . with aluminum ,and get away with it ...if you do that a few with wood , it's a different story....[/QUOTE]
I agree with this. IMO the A-C hand path works with the aluminum bat swing.
EL,
TG Coach
12-20-2007, 05:09 AM
No doubt there are many aluminum bat hitters in HS and college that can't find the sweet spot with wood ....
Had a local guy who hit 24 HR at an ACC school about 13-14 years ago ....hit 0 in 250 AB in the NY Penn league that same summer with the Red Sox ..they made him a pitcher the next year.
There was a player in the SEC for a ranked team that hit .378, 20, 62 last year. He also has good hands and foot speed. But there was a question of his ability to hit with wood after the previous summer's college league.
This past draft he was selected in the 20th round. Negotiations went poorly. He went to a prestigious wood bat league and proceeded to hit .140. He's back for his senior year. I'm guessing after the 2008 draft he'll sign for the bus ticket to where the team plays.
Drill
12-20-2007, 06:26 AM
No doubt there are many aluminum bat hitters in HS and college that can't find the sweet spot with wood ....
Had a local guy who hit 24 HR at an ACC school about 13-14 years ago ....hit 0 in 250 AB in the NY Penn league that same summer with the Red Sox ..they made him a pitcher the next year ..
....
Maybe he is allergic to wood.
It wood seem to me that a little talk with a good sport psychologist wood be in order here.
just a thought,
drill
The wood bat has been a dead end to a lot of successful high school, college, and minor leauge hitters. With this being said why? Is it the larger hitting area? Is the mechanics which allowed a hitter at the college or high school level to be a dominate force be incorrect for pro level? Is it the strength of the player? How does a hitter develop a swing that works with a wood bat? The simple answer would seem to be train with a wood bat. However just training with a wood bat doesn't mean you will get the swing that allowed you to hit 500 in high school or college. The body and the arms/hands have to work together when using the wood bat IMO. The amount of leverage is very important in wood bat hitting. This can be overlooked when using the aluminum bat. What is needed to hit well with the wood?
EL,
A guy I played with hit 30 plus home runs in college one season with an aluminum bat and then in the summer hit 1 (yes one) with a wood bat. His swing would not work with wood. If you have a good swing with wood you will have a good swing with aluminum. But - if you have a good swing with aluminum that does not mean you will have a good swing with wood.
I agree with this statement mostly ... sometimes its a fact of just hitting with a wood bat and learning how to hit with it and be more selective. I love hitting with wood bats BUT if you swing enough with a wood bat it will develop a lot of bat speed. Wood bats make you much more selective in the pitches you choose since nobody wants to face the saw factor. Something that can affect you however is ... the timing for a wood bat swing is quicker than an aluminum swings timing since aluminum cuts through the air so much easier obviously you also get away with a lot more swinging aluminum. So my point is wood is a very good training tool if you use aluminum in games but remember you have to get sufficient reps with an aluminum bat to keep timing in tune. Its too bad everybody doesn't use wood for games but then again it is expensive to play with just wood. I like the crack better than the ping any day.
handyman11
12-22-2007, 09:44 AM
Erik , I think that you need a certain level of strength for wood , and I know that Core trainng makes a big difference , in my opinion , in generation bat speed .....
I think Korp is right in talking about being selective , and the more you hit with wood , it seems to help reinforce good habits , as far as barrel awareness .....
One thing I see from players that hit with wood almost exclusively is that , compared to players that use aluminum , when a wood bat player goes to an aluminum bat tourney , they keep their hands inside on an inside pitch , rather than hit around the ball .....and they seem to extend somewhat , hit the sweet spot on tough outside pitches ( like low outside strikes ) , rather than just throw the bat head out there ...
Alot of those tough outside strikes , with not so good mechanics , are flare hits with aluminum , when in a wood bat world it's a 4-3 groundout ...