Softball is highly competitive, and there are so many athletes trying to find a way to get ahead. Naturally, fielding, base running, and throwing are vital to any team and are requirements for any athlete to pursue, but hitting is what really separates a special player from his teammates. One of the most effective tools for improving your hitting is having the right bat for your swing and for your hitting style. Unlike youth baseball bat purchases which are purchased by a parent, slow pitch softball bats are most often purchased directly by the player. While there are many excellent bats available on the market, it is crucial to find one that can be designed specifically to take advantage of your strengths and to minimize your weaknesses as a hitter. Hitting for power and hitting for average are both vital for a player who wants to make a mark on the game of softball. X Bat has the bats and the knowledge to make sure that your every skill is heightened, and that the holes in your swing continue to shrink so that every ball you see is huge and slow.

Per ASA rules, all softball bats are identical from the transition through the 2 1/4" barrel. There are, however, still many variables to consider when looking at a bat, and these variables can either help or hurt your swing. What we are looking for is line drives. A quality drive is one that leaves the bat straight and hard and does not move up or down – it is called a “line” drive for a reason.

Most softball bats weigh between 26 and 30 ounces. A bat that is too heavy will slow down a hitter's swing and ruin the natural mechanics that have been worked on since childhood to develop. A heavy bat will even affect a hitter's stance, making a quality cut through the zone almost impossible. While there are some players who want the heaviest bat possible thinking that it will enhance their power, the truth is that all the potential power in the world is useless without the bat speed and the bat control to make solid contact with the pitch.

On the other hand, the dangers of using a too-light bat are equally real. While we have all read about players cheating by lightening their bats, light weight is not the only element that will improve one's bat control. When a bat is too light, a hitter tends to swing too rapidly – moving the barrel of the bat through the strike zone too quickly to be properly controlled. True power comes from the hips, and a light bat can encourage the shoulders to outpace the hips, thereby stealing the true power from a swing.

The length of your bat is also critical. Softball bats are most often 34 inches long, but can be as short as 32 inches or as long as 36 inches. The length partially determines how the weight is distributed from the knob to the end and is vital to the feel of the bat as it moves through your swing. While what can be measured about the efficacy of a bat is important, so too is what cannot be readily measured: most notably feel. The feel can inspire the confidence that hitters need to face down the barrel of the pitcher's arm, providing the self-assurance that no matter how needed their bat is, they can find a way to deliver.

The drop of a bat is yet another element to consider. This describes the difference between the length of the bat and its weight. The higher the drop, the more end loaded the bat will feel. The head of the bat will have more mass in it than the handle and the feel of the bat as it moves through your swing will differ sharply from a bat with a low drop. A low drop bat will feel as if the weight is evenly distributed and can lead to a more controlled feel in the swing.

No matter what your swing is and what you need to emphasize to make yourself a complete hitter, X Bat has the knowledge and the experience and the equipment you need to support your game and your skills. Make sure that all the work that you have put into your swing is not wasted by using a sub-standard or ill-chosen bat. Come to X Bat to make your game all it can be.