Quick Take
Testing showed a 1.0 mph increase in exit velocity after a 200-swing break-in period, supporting claims that composite bats perform better when broken in. We also discuss how to break it in and, after all that work, suggest you should likely let your bat work in naturally.
Over the past decade, we have broken in many composite and fastpitch baseball bats. We will tell you some of our tricks below.
How to break in your bat:
- Take the bat out of the wrapper
- Use a tee or soft toss
- After each hit, rotate the bat between 1/8 and 1/4 a turn.
- Alternate hitting inside the sweet spot and then outside the sweet spot
- Repeat at least 200 times—the more, the merrier
- Alternate hitters—use hitters that are much stronger than the bat’s size is intended for
Should Your Bat In At All?
Some make the case, including us, that you should allow your composite bats to work naturally. We’ve documented that working a bat in doesn’t considerably change the exit velocity (likely less than 2mph). So, why not get more life out of your bat instead of hurrying up to get it to the point where it might break more often?
That’s sound advice and something we work with when we get new bats.
Does a Composite Bat Work In Work?
We took our Rapsodo hitting device and tested pre- and post-break-in exit speed velocities on a brand-new, out-of-the-wrapper composite bat in 31-inch drop 10. We found a slight increase in ball exit speed (1.0 mph faster) after the 200+ swing break-in period.
Although the exit speed positively correlates with the break-in, we are not ready to make such a claim for every bat. The data is encouraging enough to assume that what manufacturers have told us for years is true: composite bats perform better after breaking in.
Collected Pre/Post Break in Baseball Flight Data
30 Hits Fresh out of the Wrapper
Avg: 58.4mph Rapsodo Exit Velo
30 Hits After 200+ Work In Hits
Avg: 59.4 mph Rapsodo Exit Velo
Pre-Break-In Composite Exit Velocity
Post Break-In Composite Exit Velocity
How Much More Exit Velocity Does a Composite Break-In Produce?
With our limited data and resources, we cannot provide a scientific answer to that question. Better answers can be formed through insights from articles like this one by Dr. Russell at Penn State.
Our anecdotal test says that the composite Quatro improved exit speed after breaking it in. Our 30 hits average increased by 1.2mph of exit speed or, at a perfect angle, about 5 feet of distance. If you are playing on a 210-foot fence, 5 feet might be all the difference you need.
We think other composite bats run similarly in terms of break-in and changes in exit velocity. As such, we suggest you break in your composite baseball or softball bat with at least 200+ hits to get better performance.
