Hi guys, I was bored, and was just about to counterbalance a bat, so I figured I would start a thread with pictures on how I do it. (I would think most people probably do it this way too!)
First off, you will need:
A bat which you feel picks up poorly:
Scissors, golf lead tape, insulating tape and a set of scales (Not necessary, but recommended):
Firstly, weigh your bat. While you want to improve the pick up of your bat, you also want to make sure that it's not going to end up too far from your ideal weight range! Allow for a 1-2 ounce increase in weight.
Roll down the grip at the top of the handle, and you should see the handle top and binding:
Then wrap one layer of the golf tape round where the binding ends (It's probably more effective to wrap it round the handle end due to the way levers work, but I've just done it on the binding for this):
As you can see, even just one ring of golf tape can add a fairly significant amount of weight to a bat. Add as many rounds of golf tape as you want, if you feel that the golf tape will be too obtrusive, then apply it just under the first round. I put two rounds on this bat:
Then, to finish up, wrap the golf tape in a generous amount of insulating tape, just to make sure it stays secure:
Remember, insulating tape adds weight too:
Hopefully this helps some of you. I rarely do this, as I'm not particularly fussy about pick up, but when I do, I always check the pick up after each ring is added, as I don't want to exceed my dead weight limit. I actually changed the golf tape and put it right at the tip of the handle, as this is the most effective way to alter the pick up.
I would recommend this for those of us who prefer one grip, but can't quite get used to the pick up of a bat. I don't think that buying a 2.12 bat and counterbalancing it until it feels like a 2.8 is a good idea, as you will be adding a lot of dead weight in order to do so, which will make you tire quicker, and actually means you're slower to your shots. (Especially if you're used to using a 2.9 or something light like that!) Make sure that the final weight is within your capability to use! Saying that, Jaques Kallis seems to use quite a bit of counterbalancing! I wonder what his bat specs are like...
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Topic: How to counterbalance a bat (Read 12287 times)