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[richthekeeper]

Just a random musing really. I usually use bats between 2'8 and 2'10 - last season I had an Adidas Pellara (2'9) and when that broke I scored my maiden ton with a 2'9 Redback Allegiance. I've just bought a GN Evo at 2'9 from another forum member.

However, I also own a 3lb long blade blank bat which i bought to see whether the long blade made any difference to my game. I found it quite heavy originally and it hasn't been used much, but I had a go with it on the bowling machine in nets last night.

I found that the amount of power I could get behind my shots was incredible, I was smashing balls straight down the ground. I guess the heavier bat helped steady my downswing as I felt more controlled, and obviously a few oz of extra wood really made a difference to the force I could hit the ball with.

Now, I didn't face any short stuff and I certainly wouldn't expect to be able to pull or cut with ease, but on a low/slow deck like my home ground I don't see that as a major issue. I don't play the pull shot very well anyway.

If nothing else, a useful training aid to strenghten the forearms and improve bat speed. But I could definitely see it being an option this season and I felt I had great control over where I hit the ball - even in the air.

[Red Ink Cricket]

do you think its a combination of the long blade and extra weight or just one of them. ive never used a bat that heavy or a longblade version.

[Simmy]

my look on things is the bigger the bat the more power generated.

i had 3.2 M&h and i could get the ball harder than anyother bat! just slow bat speed. ws tad to heavy for me.

what i did to get used to a heavy bat..

every morning i would lift it up hold my arm out straight with the bat like an extention of my arm.

and hold it there for as long as i could it would hurt few times and ur wrists get used to it

[tim2000s]

As someone who regularly uses a "big" bat in terms of long blade and long handle, I'd say that it was the weight.

I have a 2lb 15oz Newb Lam that picks up light and is awesome for slow, low bounce nets, but is rubbish on shorter stuff cutting and pulling because I am delayed in getting there. By contrast my match bat is currently a lighter lh,lb (2lb 9.5oz) with a mid-low middle. I am fine on pulling and even hooking with that, whilst still driving effectively.

What the long blade does for a taller person is make sure the middle is in the right place. It's the weight that is giving you the extra oomph.

What it also sounds like (and I'd defer to coach buzz on this) is that you try and hit the ball too hard and using the much heavier bat forces you to slow down your bat speed giving you added control on the straight shots. I know this happens to me when using too light a bat. It also suggests that using something around 2lb11-2lb13 might optimise your bat speed and power generation over what you currently use.

[richthekeeper]

johners - both really. if the blade is longer then there's going to be more weight anyway. my reason for the LB was my height, but when i bought it i wasn't expecting it to be so heavy. in fact, the seller told me it was far lighter than it actually is.

simmy - i know what you mean. i'm only 13 stone though so not exactly world's strongest man.

i suppose using the bowling machine is a bit false as i pretty much knew what shot i was going to play, and i wouldn't be able to adjust so quickly against a bowler. however our bowling machine is pretty random and i was hitting balls through the on side, straight and through the covers with great timing.

[richthekeeper]

i agree with tim here - i played in a game last season with a very light slazenger bat and kept hitting everything in the air because i was through the shot too early. the heavy bat stops this from happening but as you say, would be too slow for cutting and pulling.

maybe i should try something in between.

but yeah when i said "big" bat i meant weight, not necessarily the LB.

[ianbuchanan]

Buying a big bat was the best decision I ever made! If you are confident of blocking/getting out the way of most short balls, it can be a decent option as the hitting area is so big on a bat weighing 3lb+

[Buzz]

the differing weight options is interesting from a technical point of view - however it doesn't matter how light or heavy your bats is, if you try to hit the ball to hard you will get out.

the best players are always in control of their technique and bat speed. This also helps the players balance - which is why players look as if they have more "time" to play their shots.

Largely by trial and error you need to find a bat weight and middle position that suits you when you bat.
As a rule of thumb if you can't play all your shots with only your top hand on on the bat - it is probably a little heavy (maybe except the hook/pull)

[Red Ink Cricket]

Ive always favoured a fairly light bat, around 2lb 10 because to be honest im a compulsive puller and hooker. if its short its going. as the short stuff can be a major part of my scoring i guess a heavier bat wouldnt suit me. i guess it comes down to the age old 'style of player' and what shots you play well etc etc.

[19reading87]

I have got myself a new bat this season and it will be heavier than the usual 2.8 2.9 I'm used to. However the pick up on this new bat is incredible and the bat is huge. Am I worried about the increase in weight effecting my shots?? a little but I'm sure ill manage. I'm doing a lot more weights now do hopefully come April I will be physically stronger too.

[richthekeeper]

yep as an opener i tend to avoid/block the short stuff more often than not. my favourite shot would be the straight drive.

Buzz i have no problem admitting the 3lb bat is too heavy for me, but it was interesting as a training aid and you've made me think about the way i play with a normal bat - ie having more control.

[Manormanic]

A lot of this though comes down to personal choice/preference - I mean, I use massive bats (my three main ones at the moment are a pair of 3lb+ Newbery B52XLs and a blank that comes in at 3lb 4oz) but I'm not a particularly big hitter, though I am probably as good as anyone in our club on the back foot and a compulsive in going after the short ball...

...my reasons for using such big bats then?  Well, for one, I'm a big lad and that does undoubtedly have something to do with it.  And I used them when I was younger, fitter and more likely to drive in the air.  But most of all, I have always found that light bats sort of wander off in the downswing and cause me to chip the ball up or play across straighter balls. 

So, yeah, different things suit different people.  I reckon a batsman using a 2lb 8 will probably middle the ball as far as the guy with the monster - the extra speed makes up for the lower mass.  But the guy with the monster will mishit sixes that the smaller guy could not.

[roco]

Being a nudger I would not know about all this

I use between 2lb11-3lb and my best shot is the pull and I'll be playing on a rock hard bouncy pitch next year

I like the extra weight as with lighter bats I agree with others they feel weird and wander

[Ayrtek Cricket]

2.12.1 currently tried lighter but never got on with the 2.7-9 range....the result.....

[peplow]

Haha is all i can say to that