Practice Bat

Abstract

An improved training bat for training a batter to use a center portion of a bat rather than an off-center portion has a cylindrical handle portion of standard size and a reduced-diameter cylindrical head portion attached to the handle portion for contacting a ball, wherein at least the head portion of the bat is solid material. The bat may also have a handle stop affixed to an end of the handle portion opposite the head portion for retaining a user's hand in position on the bat.

1 . A training bat for training a batter to use a center portion of a bat rather than an off-center portion, the training bat comprising:
 a cylindrical handle portion for allowing a user to grasp and swing the bat, the cylindrical handle portion having a first diameter;   a cylindrical head portion attached to the handle portion for contacting a ball, the cylindrical head portion having a second diameter, wherein the ratio of the first and second diameters is between about 1.4 and about 1.48; and   a handle stop affixed to an end of the handle portion opposite the head portion for retaining a user's hand in position on the bat.   
   
   
       2 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical handle portion has a cavity therein. 
   
   
       3 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the balance point of the bat is substantially the same as that of a standard baseball bat. 
   
   
       4 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the balance point of the bat is substantially the same as that of a standard softball bat. 
   
   
       5 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the bat is made at least partly of wood. 
   
   
       6 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the bat is made at least partly of metal. 
   
   
       7 . The training bat according to  claim 6 , wherein the bat is made at least partly of aluminum. 
   
   
       8 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the head portion comprises a cavity in an end of the head portion distal from the handle portion. 
   
   
       9 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the bat has a length of about 31 inches. 
   
   
       10 . The training bat according to  claim 1 , wherein the bat has a length of about 26 inches.