Bat Sizing - Bat Speed

The bat speed is the speed that the bat travels to hit the ball. Generally the faster the bat speed the more likely the batsman is to be able to hit the ball with the middle of the bat. To be able to make slight adjustments to a shot when the ball deviates or they have made some other mis-judgement or error in execution.

The following factors influencing Bat Speed

Length of Bat

The length of the bat impacts on bat speed in several areas. The longer the bat, the further away from the hands the weight / sweet spot. The further away from the hands the weight is, the heavier the bat feels, and for practical purposes is. A long bat or a bat with a low sweet spot will have a slower bat speed than a shorter bat or a bat with a higher sweet spot.

A longer bat will also travel further from the top of the pickup to the point of impact. This reduces the bat speed, meaning it takes slightly longer to reach the point of impact.

Weight of Bat

Heavier bats have a slower bat speed than lighter bats. The effort required to move the bat increases as the weight of the bat increases.

A lighter bat will allow faster bat speed and increase the chance of middling the ball. A heavier bat will not be quite as easy to middle the ball with, but when you connect the ball will stay hit.

This topic will be one that has come up in our Cricket Bat Lore Newsletter. In the thirties batsmen used very light and slightly smaller bats – their style of play differed from the style of play of the modern batsman.

Weight Distribution

A bat that has an even weight distribution will have a faster bat speed than a bat that has its weight in near the toe.

This means that a heavier bat with a good distribution of weight will have a faster bat speed than a light bat with a lot of weight in the toe.

Balance/ Pick up

Balance or Pick up describes the bats centre of gravity. If the bats centre of gravity is closer to the handle the pickup is quite poor. If the centre of gravity is approximately 8 inches from the shoulder then the pick up should be good. We do not advocate measuring for the centre of gravity – you should test the pick up using the method described below.

To test the pickup of your bat, hold it in your top hand and lift it using your normal pickup. If the bat feels heavy then the pick up is not great. If it is easy to pick up and the bat does not feel heavy then you have a bat with good balance and pickup.

A bat with a good pick up will allow for a better bat speed than a bat with a poor pickup.

What all this Means

Like the selection of any sporting equipment, there is a compromise between fast bat speed and having a bat that has enough middle to get the ball to the boundary.

Fast bat speed allows all manner of shots to be played, and adjustments to shots while the shot is being made.

Heavier bats slow the bat speed down, but have more mass behind the ‘middle’ meaning the ball will travel further when hit properly.

Simply put, the batsman has to decide whether he or she wants a bat with lots of weight that will hit the ball a long way when it connects, or a bat that is lighter and allows you to hit the ball in the middle more frequently. Most players end up taking a middle path, selecting a bat with an average weight (2’9”- 2’11).

When emailing about bat specifications please provide as much information as possible about your game. The more information you send the easier it is to recommend the correct size, weight, balance and style of bat for you.

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