If you're a softball player, you want to play to your highest ability, consistentlybe the best you can be, right? If you're a player, coach, or a player's parent you want your players to work with gear that maximizes their strengths and enhances their value to the team, right?

Of course! That's what competitors and sports enthusiasts do. They exert maximum energy to do their best. The object in competitive sports is to play hard, train hard, compete hard, improve their skills and win. A big part of being a strong player in any sport is carefully selecting the gear that works best for you. This means being smart and learning about the gear, the options, what's excellent, what works and why.

In softball, it means finding the best wood softball bat to fit your game. For a player, choosing the right bat is a fundamental decision. Fortunately, pro-grade hard maple softball bats—reliable, effective, and well-designed softball, training, and coaching bats—are available to fit every player's game and budget.

Softball Bats — Considerations in Selecting the Right Softball Bat

Not all softball bats are the same. Great softball and training bats are made of rock hard sugar maple because it is stronger and has a denser grain structure compared to other wood bats. This gives bats great durability and long performance life. Hard maple's tight grain prevents the wood bat from flaking or separating. All X Bat softball bats are made from the same hard maple that over 300 Major Leaguers say is the hardest wood bat made anywhere.

Approach the plate with a softball bat that matches your swing style. Consider three essential things when selecting a softball bat to match your swing style:

Length — Various softball bat models are offered in lengths from 32" to 36".  The softball bat should match the length of your arm to your fingertips, as measured by holding the bat knob at the center of your chest and extending the barrel out toward your fingertips. If your fingertips touch the end of the bat, the bat is an appropriate size. If your fingers don't reach the end of the bat, it may be too long; if your wrist reaches to the end of the bat, the bat's likely too short.

Weight — The appropriate weight of a softball bat can change depending on your body style, the type of batter you are, and the speed of the pitchers you commonly face (heavier bats take longer to get through the zone, so you won't be too early on pitches from slower pitchers).

The key to selecting the right weight is your comfort and balance when swinging the bat. Heavy bats cause your swing to naturally drop lower, leading to an upward angle in the swing. To determine if a bat is a reasonable weight for your body, hold the bat with one hand extended to your side. If you can do this for 30 seconds without fatigue, the bat is a good weight for you. The bat shouldn't feel so heavy that your arms tire when you swing, and shouldn't be so light that your hands pass too quickly through the zone.

Drop — A bat's “drop” is a negative number equal to its length minus its weight. Typically, the lower the drop the heavier the bat. E.g., if a bat is 34 inches long and weighs 24 ounces, its drop is -10. The higher the drop, the lighter the bat. Consult your league's rules, to ascertain any limit on the amount of drop permitted in a softball bat. Bats with a low drop can be balanced with a shorter length to retain a quick swing. Official ASA rules state that a bat's drop cannot exceed 12 or be lower than eight.

What to Look For

Pick a bat based on its performance. The key to selecting a good bat (i.e., one that performs really well) is finding the perfect size and weight to fit you. A bat has to be what works for you, not what works for someone else (like your teammates). When you're swinging that bat, it's just the two of you performing together, no one else. You and your bat need to balance each other. Above all else, the bat needs to feel right, be comfortable and balanced in your hands and with your stances, and give you a sense of ease, confidence and control.

When swinging a wood bat, most experts suggest you should use as heavy a bat as possible to provide plenty of mass behind the ball, giving the ball a lot of pop. Light wood softball bats have less mass behind the ball, which limits your ability to hit the softball hard and far. So, don't pick a bat that's too light if you want performance. Think of a light softball bat like swinging a broomstick- you can swing it really fast but the ball won't go very far. This is very different than selecting a wood baseball bat,

Ultimately, your perfect bat is personal preference. You may be a player that likes heavier bats (even to +5) for their power, while other players like the control and bat speed they gain when swinging a slightly lighter bat (-2 to even).

Custom Softball Bats

X Bats takes your bat selection options to another level by offering custom created pro grade hard maple softball bats to fit your particular style, game preferences and budget. Conveniently grouping five bat models by characteristics, X Bats makes your softball bat selection process even easier and more reliable.

Differences in handle thicknesses (from 7/8” to 1”), and handle flares (long and medium), and knob styles (small or large) combine to give you the following general types of softball bats to choose from, each in nine lengths from 32” to 36”, including half inch increments:

Best Balanced / ASA Model 73 — a long-barreled bat with a long flared handle transitioning to a large knob for optimal comfort, balance and a light swing feel. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this bat gives power hitters and contact hitters great power and control.

End Loaded / ASA Model 59 — a long-barreled bat with a long thin handle transitioning straight to a small knob. With a thin 7/8″ handle thickness, the thin handle and long barrel delivers an end-loaded feel for players who like to feel the “crack-the-whip” barrel snap through the hitting zone. This bat works well for players accustomed to thin-handled non-wood bats.

Thin Handled / ASA Model 59 — a long-barreled bat with a long thin handle transitioning straight to a small knob. With a thin 7/8″ handle thickness, the thin handle and long barrel delivers an end-loaded feel for players who like to feel the “crack-the-whip” barrel snap through the hitting zone.

Medium Handled / ASA Model 41 — a long-barreled bat with a long medium handle transitioning straight to a conventional small knob. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this bat delivers a neutral feel for players who like to use the whole field. It's the most versatile bat for teams and most players.

Thick Handled / ASA Model 61 — a long-barreled bat with a long thick handle transitioning straight to a conventional small knob. With a thick 1″ handle thickness, this bat is ideal for players who want balance, but with a straight handle, especially players with smaller hands seeking better control of the bat head.

Power Hitters / ASA Model 73 — a long-barreled bat with a long flared handle transitioning to a large knob for optimal comfort, balance and a light swing feel. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this bat gives power hitters and contact hitters great power and control.

Contact/Gap Hitters / ASA Model 71  — a long-barreled bat with a long, flared medium handle transitioning gradually to a conventional small knob. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this is a great bat for contact and gap hitters who want to control the bat head and place the ball.

Each of these bat types is available in your selection of 38 colors and custom personalized engraving.

In Stock / Pro Stock Softball Bats

X Bats keeps three of its most popular ASA softball bat models in both 33” and 34” lengths in stock and ready to ship to you immediately. These pro grade hard maple softball bats are kept in stock for customers who want the exact same quality X Bat quickly without waiting for customization or paying rush charges.

Differences in handle thicknesses (from 7/8” to 1”), and handle flares (long and medium), and knob styles (small or large) combine to give you the following general types of softball bats to choose from, each in nine lengths from 32” to 36”:

Best Balanced / ASA Model 73 — a long-barreled bat with a long flared handle transitioning to a large knob for optimal comfort, balance and a light swing feel. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this bat gives power hitters and contact hitters great power and control.

End Loaded / ASA Model 59 — a long-barreled bat with a long thin handle transitioning straight to a small knob. With a thin 7/8″ handle thickness, the thin handle and long barrel delivers an end-loaded feel for players who like to feel the “crack-the-whip” barrel snap through the hitting zone. This bat works well for players accustomed to thin-handled non-wood bats.

Thin Handled / ASA Model 59 — a long-barreled bat with a long thin handle transitioning straight to a small knob. With a thin 7/8″ handle thickness, the thin handle and long barrel delivers an end-loaded feel for players who like to feel the “crack-the-whip” barrel snap through the hitting zone.

Medium Handled / ASA Model 41 — a long-barreled bat with a long medium handle transitioning straight to a conventional small knob. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this bat delivers a neutral feel for players who like to use the whole field. It's the most versatile bat for teams and most players.

Power Hitters / ASA Model 73 — a long-barreled bat with a long flared handle transitioning to a large knob for optimal comfort, balance and a light swing feel. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this bat gives power hitters and contact hitters great power and control.

Contact/Gap Hitters / ASA Model 73  — a long-barreled bat with a long, flared medium handle transitioning gradually to a conventional small knob. With a medium 15/16″ handle thickness, this is a great bat for contact and gap hitters who want to control the bat head and place the ball.

About ASA Sanction on Softball Bats

The American Softball Association issues rules and regulations concerning size, shape and weight of softball bats sanctioned for play. Because ASA—one of a number of softball sanctioning bodies in the U.S. USSSA, NSA and ISA—typically has the most strict batted-ball speed policies, bats conforming to its standards and bearing its certified stamp will be approved in almost all leagues. Any bat you select for softball league play must be ASA-approved. These bats feature an ASA-certified stamp engraved on their barrel, verifying that it's legal.

In accord with ASA rules, all of X Bats' softball bats are identical in size and shape from the transition through the 2 1/4" barrel.

Easy to Order and Customize — Online

Softball and training bats are available in a number of sizes and shapes. You won't have a problem or waste any time creating your perfect training bat—it's is easy to customize using our user-friendly online “xbat configurator.” We've made it as simple as it can be with the website tool. Even better X-Bats' state-of-the-art laser engraving equipment gets your training bat order details right every time. It's easy to add your team or coach's name or logo, season, championships, etc.

Now that you know how easy it is to identify, select and customize softball bats, we hope you'll let us help you help others use a softball bat that works best for them, train properly and become the ball players they want to be.