Posted by: Rick Pena (rap7@pge.com) on Wed Mar 7 15:05:39 2001

I have a question...I coach a little league team (11 & 12 year olds). The other day during BP, I noticed a player swinging a bat that was obviously too heavy for him. I suggested he use a lighter bat, but the players Dad stopped him from using one during practice. he said he wanted his son taking BP with the bat that was too heavy and that he had a lighter one that would be used during games. It's my opinion that this will cause the players' timing to be off, am I wrong? Is this a good method to use? i've never heard of it before, but I want to be able to teach the right methods. Please let me know...Thank You. I wouldn't worry as much about timing as I would about throwing off his mechanics. How much heavier is the practice bat vs. game bat? If the bat is too heavy he may develop
> the habit of dragging it through the zone.

He is definetly dragging it through the zone. I'd say the bat is at least 4 - 5 oz. heavier than normal. He basically is struggling to even make contact, which makes me also worry about his confidence. Can you list me some ways that he can safely improve his bat speed so I can print them and give them to his dad?