Print

[cesare_in]

Being a weekend cricketer (spend around 20 mins or so batting each Saturday & Sunday), wondering how long it really takes before a bat reaches it's peak performance.

Out of 5-6 bats that I have owned, only one really opened up in a matter of weeks. And that unfortunately broke  ..

All others play well off the sweet spot, but are pretty ordinary when ball makes contact elsewhere on the bat. These bats have anywhere from 5 grains to 8.. some pressed hard, some are really soft. Looks like w8th the amount of cricket that I play, by the time these open up, it will be a really long time.

Experiences / thoughts?

[Seniorplayer]

With ping a lot depends on  the pressing  you could try and get  more ping where the ping is ordinary  by knocking the bats  in  a little more.

[Sitonit]

It's more of a psychological process. We yearn for stuff that we don't have.
The bat supposedly "opened up in a week" because you don't have it anymore and now you miss it.

Had it been sitting in your bag, you wouldn't have much of a different opinion about it then the rest in stock.

And now, I will let the cricket bat philosophers take it from here and walk you through the  intricacies of moisture content, willow grade, pressing variations, heartwood vs sapwood, hardness and brittling impact of the ball, oiled willow vs non-oiled surface, naturally air dried timber vs cooked in a pizza oven timber, English vs Kashmir vs Canadian willow, age of the tree and number of grains, weight and density of the cleft, shape of the profile, edge size vs no concaving, knocking in sessions by hand vs by machine, wooden mallet vs slege hammer, bat being stored in your garage vs in your car trunk vs in your closet vs in your basement vs in your attic, vs at your friend's place etc

[Chad]

For me, I find it varies, some just go well from the start, and feel like they get better, but as mentioned above, it may very well be a psychological thing. Some take a good while, and then suddenly just kick into life! My advice would be to find a bat that you like from the start made by a reputable maker and stick with it, it'll 'open up' with time, be it down to you familiarising yourself with the bat or the bat actually opening up.

[Seniorplayer]

It's more of a psychological process. We yearn for stuff that we don't have.
The bat supposedly "opened up in a week" because you don't have it anymore and now you miss it.

Had it been sitting in your bag, you wouldn't have much of a different opinion about it then the rest in stock.

And now, I will let the cricket bat philosophers take it from here and walk you through the  intricacies of moisture content, willow grade, pressing variations, heartwood vs sapwood, hardness and brittling impact of the ball, oiled willow vs non-oiled surface, naturally air dried timber vs cooked in a pizza oven timber, English vs Kashmir vs Canadian willow, age of the tree and number of grains, weight and density of the cleft, shape of the profile, edge size vs no concaving, knocking in sessions by hand vs by machine, wooden mallet vs slege hammer, bat being stored in your garage vs in your car trunk vs in your closet vs in your basement vs in your attic, vs at your friend's place etc

This and more is all the stuff I have in my head

[cesare_in]

The bat supposedly "opened up in a week" because you don't have it anymore and now you miss it.

Had it been sitting in your bag, you wouldn't have much of a different opinion about it then the rest in stock.

 

Let me just say say that bat was a lot forgiving after initial knocking in and 1 week of nets to my talent or lack of 

[procricket]

90 per cent of all bats are the same after playing with it half a season.

Too much over thinking,

Pressing helps top a degree lack of decent press makes it take longer and over takes longer or never at all.

Too many people blame the tools not the ability...

[Churchy1989]

I think its due to the position of the middle. I have learnt I hit the ball a lot higher than first thought.

Changed the type of bat with a higher middle, started middling (almost) everything.

[dcullen8]

Absolutely agree, I love my b3 profile but too many balls are hit further up the blade (im only 5ft6 so that'll explain a lot)  im probably going to move towards a higher middles bat next season

[cesare_in]

I think its due to the position of the middle. I have learnt I hit the ball a lot higher than first thought.

Changed the type of bat with a higher middle, started middling (almost) everything.

Thanks! This probably nails it. I am not sorry (5' 11").. so probably my style is that I hit a lot higher as well..
Btw the bat that I loved and which broke was a RNS Larson's T20i which I presume has a higher middle

[Seniorplayer]

Thanks! This probably nails it. I am not sorry (5' 11").. so probably my style is that I hit a lot higher as well..
Btw the bat that I loved and which broke was a RNS Larson's T20i which I presume has a higher middle

Or maybe a longer handle and shorter blade.

[Churchy1989]

What I've done before is put some black electrical tape over the face of the the bat (over the extratec cover) and have a net session with a bowling machine, the balls mark the tape and show you where you are hitting the ball you can work out where you need the middle more on your bat.

Also advise using a decent net facility like your local county ground.

[Buzz]

Just after you sell it.

[Calzehbhoy]

It's funny, mine always seem to do so when a teammate borrows them. As soon as I get it back they need more playing in again

[InternalTraining]

Experiences / thoughts?

I have to say that you are playing the odds with every bat you purchase. The odds are more in your favor if bat is made by a reputable bat maker or from a good brand. In my experience,  good bats don't take very long to open because of good pressing and prep by the bat maker - 1 to 2 hours of aggregate knocking time is sufficient. Next step is to use the bat in nets.

I look for seam marks or mallet marks on the face of a new bat because with knocking and nets, the face hardens and seam marks cease to appear. This is a good indicator that bat is ready for use and will perform. However, with extensive use, a good bat's performance will get even better and ball will rebound faster off the bat face. In essence, I prefer a little soft bat face in a new bat. I don't like bats that are too hard pressed initially and don't show any seam marks; some people swear by them but those bats have never worked for me.