For the longest time, aluminum bats were widely used by teams until composite bats became available. Aluminum bats were always the best choice when it came to choosing bats because these types were known to be extremely durable and could be used for very long periods of time. It was only during the late nineties that a new kind of bat was introduced to the market. This type of bat, created by small bat company Miken, was made out of carbon fiber which was a composite material. Although these bats were very durable, they were not readily liked by baseball players because the players could not help the players perform well.
Via sciencedaily.com
It was only during the year 2002 that Miken created another bat known as the Velocit-E Ultra which was known to be the best commercial bat in the market. These bats became well known not only for their durability, but their ability to allow players to perform better during their games. Up until today, composite bats are being made by many manufacturers and are being used by many known baseball teams around the world.
Even though composite bats became more well known in the year 2000, there are still many teams until today who still use aluminum bats during training. So the big question here is which of the two types are the best? Which of these two are the best softball bats that players can use during their training? In order to know, we have to look at some of the factors that will affect the performance of a baseball player.
First of all, we have to take a look at the weight of the bat. Which of the two types of bats are lighter the swing? According to Dr. Daniel Russell, the composite bats are found so be much lighter than the aluminum bats. Not only that, but the composite bats are found to have rods in the handles so that holding the bat will be much easier for the baseball player.
Next, we have to look at how flexible the barrel of the bat is. If the barrel of the bat is not flexible, then the impact of the collision of the ball and the bat will be lessened. However, if the barrel of the bat is more flexible, then the impact will be more because the follow through of a flexible bat will be stronger than that of a stiff bat. The bats that are made out of composite materials are known to have more flexibility than the aluminum ones. It is because of this that the composite bats can hit balls further than the aluminum bats because of the flexibility of the handles.
Third, we have to look at how long the bat will vibrate after it hits a ball. The longer the vibration time, the better. So the question here is which of the two types of bats will produce the shortest vibration time. The vibration time is measured by what is known as the damping rate or the rate as to how fast the vibration of the bat stops. According to Dr. Russell, the composite bats have lesser vibration time because the material used is not as stiff as aluminum bats.
Lastly, we also have to take a look at the sound that the bat will make when it connects with the ball. Why is this important? This is because the loud “ping” sound that usually comes from an aluminum bat will give the batter the impression that he hit the ball hard. This can be quite disracting to the batter. Composite bats, on the other hand, have more of a softer sound but is able to smash the ball further than the aluminum bats.
As we can see, aluminum bats are definitely not as good as the composite bats. Composite bats are ligher and more flexible which can give the players more room to move and make their hits harder, faster and stronger. However, you can only use its full potential once the bat is break in. Still, we can say that composite bats are the best softball bats in the market.