Posted by: Greg (gthc@aol.com) on Wed Mar 21 14:17:31 2001

Hi Steve and Jeff,

I am new to this study of bat speed and force, but am interested because my daughter plays and I am trying to determine an appropriate bat size and weight. One thing confuses me regarding calculations involving the mass of the bat. I would contend that you have to consider the mass of the batter's arms (and maybe additional body parts), not just the mass of the bat itself. Aren't the arms just an extension of the bat and therefore contribute to its effective mass? It just seems logical to me that if a 60 pound hitter and a 200 pound hitter can swing a given bat at the same speed, the 200 pounder will get more distance. What do you think?

Greg