Softball is like any other sport. The better the equipment you use the more likely you are to perform better. Does that mean if you go out and buy a five hundred dollar softball bat that you will be a super star? No. You do have to have some skill. But, skill will only take you so far, you have to know how to choose the correct and the best equipment for your sport. For softball that means you have to know how to choose a good bat that is right for you.
Before we go any further lets briefly review some terminology. Bat lengths and weights are standardized and controlled by league governing bodies. A slow pitch baseball bat is between 33 and 34 inches long in total length and its fast pitch counterpart is between 32 and 34 inches long. A slow pitches weight is between 26 and 30 ounces. Where as a fastpitch softball bat weighs between 23 and 28 ounces.

Bat profiles. A bat profile encompasses a bats length, diameter and taper between the major parts of the bats. A bat is made up of three primary parts; the handle, the taper and the barrel. Whether you are playing baseball, slow-pitch or fast-pitch softball will determine the characteristics of these three distinct parts.

The handle widths for both slow-pitch and fast-pitch are very thin and are about 12 inches in length. The handle width and length is not heavily regulated so there is a bit of variance in these characteristics depending on the manufacturer. The handle is joined to the barrel of the bat via the area called the taper. The taper is about 12 to 14 inches long and the diameter slowly increases to meet the diameter of the barrel. Fast-pitch bats have longer barrels than slow pitch bats. With fast pitch the barrel can sometimes consume more than half the over all length of the bat. This is accomplished by decreasing the taper area. Fast-pitch bats have longer barrels so the potential hitting area is increased. The barrel of both types of bats is a constant 2 ? in diameter.

Bat stiffness refers to the trampoline affect. The trampoline affect describes how a softball pushes in an area of a bat on impact and then the same are acts like a spring against the surface of the ball propelling it away from the bat. Many bat manufacturers use different techniques and designs to attempt to control this affect. In affect this is known as the sweet spot of a bat.

Handle stiffness refers to exactly what it sounds like. The more stiff the handle of a bat is the easier the bat is to control; he less stiff it is the less control. But, with a less stiff a bat is the greater the power that can be pushed through the bat, maximizing the trampoline affect.

So when choosing a bat, you will need to know which type of softball you plan on playing. The truth of the matter is that you really need to tryout a large number of different types of bats before choosing any one bat. This way you can easily determine the length, weight, and trampoline affect that you prefer. This will also help you determine the type of bat that is easiest to control.