Long and short of it......
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Wazza08

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Long and short of it......
« on: October 01, 2019, 04:49:15 PM »
So whilst have a few years off things have moved on a bit.... 
There are short and long blades now, is there really that much difference? 
What are the key benefits of both and does anyone use both styles? 
If so do you find it easy to swap from one to another and what is the best way to transition between styles if so (do they need to be similar weights or does it help to have a bit of a difference)?

Sorry as feel like a total noobie right now and can't afford to get it wrong!
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ch1p

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2019, 04:55:52 PM »
I'm a bit of an advocate for the short blade, long handle combo and only seem to have bought those over the last 12 months.

Something feels a little bit different when it is in the hands but nothing too drastic (unless its all just a mental thing).

Best thing you can do is find someone with one and give it a go! Or do what a clubmate of mine did, buy one without knowing, score a load of runs with it and then realise and go "oh yeah it feels good"  :)
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Gurujames

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2019, 04:59:14 PM »
I use both standard and short length bats and for me I cannot tell the difference. If you are a bit fussier it may well be an issue, though I’m sure most of that is psychological.
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Wazza08

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2019, 05:16:00 PM »
Quote from: ch1p on October 01, 2019, 04:55:52 PM
I'm a bit of an advocate for the short blade, long handle combo and only seem to have bought those over the last 12 months.

Something feels a little bit different when it is in the hands but nothing too drastic (unless its all just a mental thing).

Best thing you can do is find someone with one and give it a go! Or do what a clubmate of mine did, buy one without knowing, score a load of runs with it and then realise and go "oh yeah it feels good"  :)

well funny you say that - he may not have been the only one that didn't realise this - just haven't used the short blade yet so will see how it goes ;)
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Jimmy Tiwana

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2019, 05:25:43 PM »
I started using the short blade this summer, and so far have found equal success as with the standard blade.

The only subtle difference I felt was while playing the straight bat backfoot defence to a short ball. I got the ball on the handle of the short blade twice so far playing the same stroke and was surprised that 1.5 inches can make that difference. Overall, the mind has to adjust to the new spot where the handle meets the blade.
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Wazza08

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2019, 05:35:37 PM »
Quote from: Jimmy Tieana on October 01, 2019, 05:25:43 PM
I started using the short blade this summer, and so far have found equal success as with the standard blade.

The only subtle difference I felt was while playing the straight bat backfoot defence to a short ball. I got the ball on the handle of the short blade twice so far playing the same stroke and was surprised that 1.5 inches can make that difference. Overall, the mind has to adjust to the new spot where the handle meets the blade.

did you find any benefits of the short length then, better timing, bigger middle, more power on front foot? 
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Wazza08

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2019, 06:12:02 PM »
Quote from: DorsetDan on October 01, 2019, 05:39:27 PM
Short blades feel nice to me in the shop/ home wafting but never work out in the middle

http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=39274.0


Awesome - thank you, I tried the search but am clearly rubbish at choosing the right words or phrases for some things
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jonny77

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2019, 06:26:49 PM »
No difference for me at all. Not sure how anyone would tell the difference really when using one, but maybe that's just me not being that perceptive!  :D
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brokenbat

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2019, 09:15:05 PM »
I found it’s easier to snap through a pull with the shorter blade. More control on the bat for me personally (I am 5 10).
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velvetsky01

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #9 on: October 01, 2019, 09:18:26 PM »
Took me a while but I am a convert - not sure if it is just what I used last year (a lovely Kippax)but am now in the process of purchasing more shorter blade longer handled bats.
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InternalTraining

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2019, 09:29:21 PM »
Quote from: Wazza08 on October 01, 2019, 04:49:15 PM
What are the key benefits of both and does anyone use both styles? 

I am big fan of shorter blade bats. CAs produced shorter blade bats long before they were popular and there was a lot of hoo-ha around "shorter blades". Now, shorter blades are the rage. The benefits of a short blade bat are bat speed, balance, and light pickup. I use TKs of Newbery Blitz shape which have shorter blades. They pick up light, pack more wood in the blade and swing a lot faster even when playing late shots.

It has been my position for quite some time now that bat sizes as we know are wrong! They were arbitrarily designed without any thought to function. Blade length should be adjusted according to the strength level of the player to product the optimal bat speed. Once that blade length is identified, the handle length should be customized for optimal balance and (again) bat speed. A true "custom bat" should never conform to these nonsensical SH, LH, Harrow, and other size standards! It should conform to produce certain output for the batter/user.
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Komdotkom

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #11 on: October 01, 2019, 09:45:20 PM »
I've got both, one that's been made that way and the other I converted by fitting a long handle and taking to the bat with a drop saw.
Initially I thought it would be a bit like the counterweight discussion where it was largely a placebo affect, but after doing some scientific back to back swishing of bats in the garage and some fairly unconvincing batting performances in the nets I do think they feel 'better' in the hands. I'm 5'9 and some SH bats 'feel' a big and cumbersome to me, but the shorter blade bats seem to generate more bat speed. I have also noted that they have quite a bit more whip in them than a SH due to the extra 35mm of cane in the handle, I think this is a positive because when I cream a ball right off the toe it doesn't jar as badly.
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Jimmy Tiwana

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Re: Long and short of it......
« Reply #12 on: October 02, 2019, 12:25:19 PM »
Quote from: Wazza08 on October 01, 2019, 05:35:37 PM
did you find any benefits of the short length then, better timing, bigger middle, more power on front foot?

My club iin Canada  plays only T20 cricket, and thus it's most often aim for a big hit or "get lost" like situation. I use a BB b20 2.11 and a SH Affinity 2.15 and have not found much difference in terms of being able to middle, power of stroke or the length of my innings with either bat (usually I survive 10-15 balls).
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