MIDDLE SCHOOL

Got a question. I've heard in middle school ball you have to use a -3 drop bat? Is this true. If so, how do you make the transition from a 30-21 to a 30-27.

 

Unless they have changed the rule recently, then yes...it is -3. And many 13-14 yo make the transfer of bat drop when they move up to regulation fields. The transition from LL to that age group is by far the toughest transition they will ever face in baseball. The one advantage they find is that the pitching, in general, is much slower than their previous years

 

Niteowl

With out any knowledge of the boy it's hard to be accurate, but that has never stopped Braves or me before, so here goes. Braves has already pointed out the transition for the pitchers from 46' approx. to 60' hence they are slowed down. This can give some kids a sense that they can swing a heavier bat - but I personally think instead of thinking of going to a 30-27 you may need to be thinking 28-25, 29-26 etc.

Most kids I see at that level are swinging to heavy a bat. Learning to stay back and let a pitch get deep, sitting on a curve ball and taking it the opposite way necessitates a lighter bat than most use.

 

MS distance

don't know if it's the same all across NC or not, but in our area the MS pitching distance is not 60' ; not sure of the exact distance but it's in the 50's. & the bases are 75' I think not 90'.

but still yes it slows the pitches down so adjustments are needed.

 

Nash County middle schools play 54/80. That is probably the best transition setup as it nearly splits the 46/60-60/90. I believe AAU goes straight to 60/90 from little league distance, so that is likely more prevalent in most places. I would agree that using a 29/26 bat, if possible, is the best route to make the transition to -3. Some argue that using too heavy a weight is detrimental to recruiting fast twitch muscle fiber. If that is correct, then you could possibly delay the development of good batspeed.

 

My son is about 5'3" and around 110 lbs. He has very quick hands. He still has another year before he can play.(only a 6th grader).Should we start making the change next spring or fall. At 12u their pitching distance is 50'.

 

-5 bats can be used in Middle School here.

 

Same here

 

The "TRANSITION"

Here are some thoughts about "the transition"

1. Heavy bats make for bad habits. At least go to a shorter length to compensate and keep good swing mechanics.

2. 60 ft mounds make for sore arms so limit the kids to 2 or 3 innings at a time while they are 13-14 unless you want problems.

3. 54/80 would be worlds better for 13-14 year olds. It plays more like real baseball so that they keep learning the game as it is really played.

But, what can you do if the middle school and/or travel ball teams play 60/90?

60/90 is just as bad for 13-14's as 46ft (and no leads) is at 12u.

4. If you want to know if it is close to real baseball just pay attention to the walks and k's.

Here's what I mean...... At 50ft the 12's have an average of 3 or 4 k's per game which compares well to a 9 inning game at a higher level. If there's more than about 15-20% K's it's not real baseball. That's why 46ft is bad.

I know Roger K'd 20 in a game but day in and day out they don't K more than about 15-20% of the hitters in a typical ballgame.

Not only that..... the LL fielders just stand there all game watching the big kid throw 70+ past every kid on the other team.

Now then, when watching the 13-14's pay attention to the Walks. They too should be in the 3-4 range (or less). From 60ft when you see the 13-14's walk 8+ a game you know the benefits of the baseball you've commited your weekend to are being minimized. From 54 ft at that age you'll see the k's and BB's stay about right and the wear and tear on arms isn't so bad. That's all the arms by the way, not just the Pitchers!

Hit the Ball, Field the Ball, Throw the Ball. It's exactly what Abner had in mind!

 

Middle School Ball

I'm a middle school baseball coach and we play 60-90 and 46 mound.Pitching has changed from 12-10 innings.We finished 3rd in the conference last year.Hopefully we will have a better finish this year.Bat rule is ok but would be better if they had it like last year.