Cricket Bats
This issue recently came up in another thread and i thought that it may be beneficial for new and existing members if I provided some information on firstly preparing your cricket bat then knocking it in.
The difference between bats:
There are 4 basic differences that separate different types of cricket bats used today. These are:
English Willow: The willow of choice for the serious cricketer. All top players around the world use English willow bats generally because of the responsiveness and power generated in strokeplay. English willow also has the tendancy to be lighter than Kashmir Willow bats.
Kashmir Willow: A traditional Indian willow which is commonly believed to be a ?cheaper alternative? to English willow and many find it less responsive in terms of the power produced when playing a shot.
Treated Bats: Bats that have been treated prior to sale are treated at the manufacturer (eg - Grey Nichols, Puma & Kookaburra) either through the use of specially designed machines or individuals. Quite often treated bats are designed for the middle of the market, allowing the new owner to use the bat a number of weeks earlier than if they had to treat the bat themselves.
Untreated Bats: Untreated bats are basically raw timber (either Kashmir or English willow) and require the owner to coat the bat with a protective oil (traditionally Linseed Oil). Untreated bats have traditionally been regarded as premium quality and often the higher grade of willow is sold untreated.
Treating the cricket bat
As previously mentioned, Linseed Oil is traditionally used for coating an untreated cricket bat.
1. Very lightly sand the bat to take off the slightest top layer of the bat. This will prepare it for the first initial coat. Use a very very light grade sand paper to do this, you are only trying to very lightly rough up the bat so that that it will absorb the oil more effectively.
2. Coat the bat with the linseed oil using a dry clean cloth. Run the cloth straight up the bat so that it is running with the grain (ie - not going from edge to edge). It is important to ensure that it is only a light coat so that it does not drench the willow.
3. Leave for 2 days at least - this will allow the oil time to be absorbed into the willow and strengthen the bat. Store the bat in a dry place to prevent moisture getting into the bat (if moisture gets into the bat it can cause the bat to warp). If you have time leaving the bat for roughly a week would be the optimal timing.
4. Sand back again, just taking the top layer of the oil off to prepare the willow again for oiling. Then repeat the oiling process again. This process should be repeated at least
So that is treating the bat. If you follow these steps you should now have a treated and stronger cricket bat. Now onto knocking the bat in.
Knocking In The New Bat
The majority of stores selling bats will recommend that the minimum numbers of hours required is 6-8. However it is important to point out that a cricket bat can never be knocked in too much. - meaning that the more time you spend on your bat the better it will handle its job and will provide better results for you.
1. Generally the best tool to use when knocking in the bat is a ball mounted on a wooden stick, these are available from practically all sporting stores. Then lay the bat down and start working the bat in with the ball. It is best to work from the middle out to the edges. This will begin simulating the effects of using the bat along with knocking the bat in at the same time
(The bat mallet)
2. When knocking in the bat pay special attention to the splice (the splice is the v-section joining the main body of the bat and the handle - generally located under the main sticker on the front of the bat) and the edges. The splice and edges are most commonly damaged during play. The more you focus on the edges and splice the stronger your bat will be and the longer it will last. Knocking in at home I would suggest should at least be done for 6-10 hours if you want your bat too last.
*** Be sure to also pay attention to the back of the bat to strengthen all parts of the bat. And when you are knocking in your bat it is common to think ?hey am I hitting it too hard?? - no matter how hard you can bring the ball onto the bat, the ball is going to hit it far harder in a match so youll be fine.
3. After you feel that the ball is starting to come off the bat with more force (generally the ball starts to make a ?ping? sound when it comes off the bat) you can then take it to the next level. Generally most players will take the bat to the nets and continue to work the ball in. At this time the best bet is to focus primarily on forward defensive shots and simple drives, this will not only strengthen the bat but also let you begin to connect to it.
This issue recently came up in another thread and i thought that it may be beneficial for new and existing members if I provided some information on firstly preparing your cricket bat then knocking it in.
The difference between bats:
There are 4 basic differences that separate different types of cricket bats used today. These are:
English Willow: The willow of choice for the serious cricketer. All top players around the world use English willow bats generally because of the responsiveness and power generated in strokeplay. English willow also has the tendancy to be lighter than Kashmir Willow bats.
Kashmir Willow: A traditional Indian willow which is commonly believed to be a ?cheaper alternative? to English willow and many find it less responsive in terms of the power produced when playing a shot.
Treated Bats: Bats that have been treated prior to sale are treated at the manufacturer (eg - Grey Nichols, Puma & Kookaburra) either through the use of specially designed machines or individuals. Quite often treated bats are designed for the middle of the market, allowing the new owner to use the bat a number of weeks earlier than if they had to treat the bat themselves.
Untreated Bats: Untreated bats are basically raw timber (either Kashmir or English willow) and require the owner to coat the bat with a protective oil (traditionally Linseed Oil). Untreated bats have traditionally been regarded as premium quality and often the higher grade of willow is sold untreated.
Treating the cricket bat
As previously mentioned, Linseed Oil is traditionally used for coating an untreated cricket bat.
1. Very lightly sand the bat to take off the slightest top layer of the bat. This will prepare it for the first initial coat. Use a very very light grade sand paper to do this, you are only trying to very lightly rough up the bat so that that it will absorb the oil more effectively.
2. Coat the bat with the linseed oil using a dry clean cloth. Run the cloth straight up the bat so that it is running with the grain (ie - not going from edge to edge). It is important to ensure that it is only a light coat so that it does not drench the willow.
3. Leave for 2 days at least - this will allow the oil time to be absorbed into the willow and strengthen the bat. Store the bat in a dry place to prevent moisture getting into the bat (if moisture gets into the bat it can cause the bat to warp). If you have time leaving the bat for roughly a week would be the optimal timing.
4. Sand back again, just taking the top layer of the oil off to prepare the willow again for oiling. Then repeat the oiling process again. This process should be repeated at least
So that is treating the bat. If you follow these steps you should now have a treated and stronger cricket bat. Now onto knocking the bat in.
Knocking In The New Bat
The majority of stores selling bats will recommend that the minimum numbers of hours required is 6-8. However it is important to point out that a cricket bat can never be knocked in too much. - meaning that the more time you spend on your bat the better it will handle its job and will provide better results for you.
1. Generally the best tool to use when knocking in the bat is a ball mounted on a wooden stick, these are available from practically all sporting stores. Then lay the bat down and start working the bat in with the ball. It is best to work from the middle out to the edges. This will begin simulating the effects of using the bat along with knocking the bat in at the same time
(The bat mallet)
2. When knocking in the bat pay special attention to the splice (the splice is the v-section joining the main body of the bat and the handle - generally located under the main sticker on the front of the bat) and the edges. The splice and edges are most commonly damaged during play. The more you focus on the edges and splice the stronger your bat will be and the longer it will last. Knocking in at home I would suggest should at least be done for 6-10 hours if you want your bat too last.
*** Be sure to also pay attention to the back of the bat to strengthen all parts of the bat. And when you are knocking in your bat it is common to think ?hey am I hitting it too hard?? - no matter how hard you can bring the ball onto the bat, the ball is going to hit it far harder in a match so youll be fine.
3. After you feel that the ball is starting to come off the bat with more force (generally the ball starts to make a ?ping? sound when it comes off the bat) you can then take it to the next level. Generally most players will take the bat to the nets and continue to work the ball in. At this time the best bet is to focus primarily on forward defensive shots and simple drives, this will not only strengthen the bat but also let you begin to connect to it.
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