Which is Better for Student Baseball, A Wooden Bat or a Non-Wood Bat?’
Baseball Softball Association public hearing successfully completed… Association: “We will think deeply about it”
As there was a lot of discussion about whether wooden bats should continue to be used in student baseball or whether to return to non-wood bats,
such as aluminum bats, the Korea Baseball Softball Association (hereinafter referred to as the Association) held a public hearing and heard various opinions.
According to the association on the 29th, a ‘public hearing regarding bats to be used in competitions for under-18s (high school)’ was held at Daejeon Health University the previous day with 90 field leaders, parents, players, and certified bat company officials in attendance. 파워볼게임
A panel of experts, including journalists, discussed the clear definition and explanation of non-wood bats (alloy, hybrid, composite, etc.),
which were previously recognized as aluminum bats, the importance of thorough operation and management of the bat certification system,
the diversity and implications of interpretation through game data,
and the sports industry The need for a careful review of the overall situation, including the college entrance exam system, was shared with the attendees.
The association collected the results of a survey on bat material conducted over the past three years and student athlete game data (batting average, number of hits, number of home runs, slugging percentage, earned run average, strikeouts, average number of pitches per game, etc.)
since 2004 when the association switched to wooden bats, and reference materials such as non-wood bat testing methods and standards were presented.
As Korean baseball recently performed poorly in international competitions, voices began to emerge that non-wood bats should be used again in order to prevent student baseball, which is the lifeblood of baseball, from drying out.
The view is that if student athletes use non-wood bats with good repulsion and swing more boldly, their offensive power will improve.
Cost saving was also taken into consideration as it is more durable than wooden bats, which tend to break easily.
On the other hand, there is a counterargument that returning to non-wood bats without a thorough analysis after 20 years of using wooden bats could have a negative impact on the stabilization of player performance and the industry as a whole.
According to the association, attendees said, ‘It was an opportunity to clearly understand non-wood bats,’
‘I wish there were more events or opportunities like this in relation to the association system,’ and ‘There seem to be some aspects that need to be verified by forming an expert group.
It is said that responses such as ‘I hope it will be carried out with a sufficient grace period through a careful approach and clear procedures’.
In a bat preference survey conducted through anonymous voting after the public hearing,
wooden bats (67.9%) dominated non-wooden bats (30.9%).
Kim Yong-gyun, secretary general of the association, said, “We will continue to collect opinions from various stakeholders,
including coaches, players, and parents, and carefully consider the selection of student baseball bats.”