Knocking in bats

[Chimp132]

I got a new bat on saturday from lords and its the GN Monster, and it needs 6 hours of knocking in although there isnt a cricket center near me that has the machine to do it, soes anyone have any idears on how i should do it ?

 

[wolf]

Get a knocking in hammer from you local cricket shop.

 

[Simbazz]

i just usually go down to my local nets and get someone to bowl medium pace for a while, a forward defensive usually does the trick, dont go out to smack it else ur bat will break but if u jus play a bit of defensive work, you shud knock it in

 

[Hamish]

You can use one of those specialised mallets.

Or even just juggle an old cricket ball with your bat lightly, then go to defending light throws and increase so on.

 

[Chimp132]

ok, thanks guys i'll buy a knocking in mallet then i will knock it in for about 1 hour then i ll get some throw downs with a old cricket ball cant wait to use it in the nets or in a match

 

[MWaugh]

ok here goes. first off if its an oil bat then you have to treat your bat first. i assume that since you havent mentioned it then its allready coated and not an untreated natural bat.

ok now the knocking in period of 6 hours is a guide. 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. the best thing to do is to start off with a cricket ball on stick as wolf mentioned. you can get these from any sporting shop.

when knocking in the bat early pay special attention to the splice (the v section combining the main body of the bat and the handle (under your gm logo)) and also pay special attention to the edges. the more you work the edges and the splice the less chance you have of the edges splitting. ive worked in the selling of bats for a number of years now and i would suggest to spend a number of hours just on these little things and then work your way inwards to the meat of the bat.

after you feel that the ball is starting to come back off the bat with a bit more of a "ping" sound then you can take it down to the nets and continue to work the bat in further. but dont go stupid with it yet trying to bring out all the shots, just work it in with defensive shots and solid drives (this will also help you find the sweet spot for when you actually play competitive with it)

hope this helps. enjoy the bat
MWaugh

 

[langerrox]

yeh exactly, knock this baby in for ages dont think about using it today enless youve done around 6hrs! gentley then build it up!

 

[Chimp132]

so far i have done it for 1 hour and 20mins, just the fought of having to do it 6 hours before using it makes me think i cant be asked to do it, but im hoping to use this bat for many years, i oiled it on saturday night and started nocking it in sunday, i just tryed juggling the cricket ball on it, and there isnt quite the sound of a well done bat yet, so i ll just carry on using the mallet

 

[langerrox]

which bat is it?

 

[nightprowler10]

ok here goes. first off if its an oil bat then you have to treat your bat first. i assume that since you havent mentioned it then its allready coated and not an untreated natural bat.

Any special attention needed on the oiling part?

which bat is it?

He said its a Gray-Nicholls Monster.

 

[MWaugh]

Any special attention needed on the oiling part?

make sure you use a clean cloth. after putting on the first coat store the bat in a dry and safe place (moisture on the bat may lead to bowling or warping of the willow). probably give it a week if you can so that it is completely dried out (a couple of days after is fine though) then give it a very light sand back to get rid of any extra oil that is not going to be absorbed by the willow. then coat again. probably 3 coats will give you the best results.

 

[nightprowler10]

Thanks for that info.

 

[cricketmad09]

I just kept knocking the bat with a ball me dad swiped from his umpiring.

Watching tv or listening to music whilst doing it is the best way.

 

[embi]

make sure you use a clean cloth. after putting on the first coat store the bat in a dry and safe place (moisture on the bat may lead to bowling or warping of the willow). probably give it a week if you can so that it is completely dried out (a couple of days after is fine though) then give it a very light sand back to get rid of any extra oil that is not going to be absorbed by the willow. then coat again. probably 3 coats will give you the best results.

But its absolutely critical not to put too much oil on and saturate it, right? If you do that 1) it makes the bat really heavy, and quite different from the pickup you chose it for in the shop and 2) it damages the bat in some way. (1)s from personal experience (although I should add that its now lightened up again) and 2 is from some other source of information - back of oil packet, or a website or something.

 

[Chimp132]

so whats the minimum number of hours i could knock it in before using it ?


R.I.P Steve Irwin