Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Kulli on August 24, 2018, 12:44:05 PM
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Had a bit of a net this afternoon for the first time in months - second kid arriving mid season, terrible planning - and was struck by how low all the ball marks were on my bat. *will post a pic later*
I’ve always liked mid-high middle bats with swooping curves and thick edges without too much concaving, but thinking about it afterwards I’d probably be better using something more traditional on the Mjølnar mould, with small edges no concaving and a real low traditional middle.
Problem is I just think they look ugly, and have no desire to use one. Thought I’d happily accept an ugly bat in exchange for scoring more runs.
Any thoughts, has anyone bought a bat purely on the looks of the shape even thought you know it’s not what suits you game?
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Yep, in the B3 butterfly offer a few years ago I bought a low middled shape as it should suit my game, and didn't like how bottom heavy it felt (and I quite like a bottom heavy bat). Knocked it in and prepped it etc, but couldn't get used to it in nets so didn't use it too much until one day I took it out for a t20 and middled absolutely everything, the ball went all over the place. Then it snapped in half... B3 kindly replaced it, but for some mad reason I went for a high middled DB1 as it looked nice and high middles were a bit of a trend at the time so thought I'd try one. Felt lovely in the hands, couldn't time the ball with it to save my life! Terrible decision to change shape.
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It's interesting that you're hitting the ball lower than you thought you would, I thought it generally went the other way with people hitting higher on the bat than they thought.
I always thought a lower middle bat would suit my game better, but when I looked at the marks on my bat after a few hits with it they were all higher up the blade than "the middle" was.
I bought a Neon Pink that has a higher middle and I've been hitting them much better than the lower middled bats I've previously had. The biggest issue now is my lack of talent...
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If in doubt go mid middle and you’ve got the best chance of finding it I reckon!
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Great thread @Kulli !
I always thought that high middle bats suited the pitches I play on. Funnily enough, the bats that suit my game the most are the mid-low bats that ping up top as well. I use a rolled up second grip to move the balance point up the bat. This "I like" v/s "functional" trend has been consistent with last few match bats.
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Secondary debate on the back of @InternalTraining 's comment:
Does the pitch actually effect what kind of bat you should use?
Using England as an example - the early season pitches tend to be damp and lower than they are come August. Should you therefore start with a lower middle and progress to a higher one as the pitches get harder?
I personally think it's more down to you. If you find a shape that works for you then it works. You'll adjust your technique slightly to suit the pitch rather than need to change bat, surely?
I do think we have a tendency to overthink and over complicate non-issues around here...
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Secondary debate on the back of @InternalTraining 's comment:
Does the pitch actually effect what kind of bat you should use?
Using England as an example - the early season pitches tend to be damp and lower than they are come August. Should you therefore start with a lower middle and progress to a higher one as the pitches get harder?
I personally think it's more down to you. If you find a shape that works for you then it works. You'll adjust your technique slightly to suit the pitch rather than need to change bat, surely?
I do think we have a tendency to overthink and over complicate non-issues around here...
Crictech's overlay sheets tend to show that the pitch doesn't make a lot of difference. You tend to hit the ball with the same part of the bat.
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i used to use an MH distinction
I bought another one ... they changed the shape slightly with a higher middle and i absolutely hated it.
Low middle bats i like a lot, high middle feel nice but are a bit pointless in the UK i think.
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I’m always surprised how high up a bat I hit the ball
It’s never in the sweet spot as such, unless I’m cutting or pulling, on my own bats now I tend to leave as much wood in this area as I can, just to try and extend the sweet spot to cover as big of that area as possible
It’s always a fine line tho, as this has an effect on pick up and balance etc, which again effects where you hit the ball
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For me being quite short I have recently found I tend to hit the ball higher on the blade and like a few others was surprised at this.
I’d also agree with ‘Don’t over complicate things’ so personally the most important thing is to find out where you tend to hit the ball majority of the time and then you can buy something which suits.
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Anybody remember when people on here tested that sheet on your bat which you could send away for analysis and it showed you where you hit the ball most??
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What comes first, the chicken or the egg?
Sometimes you use a bat and after a while adapt your game to play shots that work with that bat.
Then you use a different bat and you play different shots with that because that is what works with that bat.
Horses for courses in my view.
I have lovely bat which is lighter than my other bat. I am very fast onto the short ball with the light bat, but drive the ball better with the heavier bat...
All down to what feels right on the day.
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Secondary debate on the back of @InternalTraining 's comment:
Does the pitch actually effect what kind of bat you should use?
Using England as an example - the early season pitches tend to be damp and lower than they are come August. Should you therefore start with a lower middle and progress to a higher one as the pitches get harder?
I personally think it's more down to you. If you find a shape that works for you then it works. You'll adjust your technique slightly to suit the pitch rather than need to change bat, surely?
I do think we have a tendency to overthink and over complicate non-issues around here...
I play close to the body. When I cut, I move my head as close to the ball as possible. I hold the bat at the size-6 length (hence the rolled up 2nd grip), so the mid-low sweet spot works very well as how I catch the ball with the bat. All this on astroturf pitches. I am a disaster on slow-low matting pitches where I basically back-foot punch balls or hit the ball early and high.
In all this "overthinking", I finally know (after going thru a few dozen bats) what works for me whether its the length of the bat, balance, sweet spot, weight, handle type, and grip(s).
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See ball, hit ball, if it goes it goes, if it doesnt, try again
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I'm always surprised that I hit the ball, never mind where on my bat
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I personally think it's more down to you. If you find a shape that works for you then it works. You'll adjust your technique slightly to suit the pitch rather than need to change bat, surely?
Agreed, bat against the pitch, not against your own bat! if it's slow and low you'll find the right length to time a ball, you're eyes and mind make the split-second decision on whether the ball is in the right place or not. Just make one thing variable and adjust to that rather than adjusting to 2 things especially in the middle of a match.
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Happened to me today, was using my GN Warner Kaboom after feeling guilty for wasting willow, was on 40 odd after 24 overs opening. Had hit a few nice shots and felt decent, but wasn't using it to the full potential. Swapped out to a Phantom Performance bat in the Dark Edition shape, and pinged 2 of the nicest sixes I've hit in a long time. The Phantom had never seen any action before, and I ended up on 86* after 39 overs.
Long story short, need a bat with the meat around 3-7 inches up from the toe. Oh, and helps if it's TK made. Was playing on an Astro with decent bounce, so agree with regards to folk adjusting to a pitch, more than adjusting a bat shape for a pitch.
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I think it is something batsmen overthink about. If you are ate a front foot player playing on slow low pitches you will still need to cut, pull and sweep. Likewise if you are a back food player playing on faster bouncier tracks, you will still need to drive fulller balls. I get bats made to essentially replicate this old powerbow profile where the wood is spread across the length of the hitting zone. The only change I would make if you play consistently on slow low pitches is to use a heavier bat not a different profile
https://m.zavvi.com/sports/sports/gray-nicolls-powerbow-extreme-cricket-bat-mens/10360404.html
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I think it is something batsmen overthink about. If you are ate a front foot player playing on slow low pitches you will still need to cut, pull and sweep. Likewise if you are a back food player playing on faster bouncier tracks, you will still need to drive fulller balls. I get bats made to essentially replicate this old powerbow profile where the wood is spread across the length of the hitting zone. The only change I would make if you play consistently on slow low pitches is to use a heavier bat not a different profile
https://m.zavvi.com/sports/sports/gray-nicolls-powerbow-extreme-cricket-bat-mens/10360404.html
Quite right. I remember yonks back you got those sheets that showed where on the bat you hit the ball. Theory being that muscle memory is different in different people, and that you naturally strike the ball with the same part of the bat that your brain has deduced as the middle. I favour a higher middle for pickup, but probably tend to hit the ball about mid middle, so kinda keep that in mind when I look at bats, but don't get hung up on it.