How to select a Bat
Subscribe to our NewsletterMeasuring a bat
MEASURING YOURSELF FOR A BAT
This measurement will tell you where you should be looking on the chart below:
| Weight/Height | 3'5"- 3'8" | 3'9" - 4' | 4'1"- 4'4" | 4'5"- 4'-8" | 4'9"- 5' | 5'1"- 5'-4" | 5'5"- 5'-8" | 5'9"- 6' | 6'1"- Over' |
| Under 60 lbs | 27" | 28" | 29" | 29" | |||||
| 61 - 70 lbs | 27" | 28" | 29" | 30" | 30" | ||||
| 71 - 80 lbs | 28" | 28" | 29" | 30" | 30" | 31" | |||
| 81 - 90 lbs | 28" | 29" | 29" | 30" | 30" | 31" | |||
| 91 - 100 lbs | 29" | 29" | 30" | 30" | 31" | 31" | 31" | ||
| 101 - 110 lbs | 29" | 29" | 30" | 30" | 31" | 31" | 32" | ||
| 111 - 120 lbs | 29" | 29" | 30" | 30" | 31" | 31" | 32" | ||
| 121 - 130 lbs | 30" | 30" | 30" | 31" | 32" | 32" | 33" | ||
| 131 - 140 lbs | 30" | 30" | 30" | 31" | 32" | 32" | 33" | 33" | |
| 141 - 150 lbs | 30" | 30" | 31" | 31" | 32" | 33" | 33" | 33" | |
| 151 - 160 lbs | 30" | 31" | 31" | 31" | 32" | 33" | 33" | 34" | |
| 161 - 170 lbs | 31" | 31" | 32" | 32" | 33" | 33" | 34" | ||
| 171 - 180 lbs | 31" | 32" | 32" | 33" | 34" | 34" | |||
| Over 180 lbs | 33" | 33" | 34" | 34" |
CHOOSING THE CORRECT LENGTH YOUTH BAT: MEASURE HEIGHT
Be sure you measure with his/her baseball cleats on. Stand a bat next to your child and compare him/her to the bat. The bat should reach, but not exceed, your child’s hip. If it reaches past his/her hip area, it’s going to be too long to swing.
**Put the knob of the bat at the center of your chest with the bat facing outward if you can reach your arm out and grab the barrel of the bat, it’s the right size.
WHAT IS BAT DROP Weight?
Bat weight is measured by the minus or drop weight. Drop weight is the difference between the length and weight of the bat, so a bat that is 30 inches long and has a drop weight of -10 will weigh 20 ounces. The bigger the drop weight is, the lighter the bat will weigh.
If you are a strong player, you may assume you want a heavier bat. This is not necessarily the case. You’ll want to swing a bat that still allows you to generate the ideal amount of bat speed through the zone. Finding this balance could be difficult at first, but once you do, you’ll be hitting the ball farther and harder than you could have imagined.
After finding a baseline for the length of the bat, it’s important to incorporate the length of the bat into deciding on the weight. For youth softball, the taller the child, the longer the bat should be. They may not be strong enough to use a heavier bat, so they would have a bat with a larger weight drop.
Deciding on the length and weight of the bat you swing is a personal choice - you should try combining what is comfortable with what style of player you want to be. Keep in mind that the chart below can be used to find bat drop for both baseball and softball bats and it can be used by both adult and youth players:
BAT SIZING CHARTS BY AGE AND LEAGUE
While the allowable drop weight varies between leagues, bat length is something that can be generalized by age group.
EXAMPLES FOR FASTPITCH SOFTBALL FOR
REFERENCING ONLY
FASTPITCH SOFTBALL BAT SIZING BY AGE
Lastly, we have a fastpitch softball bat sizing chart by age. As players get older, the bats get longer and heavier, with a lower bat drop (difference between length and weight).
Fastpitch 2 1/4" Softball Bats
| Age | Under 7 | 8-9 | 10-11 | 12-13 | 14 and Over |
| Length | 24"-26" | 26"-29" | 28"-31" | 29"-33" | 31"-34" |
| Drop | (-13.5)-(-10) | (-13.5)-(-10) | (-13)-(-8) | (-12)-(-8) | (-10)-(-8) |
