Friday, October 31, 2008

Composite Softball Bat Rolling - Is it Allowed?

As bats go, composite bats are relatively new on the market, considering wooden bats have been around for well over a hundred years. While there are a number of prohibited ways to juice baseball bats, with corking of wooden bats being one of the oldest, the fact is that not all of them are prohibited.

Not Banned

Bat rolling is one method of enhancing a baseball bats hitting ability and it is most commonly done to composite bats made from graphite fiber. In fact, it is virtually impossible to tell if a bat has been rolled or not, so banning composite bat rolling would be a moot point.

A Rigid Product

Composite bats are made from graphite fiber and polymer resin. It is an excellent manufacturing material combination and they are used to make a number items in every day use, including car and boat parts. However; for a bat, the finished product is slightly more rigid then is optimal for maximum distance on a hit ball.

Duplicates the Natural Seasoning Process

Bat rolling duplicates the natural seasoning process that takes place in a composite bat that has experienced heavy use. It is accomplished by repeatedly passing the bat between two rotating rubber wheels. The result is that the graphite fibers are stretched and the polymer bonds are loosened as well on the interior of the bat.

A Better Way to Go

Is there a benefit that bat rolling has over the standard seasoning process which is done by hitting 500-600 balls with a bat? You bet there is, because when a bat is rolled it is a far more controlled process that leaves the entire bats hitting area equally treated, which means no bad spots in the bat and far more predictability. Also, its a lot cheaper too when you consider the time and effort it takes to hit a ball so many times.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josephine_Maxten

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