After you pick a baseball bat off the store shelf, you’ll need to take the time to break it in so that you can perform at your best. The quick science behind breaking in a bat is that the inner wall needs to flex in order to make balls travel further. That inner wall is still solid right after the manufacturer makes the bat, and your job is to make it flexible enough to improve your batting average.
Be aware of some quick ways you can break in your baseball bat; otherwise, you might spend hours with lackluster results. The whole process doesn’t have to be a chore—turn it into something you do with the family in your spare time, one of many family activities you can try out to make the time fly by faster.
The First 100 Hits
After you buy your bat, you need to hit a ball off a tee about 100 times. Make sure you rotate your bat a quarter of an inch after every hit; this ensures full coverage. For these first 100 hits, swing at about 50 percent power. You need to ease the bat into the break-in process, as going hard from the beginning runs the risk of damaging rather than helping.
The Second 100 Hits
After you finish with the tee, move on to hitting soft tosses. At this point, you need to hit the ball with roughly 75 percent power. Like the last time, make sure to rotate the bat a quarter inch with every hit. If you forget to cover the entire barrel of your bat, you run the risk of unevenly breaking in the inner wall, which will negatively affect your hits. A bat with an unevenly broken-in barrel will significantly affect your hits, giving you unreliable results.
The Last 100 Hits
From the tee, move on to pitches, swinging at the ball with all of your power while rotating your bat after each hit. This is the final stretch, so you need to make sure you hit the ball with everything you have; anything less, and you might not get the results you want. After you finish up with the final 100 hits, your bat is ready for games.
Pre-Broken-In Bats
The break-in process can take a long time and tire you out, but there are ways to get your hands on a rolled bat. Rolled bats come with the inner wall already broken in, creating a flexible barrel that provides the same effect as breaking it in the traditional way. The legality of rolled bats varies, so make sure you check with officials to understand whether or not you can use one.
Before stepping onto the field, you need to make sure the equipment you have will allow you to perform at your best. If not, you’ll only sabotage yourself and hurt the performance of your team as a whole. Know how to break in your baseball bat for the best experience possible and to give yourself the edge in games.
Van Rundell is a writer and author who specializes in transportation, travel, guidance, health & fitness. With over 10 years of experience in the industry as a driver and an entrepreneur, he has seen it all. His tone is professional but friendly with a dash of humor thrown in for good measure. In past, he has been advising, educating and writing about transport for the public and professionals alike.
A qualified fitness instructor with over 5 years’ experience as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, Van brings his deep knowledge of health and exercise science to his articles on health & fitness.
