The New BBCOR Baseball Bat Rule in High School Baseball

By Adam LaGrange The world of high school baseball is changing. A brand new standard for baseball bats will take effect January 1, 2012 for all high schools all over the country. The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) has ruled that all baseball bats used for high school play will have to be BBCOR certified beginning from the new season. The state of California already had this rule in place for the 2011 season. The NCAA, in addition to the other collegiate associations, also applied the brand new principle for 2011. The acronym, BBCOR, means "Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution." The brand new standard will replace the previous BESR (Ball Exit Speed Ratio) standard that had been in position in the 2011 season. The latter rule measured the ratio of the baseball's exit in comparison to the speed of both the pitch and also the swing of the bat. The BBCOR rating essentially measures the trampoline effect of the bat's walls. I won't bore you with the precise formula for the measurement, but think about the wall of the bat as being a trampoline. When you hop upwards and after that down onto the flexible fabric of the trampoline, it compresses after which it springs back up, so you can leap higher than you would off of a typical floor. The same thing happens using a thin-walled baseball bat. When the baseball hits the bat, the wall of the bat compresses like a trampoline, permitting the baseball to essentially maintain more of its energy and travel farther and a lot quicker away from the bat. The BBCOR standard regulates this trampoline effect, proclaiming that it cannot be over a measurement of.50. All bats shall be forced to contain the BBCOR logo branded on them to be lawful in high school play with the 2012 season. By putting into action this brand new guideline, the NFHS hopes to return the experience more to its roots, when wooden baseball bats were typical. This standard will hopefully bring the overall performance of the bats closer to their wooden cousins. By reducing the speed of the ball, the game will likely be played in different ways. Homeruns will not be as frequent as they have been in recent years. Plus, we'll possibly experience a return to "small-ball." There could also be the chance of hitters to revisit utilizing wooden bats a little more. With the BBCOR bats performing more like wood, batters definitely won't be gaining quite as much when using the non-wooden bats, allowing them to get the personal choice of working with wooden bats again. Safety factors are yet another area the NFHS desires to see a marked improvement with the advent of the BBCOR standard. The lowering of the ball's acceleration should minimize the risk that fielders deal with on the defensive side of the ball, especially for the pitcher. With the gain in safety, it will be interesting to look at how similar leagues follow the NCAA and NFHS. Little League Baseball suspended composite bats last season, but removed the moratorium on specific bats. Will they follow suit and make BBCOR their certification too? Leagues, such as Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken, Pony, etc., don't currently have particular prohibitions on bats currently. Quite possibly, they're waiting around to check how the BBCOR standard plays out in the older age leagues before making a conclusion on their side. Obviously, that is pure speculation on the author's part. Overall, the new guideline really should make the sport a better experience for every individual included. No longer should it be just an offensive highlight as it has been in years past. And, the better safety of the sport will likely be a marked improvement for players, coaches, umpires, and spectators. To learn more about BBCOR baseball bats and baseball bat reviews, please visit www.eBaseballBatReviews. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_LaGrange Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6453249