Victor Greco
ENC 1102 Composition II
Instructor: Stephanie Shultz
Everest University Online
Juiced Softball Bats What is an altered bat (also known as “doctored bat” or “juiced bat”) is a bat that has been physically altered from it’s “out of the wrapper” certified condition. (CincySoftball.com) Popular bat alteration include painting, end-loading, and shaving the barrel. Players, who are aware that the performance of composite bats tends to improve with use, attempt to shorten the amount for a bat to reach its maximum performance by employing the ABI (accelerated break-in). (CincySoftball.com) these characteristics of a bat are weight, inertia, and wall thickness. Instead it changes the properties of the bat how it flexes, and barrel stiffness.
Other techniques used to juice a bat include doctoring, juicing, end loading, knob loading, and bat rolling. (ASAsoftball.com) Altered bats are supposed to be used for batting practice or home run derbies not sanction play. Having a juiced bat greatly exceeds the standards of performance “guaranteed” by the certification stamp it bears. (CincySoftball.com)
So many players try to attempt to artificially improve the performance of their bats by altering them in so many different ways. They think that they will hit the ball harder and farther. There will be times that the alteration to the bat is unnoticed, and those players get away with it.
There is some disagreement about whether or not ABI (accelerated break-in) falls under the category of “bat doctoring.” (CincySoftball.com) Using an altered bat with the bat being certified is a federal crime. Many bat manufacturers have put a patent design logo on the bat. If a bat goes through testing and does not pass the certification of ASA (American Softball Association), USSSA (United Softball Specialty Sports Association), NSF (National Softball Federation), ISF (International Softball Federation), NCAA National Collegiate Association),
References: “ASA The National Governing of Softball (2011). Retrieved July 30, 2011 from, http://www.asasoftball.com/about/certified_equipment.asp “CincySoftball.com” Greater Cincinnati Softball News (2011). Retrieved July 30, 2011 from, http://www.cincysoftball.com/dugout/index.php?threads/100-000-00-fines-handed-out-altered- bats/14401