Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: cesare_in on December 18, 2016, 09:53:14 AM
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Being a weekend cricketer (spend around 20 mins or so batting each Saturday & Sunday), wondering how long it really takes before a bat reaches it's peak performance.
Out of 5-6 bats that I have owned, only one really opened up in a matter of weeks. And that unfortunately broke :(..
All others play well off the sweet spot, but are pretty ordinary when ball makes contact elsewhere on the bat. These bats have anywhere from 5 grains to 8.. some pressed hard, some are really soft. Looks like w8th the amount of cricket that I play, by the time these open up, it will be a really long time.
Experiences / thoughts?
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With ping a lot depends on the pressing you could try and get more ping where the ping is ordinary by knocking the bats in a little more.
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It's more of a psychological process. We yearn for stuff that we don't have.
The bat supposedly "opened up in a week" because you don't have it anymore and now you miss it.
Had it been sitting in your bag, you wouldn't have much of a different opinion about it then the rest in stock.
And now, I will let the cricket bat philosophers take it from here and walk you through the intricacies of moisture content, willow grade, pressing variations, heartwood vs sapwood, hardness and brittling impact of the ball, oiled willow vs non-oiled surface, naturally air dried timber vs cooked in a pizza oven timber, English vs Kashmir vs Canadian willow, age of the tree and number of grains, weight and density of the cleft, shape of the profile, edge size vs no concaving, knocking in sessions by hand vs by machine, wooden mallet vs slege hammer, bat being stored in your garage vs in your car trunk vs in your closet vs in your basement vs in your attic, vs at your friend's place etc
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For me, I find it varies, some just go well from the start, and feel like they get better, but as mentioned above, it may very well be a psychological thing. Some take a good while, and then suddenly just kick into life! My advice would be to find a bat that you like from the start made by a reputable maker and stick with it, it'll 'open up' with time, be it down to you familiarising yourself with the bat or the bat actually opening up. :)
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It's more of a psychological process. We yearn for stuff that we don't have.
The bat supposedly "opened up in a week" because you don't have it anymore and now you miss it.
Had it been sitting in your bag, you wouldn't have much of a different opinion about it then the rest in stock.
And now, I will let the cricket bat philosophers take it from here and walk you through the intricacies of moisture content, willow grade, pressing variations, heartwood vs sapwood, hardness and brittling impact of the ball, oiled willow vs non-oiled surface, naturally air dried timber vs cooked in a pizza oven timber, English vs Kashmir vs Canadian willow, age of the tree and number of grains, weight and density of the cleft, shape of the profile, edge size vs no concaving, knocking in sessions by hand vs by machine, wooden mallet vs slege hammer, bat being stored in your garage vs in your car trunk vs in your closet vs in your basement vs in your attic, vs at your friend's place etc
This and more is all the stuff I have in my head
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The bat supposedly "opened up in a week" because you don't have it anymore and now you miss it.
Had it been sitting in your bag, you wouldn't have much of a different opinion about it then the rest in stock.
Let me just say say that bat was a lot forgiving after initial knocking in and 1 week of nets to my talent or lack of :D
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90 per cent of all bats are the same after playing with it half a season.
Too much over thinking,
Pressing helps top a degree lack of decent press makes it take longer and over takes longer or never at all.
Too many people blame the tools not the ability...
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I think its due to the position of the middle. I have learnt I hit the ball a lot higher than first thought.
Changed the type of bat with a higher middle, started middling (almost) everything.
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Absolutely agree, I love my b3 profile but too many balls are hit further up the blade (im only 5ft6 so that'll explain a lot) im probably going to move towards a higher middles bat next season
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I think its due to the position of the middle. I have learnt I hit the ball a lot higher than first thought.
Changed the type of bat with a higher middle, started middling (almost) everything.
Thanks! This probably nails it. I am not sorry (5' 11").. so probably my style is that I hit a lot higher as well..
Btw the bat that I loved and which broke was a RNS Larson's T20i which I presume has a higher middle
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Thanks! This probably nails it. I am not sorry (5' 11").. so probably my style is that I hit a lot higher as well..
Btw the bat that I loved and which broke was a RNS Larson's T20i which I presume has a higher middle
Or maybe a longer handle and shorter blade.
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What I've done before is put some black electrical tape over the face of the the bat (over the extratec cover) and have a net session with a bowling machine, the balls mark the tape and show you where you are hitting the ball you can work out where you need the middle more on your bat.
Also advise using a decent net facility like your local county ground.
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Just after you sell it.
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It's funny, mine always seem to do so when a teammate borrows them. As soon as I get it back they need more playing in again
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Experiences / thoughts?
I have to say that you are playing the odds with every bat you purchase. The odds are more in your favor if bat is made by a reputable bat maker or from a good brand. In my experience, good bats don't take very long to open because of good pressing and prep by the bat maker - 1 to 2 hours of aggregate knocking time is sufficient. Next step is to use the bat in nets.
I look for seam marks or mallet marks on the face of a new bat because with knocking and nets, the face hardens and seam marks cease to appear. This is a good indicator that bat is ready for use and will perform. However, with extensive use, a good bat's performance will get even better and ball will rebound faster off the bat face. In essence, I prefer a little soft bat face in a new bat. I don't like bats that are too hard pressed initially and don't show any seam marks; some people swear by them but those bats have never worked for me.
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However, with extensive use, a good bat's performance will get even better and ball will rebound faster off the bat face
The above is exactly what I was looking to understand. Perhaps it's psychological, perhaps it's a bat opening up. Wondering how long the above takes on an average..
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However, with extensive use, a good bat's performance will get even better and ball will rebound faster off the bat face
The above is exactly what I was looking to understand. Perhaps it's psychological, perhaps it's a bat opening up. Wondering how long the above takes on an average..
I don't think you can look at an 'average' time mate.
Couple of things from my point of view. I've made a bit of an assumption that with only small use of your bats, you can't justify sending hundreds of pounds/dollars for top grade bats. Apologies if this is wrong.
1. Time
20 or so minutes, without hitting a lot of balls, isn't very much time.
I got a new stick this season, which was top grade willow, which still took a good 10 training sessions of about 20mins to get it to begin "opening up" properly (that's about 1000 deliveries + time in the middle as well).
Like ProCricket said, after about half a season, most bats are the same. But, my 'half a season' of 20+min net sessions for three months, plus time in the middle will be much more than your 3mths of up to 20mins in the middle. Times dependant on use.
2. Timber quality
This year is the first time i've had a 'Players Grade' bat and i have to say, the quality of timber makes a huge difference for me.
I have natural bats so don't use them on the bowling machine. Using one of my old grade 2 bats when on the bowling machine the other week, it's a plank in comparison.
3. Profile
There have been plenty of threads on here about profile. I've gone back to a proper 'full profile' with no concaving. While you don't get as big an edge, as a player that tries to time the ball, having as much timber in the middle or just off centre makes all the difference.
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What stick did you get B&B
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What stick did you get B&B
Mate, became a return customer of @Wickets-then-runs !
He was wanting to move on a B3 Mullinator, Crown Willow, 2'11/12, thick oval handle...
Didn't 'need'(by the wife's definition) a new bat, but couldn't pass up the opportunity!
Not a very good picture, but the only one i've got on hand.
Apparently out LBW...
(http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u529/ClintonAndersen/IMG_1701_zpssxd7sfrs.jpg) (http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/ClintonAndersen/media/IMG_1701_zpssxd7sfrs.jpg.html)
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can't go too far wrong with a B3, nice to see a 'naked' bat for a change
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Mate, became a return customer of @Wickets-then-runs !
Apparently out LBW...
([url]http://i1320.photobucket.com/albums/u529/ClintonAndersen/IMG_1701_zpssxd7sfrs.jpg[/url]) ([url]http://s1320.photobucket.com/user/ClintonAndersen/media/IMG_1701_zpssxd7sfrs.jpg.html[/url])
Clearly pad first!
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The lad in the background looks like he's thinking "is he still trying to claim he nicked it"
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I have to say that you are playing the odds with every bat you purchase. The odds are more in your favor if bat is made by a reputable bat maker or from a good brand. In my experience, good bats don't take very long to open because of good pressing and prep by the bat maker - 1 to 2 hours of aggregate knocking time is sufficient. Next step is to use the bat in nets.
I look for seam marks or mallet marks on the face of a new bat because with knocking and nets, the face hardens and seam marks cease to appear. This is a good indicator that bat is ready for use and will perform. However, with extensive use, a good bat's performance will get even better and ball will rebound faster off the bat face. In essence, I prefer a little soft bat face in a new bat. I don't like bats that are too hard pressed initially and don't show any seam marks; some people swear by them but those bats have never worked for me.
Good point re soft bat face already seen bats advertised for 2017 from manufactures as softer pressed for optimum performance.
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can't go too far wrong with a B3, nice to see a 'naked' bat for a change
I've tried a few times @well past my peak to get used to scuff sheets. They just don't feel right to me. I feel you don't get the feedback through.
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However, with extensive use, a good bat's performance will get even better and ball will rebound faster off the bat face
The above is exactly what I was looking to understand. Perhaps it's psychological, perhaps it's a bat opening up. Wondering how long the above takes on an average..
As I wrote earlier, it varies from bat maker to bat maker. My good bats didn't require much. My top match bat is about 4 seasons old and ball pings off the face of the bat with ridiculous speed. It opened up very well in the first season and has gotten better every season (and gained over half an ounce of weight :D ). Having said that, it is probably also reaching its end too.
Proof is in the pudding and your good bats will sing. If you have think and worry about it so much, it is probably not a great bat.
I have recently acquired Tim Keeley bats and I can tell you, out of the box they are singing!
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I like the idea of someone on here using the same bat for four whole seasons. What is your 'top match bat', Internal Training?
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I like the idea of someone on here using the same bat for four whole seasons. What is your 'top match bat', Internal Training?
CA - SM 18.
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CA - SM 18.
SM 18?
What's SM? Shoaib Malik? I wouldn't be surprised to if his batting average is 18
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SM 18?
What's SM? Shoaib Malik? I wouldn't be surprised to if his batting average is 18
He is a far better cricketer than you'll ever be. So, don't worry about it.
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Awkward turtle 🐢
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Awkward turtle 🐢
That would be, AT-18
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I have a bat that is 5 years old now. Couldn't tell you when it reached its 'peak' as such,, but it has been a gun for a while now. I have looked after it and not used it in the nets too much, but it has scored me a lot of runs (of my 13 scroes of 50+ for the club, it has gotten me 11 of those with 2 centuries in there). It is still a gun to this day but for whatever reason I insist on buying more bats even though I can never bring myself not to use the old faithful and when I do and get out cheaply, I know it's the old bat punishing me for not being loyal hahaha.
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I have a bat that is 5 years old now. Couldn't tell you when it reached its 'peak' as such,, but it has been a gun for a while now. I have looked after it and not used it in the nets too much, but it has scored me a lot of runs (of my 13 scroes of 50+ for the club, it has gotten me 11 of those with 2 centuries in there). It is still a gun to this day but for whatever reason I insist on buying more bats even though I can never bring myself not to use the old faithful and when I do and get out cheaply, I know it's the old bat punishing me for not being loyal hahaha.
Gee cricket tragics think alike.
I bought a new B3 crown a while ago, very good stick, so much better than one I purchased years ago it wasn't funny. Put my GN stickers on it, prepared it, had a net, first game with it blah, crusty old stick back in action (this has happened many times)
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Gee cricket tragics think alike.
I bought a new B3 crown a while ago, very good stick, so much better than one I purchased years ago it wasn't funny. Put my GN stickers on it, prepared it, had a net, first game with it blah, crusty old stick back in action (this has happened many times)
It's a curse haha. Although it did work twice this year. One of my players used a new bat and he didn't go very well, the next week he said he was going back to his old one and sure enough, het got 107 off 100 balls (57 of those coming off his last 26 balls). Then I had something similar, got out for my second duck in a row (one 1st baller and one 2nd baller) so went back to the oldy and I got 77 off 57 (Scored my last 30 off 9 balls). It's all in the bat haha.
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I've done it mid-innings before - debut for a new bat, scratched around knocking singles supporting the in batsman, when he got out called for the old one and timed the pants off almost every ball for the rest of the innings. Strange how it works isn't it.
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Some old conversation on this topic - http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33857.0 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33857.0)
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Some old conversation on this topic - [url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33857.0[/url] ([url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=33857.0[/url])
i think you need to post the pics of your bat and then we can tell exactly how long will it take for each bat to reach the peak..LOL