Posted by: Jeff M (arhmobile@yahoo.com) on Fri Apr 16 08:25:14 2004

I'm new here, my name is Jesse and I'm 15. Currently, I own a 33" wood bat that I swing daily. I'm not sure how heavy it is, partly because I don't have a scale for ounces and partly because, like most wood bats, it just doesn't say (but I'm guessing about 31 oz). Like most hitters, I'm looking for a way to improve my bat speed. I couldn't really tell you if my swing is quick or slow, because no one has ever commented on it to me. The summer is coming up, which means I'll have a lot of free time on my hands. My thinking is to buy a tee and just hit ball after ball every day. After reading some of the articles on this website, it's clear the writers know what they're talking about, so I trust their opinion. Keep in mind, I don't have a lot of money to spend on any special bat speed tool or anything like that, but I would like to know what you recommend I do to improve my bat speed? Is the tee a good idea? Should I do more?
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> P.S. Is bat speed a natural thing? Can a hitter only improve his or her's to a certain point, or, with enough work, is any level of bat speed atainable?
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> Thanks a lot, any help will do!
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> Jesse

When I was your age I was in the same position (33" wood bat)and I used to play 500 with my friends. This helped with my overall strength. I would suggest you use the heavier wood bat as an overload training tool, swing it on a regular basis all summer, then invest in a newer metal bat...same length but lighter (-3) and you should notice a vast improvement in batspeed. Also go find an old tire and hang it up by a rope from a tree branch...and using your wood bat...use it as a "punching bag". Continue to read the posts on this site, and work on developing an "athletic/rotational/repeating swing...one you can take to the ballpark and translate to base hits.
You don't need a lot of money to play baseball...so see if you can hook up with a team this summer and get some good rep's.
Just my thoughts.
Jeff M