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[123*]

How long do people think it takes from taking a brand new bat to getting it to its peak performance?

Also how do you personally think you can get a bat to its peak performance?

[ajmw89]

The tried and tested way of knocking in for a few hours, followed by a couple of hours worth of use in nets against good quality old balls and bowling machine balls

[Simmy]

this kook of mine is still rock hard after about 2 hours knocking in and netting lol

[Buzz]

maybe after you have scored 300-400 runs with it?

[19reading87]

this kook of mine is still rock hard after about 2 hours knocking in and netting lol

But when the girlfriend asks its the best bat ever hey

[petehosk]

Knocking in, bowling machine sessions, throw downs, old ball bowling in nets, more bowling in nets, and after hours of these, the bat will be nowhere near its best! It is likely to take that long to only start performing well - but it should get better over the next few months!!
People just have to be more patient!   

[Jagminder]

People just have to be more patient! 

All of us on forum should follow this. I spend atleast 3-4 months before a bat get to be my match bat (or a bat to be match ready).
netting, practice catching, throw downs................. whole nine yards.
Addition to that -
I am a firm believer there are few shots that can be played with a bat easily - based on the balance and position of wood. (might sound weird). One has to learn how your bat behaves with your technique. What value you get out of your shots. (little off topic).

Jag.

[Manormanic]

A really good point on this from the wisdom of Mark Ramprakash - I think it was on Cricket AM actually.  He basically said that he netted with the bats he wanted to use the following season during the year to open them up, then sanded the face and applied the right stickers if Grays made a fuss (which explained why he was using Predators well after they were gone from the shops!)