Hard pressed bats

[frz]

Question for knowledgable bat owners:

How long does it take to knock in a hard pressed bat? And does knocking in only protect the bat from cracking or does it improve the ping also? I have a bat (bubber Sher) and at the moment it feels no better than a log of wood!! Should I keep knocking it???

Thanks!

 

[Cover Drive]

May I ask how much have you knocked your Bubber Sher for?

As far knocking is concerned there is no approximate figure which tells how much a bat should be knocked. It all depends on the wood and how long it takes to open up. And I would say fractionally it depends on the grains.

Some bats are soft pressed and if you knock A LOT then you might have over knocked them and they would have become harder pressed which won't ping

 

[frz]

Not much so far.. about two hours with a ball mallet.

The middle feels decent but if the ball hits anywhere but smack in the middle it feels like a plank! Will knocking it further improve the ping?

 

[shirazi_r]

You definitely haven't over knocked it. All bats take time to open up and this is no exception. The ball will shock when you don't middle it and even the middle might not be spectacular but give it time.

Once you're confident that you've knocked the bat in enough to keep it from being damaged, take it into the nets and you'll feel it get better with every session!

Remember, bats are best right before they break so be patient and Inshallah your bat will play like Afridi's.

 

[momin97]

yeh i had a rbk and it was at its prime before the handle broke and its wood is still very good.
i had it for 5 years and for the last year it had the best ping

 

[frz]

@momin, I'm sure you can get the handle replaced..

I guess I'll keep knocking it.. I'm wondering though if the bat needs more knocking or if its just a sucky bat with no hope..

 

[90MPH]

I had some of the same problems with some of the bats I bought last year.
My advice is just keep knocking the bat, especially the toe area and the spine area just below the handle. Also oil it as well if it looks dry.
Some bats could take a few months to even about a year to open (that seemed to be the case with me anyway) so you may have to be patient for a while.

 

[momin97]

@momin, I'm sure you can get the handle replaced..

I guess I'll keep knocking it.. I'm wondering though if the bat needs more knocking or if its just a sucky bat with no hope..

here if you repalce the handle and get it fixed etc will cost me around $140 and with that money i could easily buy a CA 12000 plus

 

[SempreSami]

Play it in with some throw downs using a soft ball.

 

[momin97]

the rbk only had 4-6 grains but the ping was fantastic

 

[frz]

here if you repalce the handle and get it fixed etc will cost me around $140 and with that money i could easily buy a CA 12000 plus

Send it to me I'll get it done for 1/20th of that!

 

[frz]

I had some of the same problems with some of the bats I bought last year.
My advice is just keep knocking the bat, especially the toe area and the spine area just below the handle. Also oil it as well if it looks dry.
Some bats could take a few months to even about a year to open (that seemed to be the case with me anyway) so you may have to be patient for a while.

Sorry don't mean to be annoying but is there a way to tell whether the bat just needs more knocking or if it is rubbish quality and will never get better regardless of the time spent knocking?

 

[90MPH]

Sorry don't mean to be annoying but is there a way to tell whether the bat just needs more knocking or if it is rubbish quality and will never get better regardless of the time spent knocking?

I would suggest you hit the middle part of the bat with your mallet.
Then see if it has a springy or bouncy response compared to your other bats. If it not then you may need to keep knocking it for a while more.

If it does not seem to improve after say a few months when playing in the nets or matches then you maybe just very unlucky in that your bat is just a plank that will not improve.
But I would just be patient for a while and keep knocking.